No. 318 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron

No. 318 "City of Gdańsk" Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron (Polish: 318 Dywizjon Myśliwsko-Rozpoznawczy Gdański") was a Polish tactical reconnaissance aircraft squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940. It was one of 15 squadrons of the Polish Air Force in exile that served alongside the Royal Air Force (RAF) in World War II.^[5]

History

Formation and training

The squadron was formed on 20 March 1943 at RAF Detling, Kent from personnel of No. 309 Squadron^[6] and after training with Hawker Hurricane Mk.Is it moved to the Middle East, operating from RAF Muqeibila and RAF Gaza and continuing its training, specifically with II Corps of the Polish Army, by now using Hurricane Mk.IIBs. Training went on until 1944, when the squadron converted to Supermarine Spitfires.

Operations in Italy

The squadron was then involved in ground attack and tactical reconnaissance operations over Italy in support of the Eighth Army following the allied advance; and saw action at the Battle of Monte Cassino. After hostilities ceased the squadron remained in Italy for another year, but on 15 August 1946 it handed over its aircraft and left Italy for the UK, where it arrived on the 19th. Soon after, the squadron disbanded at RAF Coltishall, according to some sources on 31 August 1946,^[3]^[7]^[8] while others mention 12 December 1946.^[9]^[10]^[11]

Aircraft operated

Squadron bases

Commanding officers

References

Notes

^ Delve 1994, p. 65.
^ Delve 1994, p. 75.
^ a b c d e f Rawlings 1982, p. 2006.
^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 88.
^ Lewis 1968, pp. 95–97; 125.
^ Onyszk, Piotr (8 July 2007). "1943-03 – No. 318 Squadron – F540". Polish AIr Force, 1940–1947: Operations Record Books. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
^ a b c Halley 1988, p. 366.
^ Onyszk, Piotr (8 July 2007). "1946-08 – No. 318 Squadron – F540". Polish AIr Force, 1940–1947: Operations Record Books. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
^ Delve 1994, p. 149.
^ Lake 1999, p. 256.
^ a b c Jefford 2001, p. 88.
^ "No. 318 Squadron RAF (Polish)". valka.cz. Retrieved 21 May 2012.

Bibliography

Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
Halley, James J (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
Jefford, CG (2001). RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
Król, Wacław (1981). Zarys dzialan polskiego lotnictwa w Wielkiej Brytanii 1940–1945. Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i lacznosci (in Polish). Vol. 11. Warsaw: Biblioteczka Skrzydlatej Polski. ISBN 83-206-0152-5.
Lake, Alan (1999). Flying Units of the RAF: The ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
Lewis, Peter (1968) [1959]. Squadron Histories, RFC, RNAS and RAF, Since 1912. London: Putnam. SBN 370-00022-6.
Rawlings, John DR (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 318 (Polish) Squadron RAF.

"318 Squadron". Historic Squadrons. Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
"318 Dywizjon Myśliwsko-Rozpoznawczy "Gdański"". polishairforce.pl (in Polish). – historic photographs
"No 318 (Danzig) Squadron". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
Hodyra, Piotr. "Personnel of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain 1940-1947".