HISTORY OF No. 305 (POLISH) SQUADRON Written by Wilhelm Ratuszynski
As the last of the Polish bomber units, No 305 (Ziemia Wielkopolska) Squadron was formed on 1 September 1940 at Bramcote. All flying personnel came from the 18 OUT located at the same airfield, many of them, members of the 3rd Air Regiment in Poland. At the beginning, the total personnel numbered 23 officers and 156 other ranks. The position of the first CO was given to W/Cdr J. Jankowski, who was assisted by his British advisor W/Cdr J. Drysdale. Operationally, the squadron was attached to No. 6 Bomber Group. Just as other forming Polish bomber squadrons, the 305 was equipped with single-engine Fairey Battles. And as the training progressed, the unit was reequipped with Vickers Wellington. This change came toward the end of November. Many new postings arrived as the number of crewmen and personnel had to be doubled. The airfield became too small, and the 305, together with its sister squadron No. 304, was moved to RAF Syerston. The move came on 2 December 1940.
Rather intense training now took place at a large, pre-war aerodrome. The
crews were billeted quite comfortably, and theirs rosters crystallized
into harmonized cells. This helped them to be much better prepared for
upcoming operations over the enemy’s territory. These, on the other
hand, came only at the end of April 1941. On the night of 24/25 April 1941, the squadron took part in operations for the first time. The fuel tanks of Rotterdam were bombed by the RAF, and among scores of British bombers over the target were three 305 Wellingtons piloted by W/Cdr Klenczynski, F/O Jonikas and F/Sgt Trembaczynski. All three aircraft returned safely, and to commemorate this event, the day of April 25th, became the official Squadron Day.
On May 3rd and the second mission the unit suffered its first loss. On its
way to bomb Emden, the crew of F/O Nogal was shot down over Holland. A
week later, the same fate met the crew of Sgt Dorman.
In June, the nights became much shorter, what resulted in part of the
bombing runs flown in daylight. The good weather prolonged and German
night fighters made many interceptions. Many RAF bomber crews were force
to ditch, and the 305 flown multiple of the air-sea rescue missions.
It is safe to say that, just like other Polish squadrons, the 305and
loaded with exceptionally good human material, and its service with the
Bomber Command was not unnoticed. Quite telling is a report of the RAF
Swiderby CO’s, G/Cpt Pendred (who by that time familiarized himself with
Poles and their novel customs) to the HQ of No. 1 Group, and which
mentioned the F/Lt Korbut No. 305 Squadron navigator: The summer months of 1941 weren’t easy for the unit. The personnel had to get use to strenuous work and… losses. In July the 305 made 48 sorties bombing targets in L’Orient, Brest, Frankfurt-on-Main, Emden and Dunkirk, and twice on Bremen, Cologne and Rotterdam. Several aircraft were lost. Fortunately, the PAF reserves at Blackpool Depot were not yet depleted at the replacements were posted promptly. So, just like in any other squadron, the training never stopped.
Meantime, on 20 July 1941, the unit moved to RAF Lindholme, the
“Polish” station in York, commanded by W/Cdr Makowski, former Co of
No. 300 Squadron. The unit
was partially converted to Wellington Mk. II, and then to Mk. IV.
The latter powered by air-cooled American Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp
engines. On
27 September, the Wellington W5557 returning from operations over Cologne
was forced to land. The aircraft fell on a farm near Hatfield Moor,
killing four crewmembers and three civilians. In 1941 the squadron totaled 284 missions flown in a time of 1480 hours, and it lost 66 airmen killed.
The 1942, was the year when the Polish Bomber Force hit the enemy very hard, but in return was stuck itself with biggest losses. This resulted from the increased of its operational effort. The 305 was very part of it. On the anniversary of the first operational flight, and 24 April 1942, the Polish C-in-C General Sikorski visited the Syerston, and stationing there No. 304 and 305 Squadrons. The celebrations were preceded by a record number of crews taking part in a raid on Rostock. All returned safely and after releasing their entire load on target.
As usually, missions to be flown gained in strength and frequency
with the coming of the spring. The first big one was a 1,000-plane raid on
Cologne on the night of 30/31 May 1942. Several crews from the 305 took
part in it. That month, the unit begun to fly a new type of mission:
mining entries to the German ports. These were difficult and dangerous
flights, but the war itself was a dangerous business. On
1 June lost was the Wellington piloted by S/Ldr Hirszbandt, OBE. In a
citation to his decoration we read: “F/Lt Hirszbandt has completed 19
sorties over enemy territory involving over 99 flying hours. As a captain
of aircraft he is outstanding. His determination to reach his objective
shows a fine offensive spirit and in his complete disregard of enemy
opposition he displays courage of the highest order. This offensive
spirit, skilful pilotage and outstanding leadership have set the finest
example to all, and have contributed in a large degree to the successes of
his Squadron.
On 26 June the 305 Wellington with the W/Cdr Skarzynski on board,
the CO of the RAF Lindholm, had to ditch in a North Sea after suffering
flak damage. Except for Stanislaw Skarzynski, who became famous of his
solo flight over the Atlantic in 1933, a British Navy ship rescued the
whole crew. At the end of this backbreaking year, No 305 Squadron totaled 587 operational flights in 3,273 flying hours, thus more than double of its previous year effort. The unit sustained about the same number of losses, both in aircraft and flying personnel.
The beginning of the 1943 saw a lot
of new faces in the unit. Several crews from the reorganized No. 301
Polish Squadron were transferred to Hemswell. On January 18, the unit had
a new CO, W/Cdr Tadeusz Czolowski. In this new offensive, the squadron participated till the end of July, when it was decided to move the unit to the newly created 2nd Tactical Air Force. This was followed by a conversion to light bombers, and reduction of the crews. Meantime, on 22 June the squadron relocated to RAF Ingham only few miles away from Hemswell. The conditions were quite different at the new place, where the crews were billeted in Nissen huts and the whole personnel was scattered all over the local spots. The airfield itself was a rather pitiful picture, but had one big advantage: long, flat and easy approaches. On 28 July, W/Cdr Kazimierz Konopasek assumed command of the unit. When the 305 left the Bomber Command its record wasn’t outstanding, but it show business terms it should be described as a “very solid performance”. From its first operational sortie on 25th April 1941, to the last one on 3rd August 1943, the squadron flew 1,117 sorties and accounted for 1,555 tons of bombs dropped and mines laid. It lost 136 killed, 10 missing and 33 taken prisoner - a total of 179 casualties, equivalent to more than a full operational crew each month during two and a half years. During that time the unit lost 46 planes. Without aircraft, the unit moved to Swanton Morley (Norfolk), where it soon received North American B-25 “Mitchell”. After a month of conversion to the new aircraft, the unit returned to operational flying. This time its targets were flying-bomb launching-sites, enemy headquarters and fortifications in the Cape Gris Nez region. The one biggest change for the squadrons was a fact that the missions were now flown in daytime and with fighter cover. But very few Polish crews flown more the 10 missions on Mitchells, as the word was spread that the unit soon will reequip once again to De Havilland’s wonder: “Mosquito”. During the brief period of flying the American bomber, the 305 suffered only one loss, when on 14 November the aircraft piloted by F/Sgt Anglik crashed during a training flight.
On 19 November the squadron moved to a better airfield at Lasham in
Hampshire. Soon after that the first Mosquitoes were flown in. The
change from Wellingtons to Mosquitoes brought inevitable
personnel shifting. Needed were pilots of more aggressive, fighter style
of flying, and those who did not have enough skills and were considered
“truck drivers” had to leave. But those who stayed were much
gratified. The Mosquito was the very best what the RAF could employ.
Because there wasn’t enough of Polish pilots and navigators ready for
conversion, the squadron received eleven British complete crews, which
formed separate Flight commanded by a British officer. Poles formed
nineteen complete two-person crews. With the start of the Invasion, the 305 stepped up its operations significantly. Just as almost all RAF unit engaged, the squadron had to deliver a maximum effort that day. Several crews made more than one sortie. In support of the operation, Polish Mosquitoes targeted railway stations, tracks, bridges and trains, reserve groupings and forces on their way to the front. Between D-minus-one Day and the end of August 1944, the 305 made over 500 sorties on special missions and in support of the invasion. As
the Allies progressed on the continent, the 305 operations slowly shifted
back to the role of harassing Germans elsewhere. On 16 June, lost were S/Ldr
Herrcik, British Flight “B” commander with the navigator F/O Turski. A
German fighter shot down their plane during a Ranger operation in
Denmark. Unfortunately,
around that time, the unit lost several crews, both in operations as well
as in training. On 24 September, two Mosquitoes collided in mid air. One
of the crews was British; in another, Chaplain Samulski flew as a
navigator. There were no survivors. In November five planes was lost and
four crews, two Polish and two British. F/Sgt Haas and P/O Wilczewski
managed to reach Allies lines on a badly damaged plane and safely bailed
out. The
squadron welcomed New Year in a somber mood. On 1 January 1945, the Luftwaffe
in a last desperate attack, tried to deliver a blow to Allies air forces
stationed on the continent raiding theirs airfields on the early morning
hours. List of targets in the operation “Bodenplatte” included Epinoy.
The airfield received several bombs, but the squadron suffered no losses,
both in equipment and personnel. At
the end of February the 305 took part in the biggest aerial operation
(“Clarion”) of the war, when 7,000 allied aircraft attacked defending
Germany. The unit sent out sixteen Mosquitoes, which for half an hour
strafed targets of opportunity in the area of Bremen-Hamburg-Cologne. The
squadron created havoc on the ground but 10 of its planes returned
damaged, three on one engine. One British crew was shot down. See
copy of the battle order. On
1 March the squadron consisted of 25 crews, eleven of them Polish. That
month the unit recorded 212 operational flights without losses. During its service with the 2nd TAF, No. 305 Polish Squadron totaled 2310 nighttime and 158 daytime operational flights; dropped 1213 tons of bombs and spent 360 100 cannon shells. It lost 25 Polish and 19 British airmen. It also lost 35 planes.
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