No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron

No. 316 "City of Warsaw" Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941. It was one of 15 squadrons of the Polish Air Force in exile that served alongside the Royal Air Force in World War II.

History

No 316 Squadron was formed at Pembrey on 15 February 1941 as part of an agreement between the Polish government-in-exile and United Kingdom. It was a Polish fighter unit initially equipped with Hurricanes. Initially, it engaged in defensive duties over South West England. By mid 1941, and began flying offensive sweeps over northern France with Hurricane Mk.IIs. In October 1941, it re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk.Vb; Mk.IXc; and Mk.XVIe aircraft and moved to RAF Northolt. In this period, it began conduct more offensive actions over occupied Europe. In July 1942, the squadron transferred to Yorkshire, and continued offensive operations from there. In 1943 it re-equipped again with Mustang Mk.3 aircraft. In April 1944, it again relocated to East Anglia, from which it conducted fighter bomber and escort missions in the lead up to the D-Day landings. In 1944, it relocated to the South of England, where it intercepted German V-1 cruise missiles. The squadron was disbanded on 11 December 1946.
Some well known Polish pilots who flew with Squadron 316 include Wacław Król, Michał Maciejowski, Michał Cwynar, Jerzy Bajan, Jan Kowalski, Tadeusz Sawicz, Józef Jeka, Janusz Żurakowski, Władysław Gnyś, Bohdan Arct, Tadeusz Góra, and Stanisław Skalski.