No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron

Commanders
307 Squadron Logo
Active	24 August 1940 – 2 January 1947
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	Polish government in exile
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Night fighter
Size	squadron
Part of	RAF Fighter Command
Nickname(s)	Eagle-owls
Notable commanders	Stanisław Grodzicki
Insignia
Squadron Codes	EW (Aug 1940 – Jan 1947)

No. 307 (City of Lwów) Polish Night Fighter Squadron (Polish: 307 Dywizjon Myśliwski Nocny "Lwowskich Puchaczy" ) was a Polish night fighter squadron^[1] formed in Great Britain on 24 August 1940 following an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom. It was the only Polish night fighter squadron fighting alongside the Royal Air Force during World War II. 307 Squadron is named after the Polish city of Lwów, and nicknamed "Eagle Owls".

History

The nickname "Eagle Owls" comes from fighters who defended Lwów (now Lviv; German: Lemberg) in Galicia, Poland from invading Ukrainian forces in the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918–1919, who were referred to as the Lwów Eaglets (Polish: Orlęta Lwowskie). The nickname is also appropriate to a night fighter squadron, as the eagle owl is a predator that flies at night.

After its formal formation in Blackpool on 24 August 1940^[2] No. 307 squadron was assembled at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey on 5 September 1940 as a night fighter unit, flying the Boulton Paul Defiant turret-fighter and took up residence at RAF Jurby, Isle of Man. An example of the Boulton Paul Defiant, with serial number N1671, EW-D, the sole complete surviving Defiant is to be seen on display at the RAF Museum at RAF Hendon. In August 1941 the squadron converted to Beaufighters which it flew until being re-equipped with Mosquitoes in late 1942. From 1943 the squadron was based at RAF Predannack, Cornwall, and was active as a night intruder unit over airfields in occupied France. This changed in January 1945, when its role was switched to bomber support, combating German night fighters. The squadron was disbanded on 2 January 1947 after the end of World War II.

Commanding officers

C/O's of No. 307 Squadron^[2]^[3]
From	To	Name	Notes
Sep 1940	Mar 1941	S/Ldr. George Charlie Tomlinson	British Officer
Sep 1940	Oct 1940	Kpt. Stanisław Pietraszkiewicz	Polish co-commander
Oct 1940	Nov 1940	Maj. Kazimierz Benz	Polish co-commander
Nov 1940	Jun 1941	Maj. Stanisław Grodzicki	First as co-commander, later as Squadron Leader
Jun 1941	Oct 1941	Kpt. Jerzy Antonowicz
Oct 1941	Nov 1941	Por. Maksymilian Lewandowski	temporary commander
Nov 1941	Aug 1942	Maj. Stanisław Brejniak	Wing Commander
Aug 1942	Mar 1943	Kpt. Jan Michałowski, VM, KW, DFC	Wing Commander
Mar 1943	Apr 1943	Kpt. Gerard Ranoszek	temporary commander
Apr 1943	Jan 1944	Maj. Jerzy Orzechowski	Wing Commander
Jan 1944	May 1944	Kpt. Maksymilian Lewandowski	Wing Commander
May 1944	Mar 1945	Kpt. Gerard Ranoszek	Wing Commander
Mar 1945	Mar 1946	Kpt. Stanisław Andrzejewski	Wing Commander
Mar 1946	Jan 1947	Kpt. Jerzy Damsz	Wing Commander

^[2]^[3]

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by No. 307 Squadron^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]
From	To	Aircraft	Version
17 September 1940^[6]	August 1941	Boulton Paul Defiant	Mk.I
14 August 1941	May 1942	Bristol Beaufighter	Mk.IIf
5 May 1942	February 1943	Bristol Beaufighter	Mk.VIf
21 December 1942	January 1945	de Havilland Mosquito	NF.II
19 June 1943	October 1943	de Havilland Mosquito	NF.VI
22 January 1944	November 1944	de Havilland Mosquito	NF.XII, NF.XIII
24 October 1944	January 1947	de Havilland Mosquito	NF.30

References

Notes

↑ Gretzyngier 1998, p. 30.
1 2 3 4 pl:Dywizjon 307
1 2 3 Rawlings 1978, p. 394.
↑ Halley 1988, p. 360.
↑ Jefford 2001, p. 87.
↑ Simpson, Andrew (2013). "Boulton Paul Defiant I N1671/837OM Museum Accession No.74/A/16" (PDF). RAF Museum. Retrieved 16 October 2015.

Bibliography

Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
Gretzyngier, Robert. Polish Aces of World War 2, Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1998.
Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
Jefford, Wing Commander C.G. RAF Squadrons: a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (Revised edition 1976). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.

External links

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