304 (Polish) Squadron Raf: Wellingtons Against Uboote
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304 (Polish) Squadron Raf - Mariusz Konarski
Published in Poland in 2005 by STRATUS
Artur Juszczak, Po. Box 123, 27-600 Sandomierz 1, Poland
e-mail: arturj@mmpbooks.biz
for
Mushroom Model Publications,
36 Ver Road, Redbourn,
AL3 7PE, UK.
e-mail: rogerw@mmpbooks.biz
© 2005 Mushroom Model Publications.
http://www.mmpbooks.biz
All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of
private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the
Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988, no part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical,
optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written
permission. All enquiries should be addressed to the publisher.
eISBN 978-83-61421-90-0
ISBN 83-89450-18-6
The author would like to thank the following persons for their assistance:
Mariusz Borowiak, Betty Clements, Jerzy Cynk, Przemysław Chorążykiewicz, Bohdan Ejbich, Adam Jarski, Andrzej Jeziorski, Marian Kowalczyk, Jacek Kutzner, Piotr Laskowski, Wojtek Matusiak, Andrzej Olejko, Robert Owen, Michał Peszke, Krzysztof Radwan, Andrzej Suchcitz, Wojciech Sankowski and Edward Zarudzki.
Introduction
History of the Squadron
Bomber Command
Coastal Command
Transport Command
Footnotes
Appendices
Colour profiles
To My Beloved Son
304 Dywizjon Bombowy Ziemi Śląskiej
im. Księcia Józefa Poniatowskiego, known as 304 (Polish) Squadron in the RAF, was formed on 22 August 1940 at RAF Bramcote, Leicester. Its personnel was recruited from among airmen of the former 2nd and 6th Air Regiments of the pre-war Polish Air Force, subsequently reinforced with 3rd Air Regiment staff arriving after the fall of France. W/Cdr Jan Biały was appointed Officer Commanding, and S/Ldr Julian Wojda his deputy. W/Cdr William M. Graham was the RAF advisor.
Shooting training
on a Tiger Moth.
Engine overhaul of an Avro Anson, one of the two used by the Squadron in 1940-41.
Battle Trainer coded NY-Z, one of the two such aircraft used by the Squadron.
One of the Wellington Mk IAs used as a trainer in 1941.
Bomber Command
Initially the squadron was equipped with 16 Fairey Battle I light single-engine bombers and two Battle Trainers. From 1 November 1940 it used twin-engine Vickers Wellington IA trainers, and from 22 November 1940 Vickers Wellington IC bombers. The Wellington crew included the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radio-operator and two gunners.
"At an early stage of organisation – ppłk pil. Jan Biały wrote in his memoirs¹ – the squadron was equipped with Fairey Battles. A single-engine aeroplane with retractable undercarriage, crew of three (pilot, navigator and gunner), armed with two machine guns, bomb load of 750 kg. Aircraft of the type were similar to our Karaś, nevertheless the crews had to get acquainted with the new type of aeroplane, especially pilots who had to remember to raise the undercarriage after take-off and lower it before landing.
Mjr pil. Jan Biały, the first commander of 304 Squadron.
(…) Crews had to make over a dozen flights to learn the new devices, besides the pilots underwent conversion training in ‘blind’ flying, piloting only according to instruments in the cockpit. Navigators underwent conversion training according to English air navigation standards, based largely on maritime navigation. Knowledge of this type of navigation was necessary in daylight and night flying, as well as over vast ocean areas, when navigator was able to make his calculations based only according to the wind direction and force, speed of the aeroplane, and flight time. Gunners of the aeroplane were trained in operating the machine guns, as well as in dropping bombs, also navigators were trained in the latter.
Vickers Wellington Mk IC, coded NZ-T.
Ppłk pil. Piotr Dudziński, the squadron’s commander between 20.12.1940 and 12.11.1941.
The whole conversion training was very intensive. After six weeks, by the end of October 1940, crews were completed and trained, and the squadron was prepared to participate in combat operations.
In November the squadron was re-equipped with Wellingtons. Both flying and engineering personnel needed conversion training on the new aeroplane type. As flying was planned to be done entirely at night, special attention was paid to conversion training of pilots, not only in terms of twin-engine aircraft piloting, but also in instrument flying. Navigators were additionally trained in long range navigation without aid of ground features. Shortage of flying personnel was made up with postings from British reserves (…)"
Due to misunderstandings with the British advisor, on 22 December 1940 W/Cdr J. Biały left the squadron. He was replaced at the head of the unit by W/Cdr Piotr Dudziński.
On 27 January 1941 Polish 304 and 305 Squadrons were visited by the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The Royal couple inspected Polish airmen in a decorated hangar. The visit was a great honour and joy for the personnel.
The unit achieved combat readiness on 25 April 1941. It would operate under control of Bomber Command. Its aircraft were identified by the NZ codes applied on the fuselages.
Establishment of the squadron, No. WAR/BC/116 (wartime heavy bomber squadron RAF) stipulated the squadron HQ of 106 and two flights of 218, a total of 324 officers and men. It was to be equipped with 16 twin-engine bombers.²
At the time 304 and 305 Squadrons were based at Syerston, Nottinghamshire. On 25 April 1941 two crews (of P/O Antoni Sym and F/O Kazimierz Czetowicz) of 304 Squadron took part in a raid on Rotterdam. The crew of Wellington IC NZ-D (N2852) included P/O Jerzy Iszkowski as the co-pilot, and he wrote in his memoirs:³
"I made my first combat sortie on 25 April 1941 in the unfamiliar crew of F/O Czetowicz. Aeroplane - Wellington-Pegasus no. 2852. Bombs: incendiary and high explosive. Task: bomb petrol tanks in Rotterdam, Holland. This was the first operational attempt of the squadron. Two crews were made up of the best pilots. Take-off was at dusk. In the darkness of the night we passed the English coast and, after crossing the North Sea, we crossed the Dutch coast south of Emden. Approaching the bombing area we maintained altitude of 12,000 to 14,000 feet. In the Emden area