INTERNATIONAL HEROES
Exploring the contribution made by international pilots during the battle
Throughout the Battle of Britain Fighter Command, under the leadership of Hugh Dowding, was suffering from a chronic shortage of fighter pilots. This was due to a variety of factors, some reaching back to the earliest phase of the war. During the initial few months, a more rapid expansion of air strength had been required than initially expected. As a result, the training programme that had been designed to keep up a steady output of pilots had already been required to produce more than expected. Secondly, as the result of a particularly bad winter in the months prior to the battle, further training had been severely affected. Finally, nearly 300 fighter pilots had perished in the skies over France.
Because of this, Fighter Command found itself in a constant struggle to provide enough pilots to defend Britain against the Luftwaffe. By early September, each squadron had on average 16 pilots operational out of a full contingent of 26. Many measures were taken to try and combat this problem. It was only due to the allocation of squadrons comprising a variety of nationalities that Fighter Command was able to keep 60 squadrons flying throughout the battle.
Perhaps the most famous of these international additions to the RAF were the Polish squadrons. Following the invasion of Poland and then the fall of France, some 30,000 Polish personnel made their way across the Channel. Around 8,500 of these were pilots, and as a result Squadrons 302 (Poznan) and 303 (Kosciuszko) were founded.
Initially a long-standing belief that a lack of skills or significant training on the part of the Polish pilots had led to the Luftwaffe’s swift victory caused some tension. Additionally, the language barrier (requiring them to communicate in broken French) and having to be trained on a completely new type of aircraft caused further issues. As a result the squadrons were given tricycles fitted with speedometers, radios and compasses and ordered to ride in formation around the airfield. This caused disquiet, with Pilot Officer Jan Zumbach noting: “The British wasted much of our time with these childish exercises.”
On the 12 August, 302 became the first Polish unit cleared for action. Despite initially being part of 12 Group, whose function was to work as relief for 11
Group when necessary, the squadron engaged enemy aircraft on the 20th and distinguished itself. However, despite 302’s success, 303 was still engaged exclusively in training manoeuvres and not cleared for action. On 30 August, Squadron 303 was engaged in training manoeuvres when Pilot Ludwik Paszkiewics spotted some enemy aircraft. Contacting his squadron leader but not receiving a response, Paszkiewics broke formation and engaged an enemy plane, shooting it down. Despite being reprimanded, Squadron 303 was quickly cleared for action. The moment was later immortalised in the ‘Repeat Please’ sequence in the 1969 film Battle Of Britain.
The result was that of all the units in the Battle of Britain, Squadron 303 would be the one to distinguish itself with the most hits during its entire duration. Indeed, directly following the battle on 7 September (the first day of the Blitz) they would have the extraordinary achievement of shooting down 14 enemy planes, with an additional four probable kills. Commander in
Chief of Air Command, Air Chief
Marshal Hugh Dowding, summarised
the Polish contribution to the battle by acknowledging the gallantry, skill and bravery of the pilots. “Had it not been for the magnificent work of the
Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I doubt the outcome of the battle would have been the same,” he said.
However, Polish pilots were not the only non-british nationals to fly alongside the RAF and contribute to victory in the Battle of Britain. Crucially, pilots from many Commonwealth countries also participated. Most notably, 135 New Zealanders joined the fight. Among this number was Colin Gray, who destroyed 14 planes during the battle and would finish the war with 27 confirmed hits and 22 probables. Indeed, Keith
Park, the commander of 11 Group Fighter Command and responsible for some of the hour-by-hour conduct of the battle, was himself a New Zealander.
One incredibly lucky New Zealand pilot was Alan Deere, an Ace who had already scored five hits while flying in France. Entitling his autobiography Nine Lives, Deere was known for his incredible fortune in cheating death on numerous occasions. In July, he crashed into a cornfield following a collision with an enemy aircraft, walking away with only minor cuts and injuries. A few weeks later he was shot down, but when attempting to bail out he became caught on the burning aircraft and could not free himself as it hurtled to the ground. Miraculously, and with moments to spare, he was blown clear and was able to open his parachute just in time.
Many other Commonwealth countries had pilots take part in the battle. Among them some 98 Canadians, 33 Australians and 25 South Africans participated. Alongside these, three Rhodesians, a Newfoundlander, a Barbadian and a Jamaican were also among the many air crew. There was also a variety of exiles from other parts of Europe: 88 Czechoslovakians, 13 Frenchmen and 29 Belgians. In fact, the most successful RAF pilot was Sergeant Josef František
– a Czechoslovakian flying with 303 Squadron who achieved 17 hits, the highest of the battle.
“HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE POLISH SQUADRONS, I DOUBT THE OUTCOME OF THE BATTLE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME”