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Pilots of the famous 303 squadron who died over the Netherlands

The summer of 1940 saw a massive battle for air superiority in the skies of Great Britain which became know as ‘The Battle of Britain’ starting at the 16th of June with ‘Adlertag’. In the mean time the Polish units – with already battle hardened pilot – where trained in RAF procedures. On August 2nd 303 Tadeusz Kościuszko Warsaw Fighter Squadron was formed (in Polish 303 Dywizjon Myśliwski „Warszawski im. Tadeusza Kościuszki”).

On August 30, 1940 during another training exercise Polish pilot Ludwik Paszkiewicz spotted a German Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter in the area, and he shot it down. An event used in the epic film the Battle of Britain.

The next day, the squadron was declared operational and officially put on full duty to become the highest scoring unit in the Battle and gained lasting fame which resulted in books and films. A long read can be found on Polen in beeld (long read in Dutch but embedded clips are in English).

Few people know that later in the war the unit saw action in the skies over the Netherlands and lost three men of which details can be found on our website:

Day of the Polish Army

For Catholics, August 15 represents the Assumption of Mary. In Poland, it is also Army Day. This can be traced back to the 1920 battle against the Soviet Union and the ‘Miracle on the Vistula’.

The aftermath of World War I

Whereas the general view is that World War I ended on 11 November 1918, a turbulent aftermath followed in several countries in central and eastern Europe due to the collapse of the pre-war powers. So too in Poland, which regained its independence. Something that is commemorated every year on 11 November.

For that independence, the necessary struggles had to be fought. On the western side of Poland was the ‘Greater Poland Uprising’. The only successful uprising in Polish history in which the region around Poznan separated from the German Weimar Republic and joined Poland.

Miracle on the Vistula

The biggest battle was fought with the Russians in the east. Initially, Piłsudski began the struggle to turn Belarus and Ukraine into satellite states and the Polish army was successful. They came as far as Kiev and took it. In the summer of 1920, the tide turned and the Russians entered Poland as far as near Warsaw.

As foreign diplomats began to leave the Polish capital, Piłsudski worked out a daring plan. On the night of 6-7 August 1920, he carried out his operative flank attack. It succeeded! The Soviets took themselves completely by surprise. In two successive battles, Pilsudski’s brigades destroyed two-thirds of the Red cavalry armies.

There was talk of the miracle on the River Vistula (Wisła). The remnants of the Bolshevik army sought refuge in flight. Their sluggishness, fatigue and long supply lines had killed the Soviets. In the process, they had also ignored the Communist hatred of Polish citizens and peasants.*

The Poles had managed to break the Russian codes and were therefore aware of the Russian plans. Another interesting detail is that a Russian commander left the flank of the main force uncovered because he was busy attacking Lviv / Lwów for his own profiling. The attack was in vain and the commander was Stalin.

On the occasion of the Polish victory, 15 August in Poland is not only the Catholic feast day of the Assumption of Mary but also Polish Army Day. For us, a day to remember the hundreds of Polish servicemen listed on our site for losing their lives on Dutch soil.

Painting accompanying this article is "Cud nad Wisłą" - painting Jerzy Kossak