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 several Polish squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II.

No. 318 "City of Gdańsk" Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron
Badge of 318 "City of Gdansk" Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron during World War II
Active20 March 1943 – 12 December 1946
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
AllegiancePoland Polish Government in exile
Branch Royal Air Force
RoleTactical Reconnaissance
Part ofRAF Army Cooperation Command, March 1943-May 1943[1]
RAF Second Tactical Air Force, June 1943-August 1943
Mediterranean Air Command, September 1943-December 1943
Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, December 1943-July 1945[2]
RAF Mediterranean and Middle East, August 1945-August 1946
Nickname(s)Danzig
"Gdański" (of Gdańsk)
EngagementsWorld War II
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryUnofficial[3] design, based on the coat of arms city of Gdańsk
Squadron CodesLW (Nov 1944 - Aug 1946)[3][4]
Aircraft flown
FighterHawker Hurricane
Supermarine Spitfire
Squadron emblem painted on the aircraft

History

Formation and training

The squadron was formed on 20 March 1943 at RAF Detling, Kent from personnel of No. 309 Squadron[5] 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][6][7] while others mention 12 December 1946.[8][9][10]

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by No. 318 Squadron RAF[3][6][10]
FromToAircraftVersion
April 1943August 1943Hawker HurricaneMk.I
September 1943March 1944Hawker HurricaneMk.IIb
March 1944March 1945Supermarine SpitfireMk.Vb
March 1944March 1945Supermarine SpitfireMk.Vc
September 1944August 1946Supermarine SpitfireMk.IX

Squadron bases
Bases and airfields used by No. 318 Squadron RAF[3][6][10]
FromToBaseRemark
20 March 194315 August 1943RAF Detling, Kentdets. at RAF Weston Zoyland, Somerset and
RAF Snailwell, Cambridgeshire from April 1943
15 August 194331 August 1943En routeto Egypt
31 August 194310 September 1943Alamaza, Egypt
10 September 194313 October 1943RAF Muqueibila, Palestine
13 October 194322 October 1943RAF Gaza, Palestine
22 October 194321 November 1943RAF Lydda, Palestine(now Ben Gurion International Airport)
21 November 194323 April 1944LG.207 (Qassassin), EgyptGround echelon to Italy from 9 April
23 April 194424 April 1944RAF Helwan, Egypt
24 April 194425 April 1944RAF Marble Arch, Libya
25 April 194428 April 1944RAF Castel Benito, Libya
28 April 19441 May 1944Madna, Italy
1 May 194417 June 1944Trigno, Italy
17 June 194426 June 1944San Vito, Italy
26 June 19442 July 1944Tortoretto, Italy
2 July 194430 July 1944Fermio, Italydet. at Castiglione, Italy
30 July 194424 August 1944Falconara, Italy
24 August 194431 August 1944Chiaravalle, Italydet. at Malignano, Italy
31 August 194416 September 1944Piagiolino, Italy
16 September 194427 September 1944Cassandro, Italy
27 September 19446 November 1944Rimini, ItalyDet. at Iesi, Italy
6 November 19444 December 1944Bellaria, Italy
4 December 19443 May 1945Forli, Italy
3 May 19456 May 1945La Russia, Italy
6 May 194514 May 1945Treviso, Italy
14 May-21 August 1945Tissano, Italy
21 August 194524 January 1946Lavariano, Italy
24 January9 March 1946Tissano, Italy
9 March 194615 August 1946Treviso, Italy
15 August 194619 August 1946En routeto the UK
19 August 194612 December 1946RAF Coltishall, Norfolk

Commanding officers
Officers commanding No. 318 Squadron RAF[3][11]
FromToName
20 March 19435 August 1943W/Cdr. A. Wojtyga
5 August 19435 January 1945W/Cdr. L. Wielochowski
5 January 194520 May 1946W/Cdr. S. Mosczynski, DFC
20 May 194612 December 1946S/Ldr. W. Bereżecki

See also

References

Notes
  1. Delve 1994, p. 65.
  2. Delve 1994, p. 75.
  3. Rawlings 1982, p. 2006.
  4. Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 88.
  5. Onyszk, Piotr (8 July 2007). "1943-03 - No. 318 Squadron - F540". Polish AIr Force, 1940-1947: Operations Record Books. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  6. Halley 1988, p. 366.
  7. Onyszk, Piotr (8 July 2007). "1946-08 - No. 318 Squadron - F540". Polish AIr Force, 1940-1947: Operations Record Books. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  8. Delve 1994, p. 149.
  9. Lake 1999, p. 256.
  10. Jefford 2001, p. 88.
  11. "No. 318 Squadron RAF (Polish)". valka.cz. Retrieved 21 May 2012.

Bibliography
  • Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. (1988), The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-1988, Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., ISBN 0-85130-164-9
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001), RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-84037-141-2
  • Król, Waclaw. Zarys dzialan polskiego lotnictwa w Wielkiej Brytanii 1940-1945 (in Polish). Warszawa, Poland: Biblioteczka Skrzydlatej Polski, tom 11, Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i lacznosci, 1981. ISBN 83-206-0152-5.
  • Lake, Alan. Flying Units of the RAF: The ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
  • Sturtivant, Ray, ISO and John Hamlin. RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.
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