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5:28 There is some truth to that for sure. In my college days, our library disposed of some books as they ran out of room. Students were free to browse and take what they like. I found an old flight school study book from 1930s. It mixed elements of physics, theory of flight and combat manoeuvres.
we were fighting for our freedom, that was main factor, Poles have fighted through last couple hundreds of years for that, and it wast taken AGAIN, our gramps just couldnt bare it
My father fought with the 2nd Polish Corps at Montecassino where he was wounded, and my driving instructor was a Polish fighter pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain.... I could fill a book with their stories, and about these characters. I am incredibly fortunate to have grown up with these unforgettable men - we will never see their like again.
I have known similar histories in Ukraine as of late, that will be the stuff of legends when this is over. Not only that era had huge heroics. Big kudos to the Polish greats of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Well said, my grandfather told me about the Polish pilots when I was young. I'm 63 now but those stories are everlasting. Some of these pilots actually flew to Britain in their planes to save them, knowing the nazis had conquered Poland, they were the best of the best. He always wished that the world eventually find out how brave they truly were,.... you are helping with that, thank you.
Thank you for your wonderful programme. My father was a Polish pilot. Before the outbreak of ww2, he told me of the bombing of their aerodrome in August 1939. Whilst cleaning their planes after a training flight, one lad looked up at the sky and said, Look, silver rain! Bombs! Ruuun! From a safe distance we watched our planes and airfield destroyed, said my Dad, Stanislaw Drozda. Best wishes, Cecilia Drozda-Porter
Growing up, our local mechanic was "Charlie". He was one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet. He started teaching me a little here and there. His attention to detail, and compulsive drive for perfection could get annoying. There was no such thing as "good enough". It was done right. Period. Turns out, he was an engine mechanic, from Poland. He'd made his way to France, then England, and survived the war. Instead of remaining in Europe, he came to the States. He passed, quietly in his sleep, in the mid '70's. I can't emphasize how much of an influence he was, in my youth. I became a Master Technician, and made it a 40 year career. I have mentored many young mechanics during those years. In my small way, his legacy lives on.
As I said in the video, my research really did suggest the Polish mechanics were just excellent at their craft. Thanks for sharing Charlie's story Edward.
Part 2 Lastly, allow me to draw your attention to František Fajtl and the Czechoslovak squadron 313. For some time this was based at RAF Ibsley just a few miles from my home in England. The airfield stood on the flood plain of the Dorset Avon which is full of sand and gravel. After the War, the airfield was excavated for sand etc and nothing remains but several large lakes. In the War, however it was a busy front line airfield. Whilst based at Ibsley, 313 was expanded and expanded and then split in two. One half headed by František were transported round the North Cape to Russia. They fought against the Nazis on the Russian front. In August of 1944, they provided air cover for the "Slovenské národné povstanie" (Slovak National Uprising). It was an unfortunate coincidence that the very day that the Uprising began, carefully co-ordinated with the Czechoslovak Government in London, was the day that the Nazis invaded Slovakia and the Uprising was not able to secure the passes as had been hoped to prevent the Nazi invasion. By chance, the Nazis beat them to it by a matter of hours. Although fighting continued in the forests and mountains till Slovakia was secured by the Soviet forces, the Uprising was effectively crushed before the end of the year. The Nazis killed thousands and thousands of Slovak civilians, many of them being burnt to death in their own houses or village churches. The uprising succeeded in killing many Germans weakening them in the face of the Soviet onslaught. I have seen František's RAF uniform on display in the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica. I have also visited the headquarters of the Sitno Command not far from our home here in Slovakia. The Sitno Command were active against the Nazis and the pro-Nazi regime of Monsignor Jozef Tiso from early in 1942. Keep up the good work.
Do you know the reason why he moved to States? Maybe there is still someone in Poland waiting for any information about him as an ancestor who was in need of emigration
Worth adding that there were 3600 Polish soldiers and, 11000 Swedish soldiers. Poland lost 100 soldiers with another 200 injured, while Sweden lost... 6 to 9 thousand
@@luishernandez8121 what is worth noting these soldiers were not paid for months before asked to attack 4 times larger enemy. Another Polish victory that was squandered by Polish nobles.
As a Pole reading comments below, I’d like to genuinely thank all of Yous who left those heartwarming words about my nation. Thank You so much for maintenance of the real history including those who have been forgotten or bleached. Thanks and God Bless Yous! Dziękuję, niech Bóg Wam błogosławi!
While, as a Canadian, I am proud of all my nation and others did to defeat Nazi Germany, I feel some shame that so little was done in any attempt to keep Poland and Czechoslovakia from falling under tyranny after the war. I grew up reading about World War II and learned early about the Polish contributions in the air, on land and at sea (not forgetting ORP Piorun). In the darkest years of the war, you stood with us. Happy that Poland stands free and proud to have you as a fellow NATO ally. Cheers.
What is even more interesting, Poles trained many American pilots just before and right after the US entered the war. Among others, American ace with Polish roots Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski spent a lot of time in the Polish 315 Squadron. He later mentioned many times that this experience allowed him to achieve the status of the most effective American fighter pilot on the European front.
There is a big GREEK community in Poland made up with the communist supporters who sought political asylum. We have a very popular and beloved singer Eleni Tzoka Milopoulou who is of Greek descent.
I've spent a couple of years living in England. One of the most wholesome experiences I've had with English people was in a random pub in Blackpool, an old man approached me realizing I was Polish, and told me just this: "you are welcome here, you fought for this country".
In ww2 england gave polish soldiers oldest planes in stock but we(i am from poland) were steel better then england. squadron 303,302,301 were made from Polish pilots I don't think I need to say how much they contributed to the defense of England. However, when the war ended, we were not welcome in the victory parade, and on top of that, they billed us for gas. Cool allies.
"Polish were given the oldest planes in stock".....303 Squadron flew Hurricanes during the BoB......there were no "old" Hurricanes ! Indeed, Polish Pilots loved the Hurricane, it could out perform both the Spitfire or ME109 in a turn ! It is also a complete lie that British Pilots were not close with their ground crew ! Every British Pilot I have ever heard interviewed praised their ground crew and proclaimed them as Heros, similarly British groundcrew proclaimed the Pilots as the real heros. It was not uncommon for ground crew to cry when their Spitfires or Hurricanes failed to return........something that implies a very close respect and bond to my mind ?
@@garymoore2535 najpierw Polacy otrzymali fairey battle i Lysandery, a jak pozwolono im latać hurrycanami, Brytyjczycy latali spitfire'ami. Może więc hurrycany fizycznie nie były stare, to jednak coś w tym jest.
You probably know that Blackpool people took the Poles to their hearts and homes as it became the initial training centre for the Polish aircrews and they paraded on the promenade there. I think some Polish clubs still exist.
As an American who is a fanatic for history, my respect for Poland and her people is immense. Pulaskis role in the American revolution. The Winged Hussars at Vienna in the largest cavalry charge in Western Europe. American pilots who volunteered to fly for Poland in the Soviet invasion of Poland in the 1920s as the Kosciusko Squadron. The 303 Sq you speak of. My grandparents were from tiny impoverished Ireland in the early 20th century. That probably influence my respect of Poland too. And modern Poland holding the line on sovereignty in Europe and assisting Ukraine. 🇺🇸🦅🇵🇱
There was also a Polish general Kosciuszko. He was promised to get paid for his service in the US. As you can imagine, after a while when the money wasn't coming, Kosciuszko decided that he wanted the US government to pay whatever they owed to him to the charity that benefitted African American people in this country. Well, his request was ignored and nothing was ever paid out. That's how true heroes are treated in this country.
Janusz Żurakowski was a Polish veteran of these campaigns and would eventually move to Canada in the early 1950s. There, he became the first in the country to break the sound barrier in a Canadian CF-100. Most famously, he was entrusted by the Canadian government to pilot the maiden flight of the Avro Arrow, the most advanced, and arguably the fastest bomber interceptor in the world at that time. The Arrow remains a point of pride for Canada, and Żurakowski will always be closely associated with this achievement 🇨🇦 🇵🇱
Greetings from Barry's Bay. He is certainly not forgotten here--there is a model of the Arrow in a park in the centre of town which is named after Zurakowski.
This is really impressive true story . I have seen documentary on Avro Arrow , this was very advanced jet , just didn't know that was the Polak who went supersonic first for Canada...
Do you know that Poland as the only country in the world had been requested to pay for polish troops stationed in the UK and for their training and equipment? That has never happened before or after that. Britain did that because Poland has deposited a significant amount of gold in UK vaults before WW2. In order to steal that UK came up with the idea to charge Poland for protecting the UK. Poles were later on sold out to the Soviets and prohibited from participating in the parade of victorious countries after the war. That's what Poles got from the UK for defending them and for fighting Germany. Poland would have been more appreciated if they chose to fight alongside the Germans.
This kind of treatment by the U.K. is totally understandable and a disgrace. Understandable realizing 'Brtianna' had developed as a rudeness merchandising global colonizers 400 years eariler. The English language is a language dealing exquisitely with trade & merchandising...no wonder these aristocratic cranks would create a law to fleece Poland or anybody for that matter. So easy to do when the money is in Royal banks....hmmmm...rings of how America fleeced China of its War time deposit of Gold bullion. The Royal family, the 'cityof London' & their established corporate based legal statues, uniform commerce code & Admiralty law system has been stealing millions from America since our first bankruptcy in late 1790s when our loan to the European banks came due for revolutionary war...oh did ya think the 13 colonies sold war bonds...LOL and we were broke...enter in 60 more years of slavery garrenteed thru the labor & natural resources of America & its people. There is a very dark history between the British Government & its colonies...a history of which little is known a topic not openly taught, rarely discussed...and that's the way the Brits...the aristocracy likes it!! The working class people are great folks....
Finally, a lot of positive historical information about Poles and their contribution to the British war effort. My father, a bomber pilot navigator sadly passed away before all this was common knowledge. He was particularly bitter that the Poles were not represented at the armed forces victory parade in London.
My gran dad was still crying in 2002 when he told me of the moment when he wasn't invited to the victory march. It was awful he couldn't go back cause he b killed by Russians he stayed Britis were easier to him but he found love settled in Inverness. He learn to love Scotland Britain learn to love him. He died of a great age of 92. Was married for over 50 years. We still miss his stories
very true. Even for the 50th anniversary of the BoB, the surviving Polish pilots were not invited. Britain claimed that at the time Poland was trying to break from the Soviets, the UK did not want to antagonize the USSR.
My woodwork teacher was a fighter pilot during ww11 he flew Hurricanes then Spitfires, i used to be fascinated listening to his experiences of the battle of Britain. He told me many heroic stories of the Polish pilots and one of them was still a good friend of his. He also told me of how good they were at gardening.
A great researched documentary.... My father joined the RAF in 1946 and was always very complimentary about the Poles and Czech's that continued to serve post WW2 in the RAF. These people also shouldn't be forgotten. They continued to support the UK when they felt they couldn't go home.
Polish people didn't feel like they couldn't go home, they couldn't because there was execution by Russians waiting for them after the west sold us to Russia.
"shouldn't be forgotten" but after war they even want too pay for the planes they fly.... now when poles work in england your people treat us worse then "engineers" from asia...
Re >the Poles and Czech's that continued to serve post WW2 in the RAF< Unfortunately most Poles were kicked out from all British armed forces after WWII... for political reasons. Poland was not even invited for London's Victory parade of 1946 despite the fact that the Polish armed forces were the fourth largest Allied forces in Europe. All because the Allies didn't want to upset Stalin....
I have admired the polish people since I was 15 and first read of them. I am an American of Italian decent. I am 75 now and nothing the Pols have done in this time has changed my mind!!!
Are you aware of the fact that Poland is mentioned in Italy's anthem and that Italy is mentioned in Poland's national anthem? The Polish people have always liked the Italian people. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that both are Catholic and they don't border each other!!!
Great video, Phil. The Poles are remarkable people. A lady I befriended and worked with for 16 years was from Krackow. She was a wonderful person. Although my heritage is "Hun," she even arranged for me to become a member of the Board of Directors of the Austin Polish Society. Most of the members were born in Poland. Yet I was welcomed and accepted as if I were one of their own. The whole experience touched me deeply.
Thanks for watching Peter! I've also had many close Polish friends. My last flat mate was from Gdansk and he made sure I learned how to drink vodka properly.
Many a "Hun" became Polish heroes. It seems once away from the Fatherland and all the bullshit they teach you there Germans are normal people And that bit of wisdom is from an American of Hunnish descent and a bit Polish
Great video on a great subject. Poles also served in the Royal Navy. Drachinifel mentioned a polish destroyer crew that were present at the sinking of the Bismarck. They charged the germans firing all guns and signaling “I am a Pole” ! Gotta love that spirit.
Very interesting facts..good to know that the Poles also served in the Royal Navy..Without the poles the Battle of Britain would have had a different outcome
That was ORP Piorun (G65) destroyer. The Polish Navy during WW2 consisted of 2 cruisers, 7 destroyers, 3 submarines and smaller units (chasers, torpedo boats, guard boats, surveillance boats, submarine chasers).
It was the destroyer "Piorun " . The commnder was Eugeniusz Plawski . He moved to Vancouver BC after the war . His wife was helping me with my French lessons when I was in high school .
Pols are classy, God-fearing people that have a vibrant culture. Pols truly understand the importance of a strong family. ..I was blessed to grow up in a community in Western Massachusetts where there was a large Polish population. ..They are a blessing.
Fortunately, more and more Poles no longer fears mythical beings. But yeah, most Poles in the US from the old emigration were uneducated simpletons from poor villages, so naturally they were god-fearing.
@@impact0r when Buffalo Bills player collapsed during the game it was suddenly so cool to pray on the field for all players coaches and fans and no one was ashamed doing it.
@@zksstalstawidlo9015 What's your point? As the US is largely a third world country (predatory social system, anti-human healthcare system, political system designed specifically for corruption and anti-democracy, abysmal education system producing throngs of ignoramuses) it is only natural that religion is rampant there.
My father fought with Polish 2nd Corps at Montecassino and on his way to the front, he passed within a couple of miles of the village where my mother lived at time. They both emigrated to England after the war, and met (and married) in Northern England after the war - cool eh? They both taught me about the priceless value of family - they are both gone now (R. I. P) but I've kept all their documents and papers and explain them to my children and grandchildren regularly. Every 4-6 weeks, I call my family together for dinner at my home, and every 2 months, I have dinner with my daughters (just me and my daughters) - these events have become family traditions, which I hope my grandchildren will continue.
"because we don't beg for freedom, we fight for it" that's the sentence Witold Urbanowicz, first leader of 303 squadron had written on the side of his plane. So we do.🇵🇱 Thank you for such detailed account of Polish pilots undertakings at the Battle of Britain. To bad that they were not included in Victory Parade. Polish soldiers fought on almost all WWII fronts in hope to come back to Free Homeland after the war. Most of them didn't live to do so, unfortunately. You got a new subscriber, I looked up some of your other podcasts and like your approach to history. Till next episode then. Greetings from Warsaw 🇵🇱
@@wolvemusic478 Yeah man. Unbelievable but true, except one thing. Polish soldiers never were fighting agains Japan... Of course, I'm not talking about Americans, Brits or Australian with polish roots in Allied Forces. I'm just talking about regular polish military units.
Thanks for the great educating video! I'm big fan of Poland, Polish and Bulgarians are notorious for their patriotism. Greetings and love from Bulgaria!
How wonderful to listen to someone who, in the context of the Polish Army of WWII, talks about good training, experience, innovative tactics, responsibility and friendship. Thank you for this video. Dziękuję.
I never imagined that my comment would be one of the reasons for such a detailed analysis of the achievements of 303 Squadron in the Battle of Britain. As for Josef Frantisek, he claimed to be Polish and refused to join a Czechoslovakian squadron of the Royal Air Force. He did not renounce his nationality, but was attached to the colleagues alongside whom he had fought since 1939. He was one of two Czechoslovak pilots who took part in the Battle of Britain in Polish uniforms - the other was a Slovak, Jozef Kaňa.
Funny story about 303 squadron... where one of political fraction in UK start fighting against polish immigrants and they used a picture of the plane from 303 squadron 🤣 they show how little they know about the own history.
Frantisek and his pals after the fall of czechoslovakia with no air combat tossed a coin to decide wether to join the French airforce or the Polish airforce, the poles won the toss, so a toss of the coin not that they gave a rats arse about poland. Just more polish bullshit trying to claim frantisek as polish to claim his kills as polish.
@@sharonprice42 Enigma was WIP. Poles did break earlier models, they paved a way for British to break newer, more secure version widely used during WWII.
@@zbigniew1181 Well, you learn something new every day and I am happy to admit being wrong . But 😜 ... it was a Briton who cracked the first Enigma code, however, it was the commercial enigma and not the military one. The first military decrypt was of an Italian Enigma. The German Enigma, with the plug board, was indeed first decrypted by the Poles but not alone. They were given manuals of the military machine by a French spy. The cryptanalysis was indeed all Polish. Turing's genius was in decrypting the much more complicated machines that were used in WW2. Turing did not use Polish techniques, because they were considered 'fragile,' but the Polish information sped the cracking of the Naval Enigma.
I remember reading that once an RAF Group Commander essentially accused 303 of "padding their stats", and 303's commander Witold Urbanowicz invited the officer to join them on a sortie sometime. The officer did, and in his report the next day on the sortie described them as "wonderful madmen".
@@michastepien8326 The term is affectionate and not literal incase not clear. Such as the phrasing when your friend has done something crazy that worked "You crazy bastard".
The well known story regarding scepticism over 303's claims is when Station Commander Kellet flew with them on a sortie to see what they did for himself. He returned, shaken, and stated that what they claimed they Indeed got.
I read a missive from a British fighter pilot - he put a lot of it down to the fact that Brits tended to look at downing an aircraft - the Poles wanted to kill Germans (as you can imagine, after what their country had gone through). Thing is, during the Battle of Britain, the RAF planes were armed with eight .303 machine guns - problem is the .303 didn't do a lot of damage to the target's airframe - but it did do a lot to the pilot. So the Poles would get close and aim for the pilot (which was Douglas Bader's technique too).
I read a similar missive regarding the Polish pilots. A Brit asked a Pole why he flew within 100 ft of the Heinkle he shot down. The Pole responded he got so close to make sure he killed every member of the crew. No parachutes were recorded from the Heinkle.
One pilot i think it may have been Ginger Lacey used to shoot up a bomber but hoped it crash landed back at its base,his reasoning was a shot up bomber and crew was far worse for morale than a plane simply not returning.
I grew up in Kosciusko, Mississippi. They have a statue of Tadeusz Kosciuszko on the town square. He obviously impressed the the American colonists during the Revolution!
It's funny and nice to see Kościuszko as a city in US - must be a bit of a tongue twister for you guys ;) Well my bus stop was on Roosevelt street, one of main streets in center of Poznań, Poland :) 🇺🇸🤝🇵🇱
@@CryptoC4T There are many Roosevelt streets in Polish cities. My bet is that it's a legacy after communism like names referring to communist 'heroes' and 'the Polish-Soviet friendship' or 'the victory of World War II.' Unfortunately, Roosevelt did not deserve it, he had a weakness for Stalin and did not have the strength to negotiate with him. Roosevelt and Churchill decided to sell Poland to Stalin in the name of peace and good relations with the USSR which didn't last too long as the Cold War started. For something like this, they condemned us to having no right to self-determination, being exploited and economic slavery for 50 years from which we will be recovering for another 50 to chase the top economies of the world. Although we have been ridding of communist symbols like this, after all, we will not be removing any plaques commemorating the President of the United States.
@@PacekBrudnyPlacek As long as I agree with Roosevelt, Churchill was different. He really wanted to help Poland but had no power over the two. Churchill hated Stalin and didn't trust him. This is not fair to throw accusations like that at Churchill. Please read a bit more and you will see how complex the situation was and how much effort Churchill put to save Poland. And BTW, as the assassination of Sikorski is a mystery until today, I strongly believe it was Stalin's game plan. The UK deals with problems in a different way than Ruskies.
Imagine my shock, when BLM devastated one of his statues, didn't they know that he left big part of his fortune to African-Americans, to buy freedom to as many of them as possible. I don't like twists like that, because I'm always supporting everyone's right to fight for equality, but I don't like when protests degenerates into riots
@@sumofighter tak, Burowie i Hindusi chętnie potwierdzą. Churchill sprzedał Polskę za francuską strefę okupacyjną w Niemczech, Grecję i Jugosławię, a później wystawił rachunek za sprzęt i paliwo polskim siłom zbrojnym będącym w podległości strategicznej i operacyjnej armii brytyjskiej i walczącym w interesie GB. Gdyby Polacy wiedzieli, że tak to się skończy to Brygada Sosabowskiego miałaby w dupie ratowanie Brytyjczyków i zamiast pod Driel skoczyłaby na Warszawę. W końcu sprzęt był zapłacony.
Credit and respect to all pilots who fought in that dark time,brave young men who not only lost there youth but in many cases there lives. Never forget.
As a child my grandmother's partner was a Pole named Jan. He was a former Polish fighter pilot that had fought in the RAF. I remember him as a very gentle and kind man, always pleased to see us. My father told me that when the war had finished he had returned to Poland to find his entire village, his house and everyone and everything he knew utterly destroyed. I couldn't then, and can't now, imagine such a pain. I often think of him and his comrades and I am forever grateful.
I am really pleased that you mentioned Polish Air Force University in Dęblin (where I currently study). It is nice to see foreigners pay attention to small details like how the Dęblin students were taught how to fly.
My wife’s father was a Polish fighter pilot,who fought in Poland at outbreak of war,then into France,after in Uk where he was in 316.He never spoke much about his exploits,as he said it was either shoot enemy down or get shot yourself.He spoke about Poles being excluded from the victory parade at end of war.He never returned to Poland because of Russia ,made his home in uk.
@@Mrcoldy1988 Great. Have you been to Poland? there's like 38 million people there, you can't base opinion on 5-10 polish people you met somewhere, shit there's 20 polish people I don't like that would give bad opinions, but it doesn't mean they are right. Go and see for yourself. Where are you from by the way?
@@TurboLazer007 Z Polski. Więc nie mów mi czy polacy są "amazing" czy nie, bo widziałem ich tutaj przez 25 lat i kolejne 7 w Anglii. Już ja wiem doskonale jacy oni (my) są dla siebie i w stosunku do życia. Nie rozumiem tylko po co opowiadasz takie bzdury. Wybielasz, bo obcokrajowcy nie mają jak sprawdzić?
The Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, was blunter in his assessment, ‘Had it not been for the magnificent work of the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of battle would have been the same’.
A great compliment from a great man and a well earned one but the Germans could not have won the battle,the late Adolf Galland explained this he also said that the jets could not have changed the outcome of the war for that matter the new submarines coming on tap at the end of the war would not have made any difference it was all to late and had they been available earlier it was still not going to make a difference. The air attacks across the Channel mounted post BoB by the RAF were very costly in good pilots suffering from some of the problems well known to the Germans,i have heard the Germans had a supply of drop tanks but never used them during the BoB if that is true it was a foolish mistake just like starting the war in the first place.
Sir Hugh Dowding was treated horribly by the British after the battle of Britain. A great man. RIP Sir. Also, the Hawker Hurricane was a very stable gin platform.
@@harrisonofthenorth The reason Britain won the BOB was that Britain had the world’s first Radar based integrated air defence system, RAF fighter command new exactly where the Germans were and only scrambled the fighter squadrons when needed, if Britain didn’t have that, the RAF would have had to use standing patrols which would have been a serious drain on resources and mostly only find the German bombers by luck, also Britain did need decent fighters to actually do the job once they tangled with the Germans which of course in the Hurricane and Spitfire they had, no matter who was flying them but I must point out by the time the Polish and Czech squadrons entered the fight, RAF fighter command were expert at vectoring the squadrons to where the enemy actually was. Edit; also the pilots from the Polish and Czech squadrons were not exclusively from those countries, there were Canadians, ANZACs and British personnel in them as well.
Well he may said that but sadly in book "Ace" by Witold Urbanowicz - author openly write how hostile towards polish squadrons Dowding actually was and point out of many problems making he did to them.
In Poland 303 is considered a mostly Polish squadron, however we do not forget about other nationalities fighting in it. "303 squadron" is a famous book by Arkady Fiedler and he wasn't shy enough to skip the detail of a Czech being an ace in the unit. We (the Poles) are sometimes a little too... vary of the fact that Polish troops weren't invited to a victory parade or that post war decisions put Poland under soviet occupation, so every time a video like this one is being presented... well it tends to bring emotions... Thank you fort the video. May our children know no wars other than those they read about in history books.
He also flew the CF-100 Canuck and would fly inverted with anything that'd been left in the aircraft rattling inside the canopy. He was a fantastic pilot.
I had the pleasure of hosting my scout summer camps at Mr. Zurakowskis land near Barrys Bay (Canada). He would tell a few stories to the youngsters around the campfire. Remarkable man. World needs that kind of man.
Janusz Żurakowski was the squadron leader with the 303 for my uncle Ludec Kraszewski, after the Battle of Britain, and they continued their friendship for many years. I remember living with my family in an old Victorian house in Glasgow in 1946-47, and my uncle would walk into my room, cocky like a hero....well deserved. He would bring me model airplanes. Later in Toronto, Canada, I got to know Janusz Jurakowski at the time when he was the chief test pilot of the Avro Arrow, and family friend. He told that one time he chose to see how high he could take the aircraft, but it did a flame-out. However he was able to re-start, it. (unlike that Top Gun movie) We also visited him in Barry's Bay, where he had a cottage and invented a new kind of jet-boat.
I already appreciated the fact that the Polish were the first to crack the initial version of Enigma. I also cannot live without Chopin and Szymanowski. I knew that Polish pilots were simply better than most RAF pilots, but this is an education. Poland and your people - I salute you.
@@afischer8327 ♥️👋👍😉 Chopin , Szymanowski great composers, recommend Andrzej Kurylewicz muzyk i kompozytor,Polskie drogi❤ (Polish roads)he remembered him Pat Matheny🎸 Pozdrawiam z Polski👋
Z pochodzenia Czech z wyboru Polak, sam jednoznacznie oświadczył, że jest polakiem i kropka. Inna sprawa, że poprzez swoje skrajnie indywidualistyczne nastawienie stał sie dla zespołu niebezpieczny i dlatego pozwolono mu na samotne łowy, stąd tyle jego zestrzeleń. Polacy dokonywali zestrzeleń w walce, wbrew pozorom byli tak niebywale wyszkoleni, że potrafili jednocześnie atakować i ubezpieczać kompanów, bywały przypadki, że przerywali atak by bronić kolegów, podstawową umiejętnością polskiego pilota była prawie na 360 stopni kontrola pola walki (szeregowy lotnik brytyjski tego nie potrafił). Brytyjczycy widzieli, że polacy jak szaleni szarżowali na niemieckie samoloty, a nie zdawali sobie sprawy, że działali w ściśle ubezpieczajacym się wzajemnie zespole. Widać to w pełni było w cyrku Skalskiego (zwano ich też Polskimi Diabłami), chyba najlepszej formacji lotniczej w całej II wojnie światowej (28 zestrzeleń, 9 uszkodzeń i 0 strat osobowych w ciągu kilku miesięcy trwania Polish Fighting Team). Frantisek polował na samoloty wracające do Francji z pola walki, często już uszkodzone maszyny. Tacy jak on też są potrzebni, dostał na to zgodę od naszych pilotów, jednak brak ochrony ze strony kolegów skończył się szybką śmiercią tego dzielnego polaka z Czech :-). Bo bycie polakiem to stan umysłu a nie narodowość pochodzenia czy nawet kolor skóry :-)
@@Arteont Původem Čech, vlastní volbou Polák :) Ano, zní to tak hezky romanticky, ale realita byla mnohem prozaičtější. František byl Čech, přesněji Moravan, a v polské 303. létal proto, že měl dlouhodobé kázeňské problémy už v československé armádě, byl prostě nedisciplinovaný a to ho stálo služební postup i pozici, které by mu, jako zkušenému stíhacímu pilotovi náležely už v čs letectvu. A protože byl tvrdohlavý a nechtěl si odpykat trest za jeden z mnoha kázeňských přestupků, který dostal u českého velení, zvolil po příchodu do Anglie raději službu v polské 303., kde se na jeho minulost nikdo neptal. A vyplatilo se, jak Františkovi, tak Polákům, byl to bojovník a skvělý pilot, bohužel ho zabilo právě to, s čím měl problémy celý život, nerozvážnost.
Thank you for this video. I see no reason why the historical background story about the Polish success should diminish the true bravery of Polish pilots. Both goes hand in hands. Greetings from Poland.
My old man was part of a six man RAF liaison team for 301 Squadron. He loved his time, despite the airfield where they were based being freezing cold. There was a couple of thousand Poles on the base, and they had their own butch and sausage making. They apparently made a good impression on the young lad from the Home Counties. However, the Czechs... He then went on to spent most of the war training Allied aircrews on comms equipment whilst stationed in Bermuda. There he meet folk from most of the Western Allies. The most professional were the Czechs who seemed to have a motto "I'm here to drink Pilsner, and kill Nazis... and I'm all out of Pilsner."
This was absolutely fascinating! I learned so much and now have enormous respect and admiration for the Polish airmen, ground crews and Polish people in Poland who fought in their Resistance against the Nazis throughout the war. I would also like to highlight the fact that Poland has the most Righteous Among the Nations individuals recognized as saving Jews during the holocaust. (I am an Italian-American, so this is an unbiased opinion).
We Poles are a very creative and improvisational nation, we don't like rules... we create them ourselves. In a crisis situation, we work best, we often do things at the last minute. I think these are our positive qualities ;) Great Polish men who went down in the history of the World. Thank you for reminding about them, their courage and dedication.
I'm Czech. And even though all the compliments in the comments make me feel good too (even though I had nothing to do with it), let's be realistic and stay away from silly national stereotypes. I think any people from any country with the same conditions would have performed the same way
@@jankutac9753 I do not see any 'steoretypes'. Poland is leading country in Central Europe. That was the fact in past ages and it is now. You Czechs surrendered to Hitler without firing a shot. Unfortunately, this does not bring you glory.
Spot on! Also, when the Poles had their own army units among the British and commonwealth (Canada mainly) invaded Normandy, German troops realized that the Poles were dangerous because they were also seeking vengeance for what the Germans had done to Poland. Although the Poles did not close the Falaise Gap fast enough for Patton, the Germans were scared to death of running into Polish armor. That fear may have had an effect of how hard and desperate the Germans fought to keep the gap open.
I wish I'd had the time to really go into detail about the other Polish services, it probably would have answered the question "was it just because they were Polish?". The Polish underground is also a fascinating story which is directly connected to their 100+ years of subjugation.
I've seen a video of a Polish Army officer (who was there at the time) who explained that the Polish were definitely in position at the end of the Falaise Gap, when and where they should have been. Several times, they had to fight off Germans who were climbing onto their tanks. They did manage to shell German units, but they hadn't been followed by units from other Allied armies and found themselves very much alone. They had problems of communication and were running low on ammunition. I also have heard that the American commanders such as Bradley weren't completely aware of the situation on the ground and American troops could have come in earlier to close the Gap from the south, had they understood better what was happening. The Polish tank crews were eventually joined by other troops.
@@CalibanRising If you make a film about the Polish underground state and Polish underground army the same quality (fantastic job!) as this one, that will be an oscar winning documentary
@@CalibanRising Polish underground was unique and amazing organization, you should make a video about it. Pretty please. Include assassination of Franz Kutschera.
@@gorzkawodka I agree that the Polish underground was a fascinating organization. I believe it was the biggest such organization in existence and was entirely set up under the noses of the Germans (Britain's own resistance network was preplanned in 1940).
Stop that polish chit chat and steer 23 zero 🙀 Edit: I really enjoyed the video. The Polish pilots (and servicemen) who made it to the U.K., had an axe to grind, which inevitability made them more determined to take revenge. Added to that you have ground training, flying hours and battle experience, which young British pilots did not have, not their fault, but simply the way it was. Despite the final successful outcome in 1940, the RAF hierarchy appears to have been overconfident and inflexible….playing fields of Eton ..what. I read about a memorial to the Polish airmen of WW2 which was next to the A1 around Peterborough I think. I stopped once to view it, in the early 70’s I think, but it appears to have been moved.
Poles are awesome peoples, and they have prove a long history of military exploits, defeating mongols, defeating Turcs at Vienna siege, defeating Soviets in 1920, being Elite cavalry in Napoleonic army. They just have a problem with Russians :-). I guess many Poles fight in the air battle of France also cause there was a pole army in France in 1940 (even a ground army), so they were basically the most experienced pilots of the war.
Really? English man is talking about polish pilots?? Really? It's really hard to believe it... Finally someone is telling the truth about the Poles during the battle of Britain... Just keep going mate , you doing just great!!!!
I'm English and it is quite well known that many other nations fought in the Battle of Britain. Of course it is not a very important point from our perspective, but it is known.
@@richardhorrocks1460 They fought better for your country than English pilots 😁 And England never fought for Poland. English army also never been in Poland to fight against Germans or Russians in WWII, and England betrayed Poland when WWII started.
@@snd7622 I don't think that the Polish were fighting for England. We were all just fighting the Nazis together. The Poles would have recognised the importance of defending Britain, as we were the last hope in Europe. And we absolutely did not betray Poland when WW2 started. Do you know how big our army was compared to the Germans? We were a naval power. Unfortunately, the Germans were a land power. There was nothing at all that we could do with our army against the Germans once France had fallen. We did not betray you at all. If it wasn't for us then you'd still be a part of Germany. What is it with Poles being so bitter and twisted? Here's an idea... learn how to defend your own fucking country, and stop expecting us to do it for you.
I am Polish myself. I red the book of Skalski entitled "Czarne Krzyże na Polską" (Black crosses over Poland). He mentioned the fact that flying PZL 11c was very difficult and switching to Hurricanes and Spitfires gave them incredible opportunities in terms of performance. Immagine yourself driving an old formula car and becoming an expert in it, but with no power steering, a stick manual shifter and bad acceleration, then you got the modern F1 car.... Despite my nationality I don't give the credit to the fact they were Polish, rather what you mentioned, experience, strong bound between squadron members and a great fighting spirit knowing that your home country was doomed.
Hi there. I am a Pole. I live I Scotland. I met many people - especially older folks saying only good things about Polish soldiers and pilots during dark days of WWII. It is heartwarming. It really is. What we usually do not talk about is how the Polish soldiers were mistreated after the war. I am not gonna repeat that "Churchill was a traitor" nonsense. Churchill was British and his very best interest was to take care of British people. Which he did. He was a great man and a great leader. Polish soldiers and military personnel (not only the pilots) were dispelled and disowned by the British after the war. Many moved further to other countries like the US and Canada. A story from zeros to heroes to scapegoats. I am old enough to understand human nature and I am just saying this without bitterness. After all it is all history now. Let's talk about it. This is what I'd like to hear about in future episodes. I enjoyed the video and I'm glad I discovered your channel. Cheerio the noo!
Poles designed mine detectors, cracked Ultra first and provided information to British, many soldiers proved their mettle in other Allied Armies, and had experience that counted for success. Training and espirit de corps makes a great decisive factor in Polish abilities.
My Air Cadet gliding instructor in 1973 was a Polish Spitfire pilot. He had begun flying gliders in the program described in your video. He was a Prince of a man. Britain's loss was Canada's gain when he and his British bride emigrated to Canada after the war. He couldn't get an aviation job, so he wound up working for a company that produced vaccines. His name is on a vaccine he co-developed to combat rabies. I've always considered it a privilege to have known him. Many Poles settled here, as there was already a large Polish community.
My maternal great-grandmother was the chief housekeeper at a court in France where she met her husband, who was the chief equerry. Both from noble families. My great-grandfather's brother was an Evangelical bishop in the Kraków-Rzeszów diocese. In 1914, they both returned to Poland as a married couple. Where they bought an old Jewish tavern and turned it into a house. (I lived there from 1978 to 1986) In which they survived both wars and the march of hostile armies. first Austro-Hungarian, then Tsarist, IWW, then Wermacht in both directions and the Red Army during IIWW - also in both directions. The stories told by my great-grandmother occupied all evenings, that even then I was too young to understand how important it is, and yet there was a tape recorder at home and it could all be recorded on cassettes. This precious witness to history.
A very good, in-depth video! Fun fact: one might notice that the emblem of the 303 Squadron looks kinda American. That's precisely because it was named the Kościuszko Squadron, and as such, it continued the tradition of the unit, which was originally formed by American volunteers during the Polish-Soviet War. Their story could easily be a topic of their own video. Tadeusz Kościuszko was a Polish officer who served as a volunteer in the American Revolution (mainly as an engineer but also commanding some troops in the field) and later in the Polish-Russian War of 1792 and led a national Uprising named after him in 1794. The cap and scythes on the Kościuszko Squadron emblem are a reference to the peasant militia that took part in the Kościuszko Uprising, famously contributing to the victory at Racławice. Kościuszko is quite likely the most universally popular national hero in Poland and is also considered their national hero by many Lithuanias and Belarusians.
I read up a bit on Kościuszko during my research and he was a very interesting character indeed. Shame I couldn't pronounce his name correctly hard as I tried!
@@CalibanRising during Napoleonic times he settled near Paris, close to Fointainebleu. He helped locals with draining their fields and implementing some engineering ideas. There are still rows of trees planted on his advice (kind of deep rooted, water hungry variety). And he mobilised locals to fend of Russian marauders looting the area. He died in Switzerland but those locals from Fointainebleu forest build a small chapel in his name there. "Better die standing than live on your knees" his motto is on his monument at Polish Land Forces Academy of his name in Wrocław.
A quiet, unassuming chap called Mike Manson lived next door to my wife's parents in Maghull, a northern suburb of Liverpool. It turned out that his actual name was Michal Maciejowski...and he was a fighter ace with an impressive number of 'kills'.
In 1946, a great military parade was held in London to celebrate the Allied victory over Germany and Japan. Representatives of 30 countries marched through the streets of the city in a column that stretched for several kilometers. Only Poles were missing, who were one of the most numerous national formations fighting on the side of the Allies. It was not until 2003 that British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized to Polish veterans for the attitude of his predecessors and the lack of invitation to the victory parade... "I deeply regret that none of the Polish troops that fought alongside us in so many battles and that shed their blood for the common cause were allowed to participate in the Victory Parade," declared Winston Churchill in 1946...
In his diaries, one of 303 pilots wrote that even when chilling out, like in their beds, they would often practice spotting enemy planes by following flies in the room with their eyes. It's actually brilliant in its simplicity.
Canadian … Screw Trudeau John Alexander Kent went down in the history of the Polish Air Force as a flight commander in the famous No 303 Squadron “City of Warsaw” during the Battle of Britain. Later he was also the commander of the 1st Polish Fighter Wing in Northolt. Before he arrived in the Polish unit in Northolt, he had already been an experienced pilot. He had been a civilian, a fighter, a test and a reconnaissance pilot.
1st Polish Armoured Division was part of 1st Canadian Army in France in 1944. That's why your Uncle had an opportunity to cooperate with Polish troops.
Fantastic analysis, it confirmed my own understanding that these pilots were very very experienced who had till then been hampered by flying inferior planes compared to the Germans . I was especially please to see some credit going to the ground crew as my Uncle was a radio fitter on 303Sqn during the Battle of Britain.
Thank you for the video. I'm proud of my nations efforts during WW2 and thankful to the allied nations for giving my countrymen another chance to fight.
I came here expecting to see at least one reference to Sabaton's song Aces in Exile. I'm sure one is in there but I spent about half an hour reading deeper, more historical comments. If you've never heard the song, go listen to it, it references multiple nations and squadrons of foreign pilots who bravely defended the Isles in the Battle of Britain, the first mentioned is the Poles of 303. The names of these legends should never be allowed to die.
This was quite possibly the best video on the Polish pilots in the RAF Ive ever seen, and quite possibly the most accurate....British Arrogance was a large contributing factor in the way they looked at the Poles and most everybody else they were/are in contact with, having seen it firsthand as a retired US Marine....
Were it not for Sobieski, the West would have been under the thumb of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. We owe a lot to Poland. Its tenacity and will to survive are just astounding.
Rigorous selection, good training and... ambition to perform better than other nations to prove Poland deserved its independence. Thank You for this excellent story!
I think there is a deep divide between Western and Eastern part of Europe. It lives in people's minds regardless if they're aware of it or not. It's visible when you sum up stories like this one: the treatment of highly skilled and useful men that'd add so much to the victory of their adopted army if they were treated with full respect they deserved. I think current war that russia wages once again on its neighbour brought a lot of this to people's attention and I can see more and more videos about past achievements of Eastern Europeans. I'm happy about it, for obvious reasons - I am Polish myself - but also bc I believe it will lead to better future in general. People will acknowledge independence of Poles, Belorussians and Ukrainians and respect (as a regular one, the basic respect that all humans deserve) will follow. Also I think that this round of history Britain is acting waaaaay better giving a lot of support to Ukraine both in providing equipment and training to Ukrainians and political support to their cause! So well done Britain, you're doing great.
Although i knew a lot about the PAF fighter pilots in RAF service, this episode told me a lot of new facts about them! The statistics were especialy interesting, indeed, as they impressively show the relation between the numbers. I realy enjoyed watching!!
It's a very nicely put documentary, a lot of effort to it - full respect with a hat down - it's just one thing: imagine what these boys would achieve if they were given Spits instead of Hurricane Mark 1, outdated at the time despite having the punch. Thank you for doing what you do, with a lot of effort and historical insight. Subscribed. Love from Poland.
School for pilots in Dęblin still works well and it is army school where is very difficult to enter. My Cousin used to learn there and now is the pilot on F16.
Even late communist Poland acknowledged pilot's achievements. A.Fiedler's Squadron 303 book was almost mandatory for 70' and 80' generation. I still have it. One thing I've learned some time ago: Poles opened fire on distance lesser than half of those of RAF pilots. It comes from RAF veteran.
How the Poles were treated in UK/France is very similar in ways to how my unit was regarded in Iraq and Afghanistan at times. We were VERY successful, but also unconventional and made up entirely of smart, motivated volunteers. We adjusted our tactics daily based upon our experiences. We had no regard for established procedures if they didn't work. Our unit was misunderstood, mistreated, and ignored. We once ran a patrol with only a single newly minted NCO, the rest were lower enlisted. Prior to our first deployment, our unit had trained hard for a year together, lacking NCOs and officers, and so lower enlisted took on the rolls of platoon leaders, platoon sergeants, etc. We were a very motivated, tight knit unit, and we took pride in our work. Our leaders were great and trusted us and didn't look over our shoulders and instead trusted us to do our jobs. And if we worked hard and got results, we got to have fun, finish the day early, etc. Even 17% understrength, our company outperformed 3 other companies combined.
Britain was well served by having so many other nations troops in their military. Poles, French, Sikhs, the remarkable Gurkhas, as well as the Commonwealth members such as New Zealand, Australians (Who held Tobruk against Rommel, earning his respect) and Canadians. They provided fresh ideas and energy in the otherwise stogy British military system, which tended to be hidebound.
@@blank557 Britain taught them everything they knew, you are simply repeating dumb stereotyping, Britain after the fall of France wanted to have people from other countries taking part to get the rest of the world on Britain’s side, after all the USA was quite happy for Germany to bomb, invade, kill and occupy every country in Europe, Britain acted and apart from a handful of countries got the rest of the world to take on the murdering Nazis.
@@blank557 and “stodgy British” the country who invented just about everything used on a daily basis in World today and invented most of the sports played around the world, and a TV and music industry second to none, how is that for stodgy?
@@blank557 Totally agree with your first point, and there are many more that could be added to your list. I think, amongst those interested in history, the record is a lot straighter than it would have been a few decades ago. I partially agree with your with your second point. I'd say the idea of the stodgy Brits is a bit of an overplayed stereotype. Whilst it's true that they held on to some out-dated ideas it's also true that they created many innovations and also adopted ideas from elsewhere. Like many things, it's way more complex.
This is some wonderful material! There is the narrative in the UK and even in Poland(!) that the success of 303 was due just to their bravery, unruliness and thirst for revenge. But you have shown that it was through careful selection, relentless training, excellent education, experience and wonderful team spirit. It makes for a much more inspiring story! Kids should learn this in Polish and British schools. Well done!
You mentioned Orvanovich It is Evanovich I worked with his son in Cammel Lairds shipyard in Birkenhead I heard the Poles gave up on the French as they thought them to be useless, then they went to Britain An excellent article
This is a very informative video, with a lot of work & research put in it. I got tons of respect for all the Polish Fighting Men. They helped free my country from the nazis, and lost (Market Garden) many men. Thank you.
Thank you so very much for this video! It’s very informative and I appreciate getting even more knowledge on this fantastic topic. Squadron 303 is every Polish person’s pride and we all should know as much as we can about the bravery and hard work these men put in achieving the victory in the WWII. ❤
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5:28 There is some truth to that for sure. In my college days, our library disposed of some books as they ran out of room. Students were free to browse and take what they like. I found an old flight school study book from 1930s. It mixed elements of physics, theory of flight and combat manoeuvres.
we were fighting for our freedom, that was main factor, Poles have fighted through last couple hundreds of years for that, and it wast taken AGAIN, our gramps just couldnt bare it
My father fought with the 2nd Polish Corps at Montecassino where he was wounded, and my driving instructor was a Polish fighter pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain.... I could fill a book with their stories, and about these characters. I am incredibly fortunate to have grown up with these unforgettable men - we will never see their like again.
I have known similar histories in Ukraine as of late, that will be the stuff of legends when this is over.
Not only that era had huge heroics.
Big kudos to the Polish greats of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
@@LathropLdST There's an awful lot about the Ukrainian conflict that has yet to come out.....
Well said, my grandfather told me about the Polish pilots when I was young. I'm 63 now but those stories are everlasting. Some of these pilots actually flew to Britain in their planes to save them, knowing the nazis had conquered Poland, they were the best of the best. He always wished that the world eventually find out how brave they truly were,.... you are helping with that, thank you.
If you do fill a book with their stories someday, I'd love to read it!
@@jeffbenton6183 and myself . We will buy your book mate, as will millions of others, do it. Cheers.
Thank you for your wonderful programme. My father was a Polish pilot. Before the outbreak of ww2, he told me of the bombing of their aerodrome in August 1939. Whilst cleaning their planes after a training flight, one lad looked up at the sky and said, Look, silver rain! Bombs! Ruuun! From a safe distance we watched our planes and airfield destroyed, said my Dad, Stanislaw Drozda.
Best wishes, Cecilia Drozda-Porter
In August 1939 the war didnt start yet
What a BS story. Get your facts straight .
As a boy our Polish neighbour and hardware shop owner flew hurricanes, his name was Piatowski and he was a gent. Bless him.
I think you lost a letter in his surname. Either Piątkowski, or Piastowski.
@@impact0r you are probably right it's a memory from a nine year old boy a long time ago.
all Polish Dywizjon in english
polishairforce pl
dziękuje za pamięć
Growing up, our local mechanic was "Charlie". He was one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet. He started teaching me a little here and there. His attention to detail, and compulsive drive for perfection could get annoying. There was no such thing as "good enough". It was done right. Period.
Turns out, he was an engine mechanic, from Poland. He'd made his way to France, then England, and survived the war. Instead of remaining in Europe, he came to the States.
He passed, quietly in his sleep, in the mid '70's.
I can't emphasize how much of an influence he was, in my youth. I became a Master Technician, and made it a 40 year career. I have mentored many young mechanics during those years. In my small way, his legacy lives on.
As I said in the video, my research really did suggest the Polish mechanics were just excellent at their craft. Thanks for sharing Charlie's story Edward.
Its worth mentioning also that Enigma was cracked by polish mathematician Marian Rejewski.
Legendary soldiers (and aviators) and legendary fellow citizens in a new home.
Salute to the polish from Italy.
Part 2 Lastly, allow me to draw your attention to František Fajtl and the Czechoslovak squadron 313. For some time this was based at RAF Ibsley just a few miles from my home in England. The airfield stood on the flood plain of the Dorset Avon which is full of sand and gravel. After the War, the airfield was excavated for sand etc and nothing remains but several large lakes. In the War, however it was a busy front line airfield. Whilst based at Ibsley, 313 was expanded and expanded and then split in two. One half headed by František were transported round the North Cape to Russia. They fought against the Nazis on the Russian front. In August of 1944, they provided air cover for the "Slovenské národné povstanie" (Slovak National Uprising). It was an unfortunate coincidence that the very day that the Uprising began, carefully co-ordinated with the Czechoslovak Government in London, was the day that the Nazis invaded Slovakia and the Uprising was not able to secure the passes as had been hoped to prevent the Nazi invasion. By chance, the Nazis beat them to it by a matter of hours. Although fighting continued in the forests and mountains till Slovakia was secured by the Soviet forces, the Uprising was effectively crushed before the end of the year. The Nazis killed thousands and thousands of Slovak civilians, many of them being burnt to death in their own houses or village churches. The uprising succeeded in killing many Germans weakening them in the face of the Soviet onslaught. I have seen František's RAF uniform on display in the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica. I have also visited the headquarters of the Sitno Command not far from our home here in Slovakia. The Sitno Command were active against the Nazis and the pro-Nazi regime of Monsignor Jozef Tiso from early in 1942.
Keep up the good work.
Do you know the reason why he moved to States? Maybe there is still someone in Poland waiting for any information about him as an ancestor who was in need of emigration
- How many soldiers does the enemy have?
- will count them when I beat them - Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, Kircholm 1605
Worth adding that there were 3600 Polish soldiers and, 11000 Swedish soldiers. Poland lost 100 soldiers with another 200 injured, while Sweden lost... 6 to 9 thousand
@@luishernandez8121 In boxing it's called RSC ;)
@@luishernandez8121 what is worth noting these soldiers were not paid for months before asked to attack 4 times larger enemy. Another Polish victory that was squandered by Polish nobles.
@@peterw3544 *noting
@@peterw3544 your comment says nothing
As a Pole reading comments below, I’d like to genuinely thank all of Yous who left those heartwarming words about my nation. Thank You so much for maintenance of the real history including those who have been forgotten or bleached. Thanks and God Bless Yous!
Dziękuję, niech Bóg Wam błogosławi!
Niech Bóg Ci Bogosławii!
While, as a Canadian, I am proud of all my nation and others did to defeat Nazi Germany, I feel some shame that so little was done in any attempt to keep Poland and Czechoslovakia from falling under tyranny after the war.
I grew up reading about World War II and learned early about the Polish contributions in the air, on land and at sea (not forgetting ORP Piorun). In the darkest years of the war, you stood with us.
Happy that Poland stands free and proud to have you as a fellow NATO ally. Cheers.
Ale ciebie gotuje zachód na wojnę... Biorą cię pod uja żebyś ginął za ich interesy.
I bet you wish Poland was still under Soviet control.
@@YTRulesFromNM Nie.
What is even more interesting, Poles trained many American pilots just before and right after the US entered the war. Among others, American ace with Polish roots Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski spent a lot of time in the Polish 315 Squadron. He later mentioned many times that this experience allowed him to achieve the status of the most effective American fighter pilot on the European front.
He was actually born Franciszek Stanisław Gabryszewski. I assume either he or his parents anglicized his name later on.
@@Nghilifa From Oil City, PA. He also flew jets in The Korean War.
The Polish pilots taught the Americans the finger four formation.
He had Polish parents and spoke Polish language. Polish pilots welcomed him as their and treat him as one of them.
all Polish Dywizjon in english
polishairforce pl
Go Poland, go! With love from Greece.
You know about Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz?.Polish and Grece heroy.
Pan Gierczak pozdrawia on kocha Grecję
@@tryfon8691 Yes, we have a statue of him in my city, Thessaloniki. Great hero indeed! 🙂
@@darixon7238 w szczególności gierczak
There is a big GREEK community in Poland made up with the communist supporters who sought political asylum. We have a very popular and beloved singer Eleni Tzoka Milopoulou who is of Greek descent.
I've spent a couple of years living in England. One of the most wholesome experiences I've had with English people was in a random pub in Blackpool, an old man approached me realizing I was Polish, and told me just this: "you are welcome here, you fought for this country".
In ww2 england gave polish soldiers oldest planes in stock but we(i am from poland) were steel better then england. squadron 303,302,301 were made from Polish pilots I don't think I need to say how much they contributed to the defense of England. However, when the war ended, we were not welcome in the victory parade, and on top of that, they billed us for gas. Cool allies.
That’s a nice experience. Same in Holland city Breda which was freed from Germans by polish soldiers. Sadly only old people remember that
"Polish were given the oldest planes in stock".....303 Squadron flew Hurricanes during the BoB......there were no "old" Hurricanes ! Indeed, Polish Pilots loved the Hurricane, it could out perform both the Spitfire or ME109 in a turn !
It is also a complete lie that British Pilots were not close with their ground crew ! Every British Pilot I have ever heard interviewed praised their ground crew and proclaimed them as Heros, similarly British groundcrew proclaimed the Pilots as the real heros. It was not uncommon for ground crew to cry when their Spitfires or Hurricanes failed to return........something that implies a very close respect and bond to my mind ?
@@garymoore2535 najpierw Polacy otrzymali fairey battle i Lysandery, a jak pozwolono im latać hurrycanami, Brytyjczycy latali spitfire'ami. Może więc hurrycany fizycznie nie były stare, to jednak coś w tym jest.
You probably know that Blackpool people took the Poles to their hearts and homes as it became the initial training centre for the Polish aircrews and they paraded on the promenade there. I think some Polish clubs still exist.
As an American who is a fanatic for history, my respect for Poland and her people is immense. Pulaskis role in the American revolution. The Winged Hussars at Vienna in the largest cavalry charge in Western Europe. American pilots who volunteered to fly for Poland in the Soviet invasion of Poland in the 1920s as the Kosciusko Squadron. The 303 Sq you speak of.
My grandparents were from tiny impoverished Ireland in the early 20th century. That probably influence my respect of Poland too. And modern Poland holding the line on sovereignty in Europe and assisting Ukraine. 🇺🇸🦅🇵🇱
Tadeusz Kościuszko set up West Point for you
@@jezalb2710 yup…hence the US volunteers in Poland choosing to honor his name in that way. We owe a LOT to Poland and various specific Poles.🇺🇸🦅🇵🇱
@@jimreilly917 Puławski :-) or without polish letters - Pulawski.
@@Taki_tam_ktos nope. Pułaski was his surname.
There was also a Polish general Kosciuszko. He was promised to get paid for his service in the US. As you can imagine, after a while when the money wasn't coming, Kosciuszko decided that he wanted the US government to pay whatever they owed to him to the charity that benefitted African American people in this country. Well, his request was ignored and nothing was ever paid out. That's how true heroes are treated in this country.
Nothing but respect for Poland and its people. They have surely endured!
Janusz Żurakowski was a Polish veteran of these campaigns and would eventually move to Canada in the early 1950s. There, he became the first in the country to break the sound barrier in a Canadian CF-100. Most famously, he was entrusted by the Canadian government to pilot the maiden flight of the Avro Arrow, the most advanced, and arguably the fastest bomber interceptor in the world at that time. The Arrow remains a point of pride for Canada, and Żurakowski will always be closely associated with this achievement 🇨🇦 🇵🇱
Greetings from Barry's Bay. He is certainly not forgotten here--there is a model of the Arrow in a park in the centre of town which is named after Zurakowski.
This is really impressive true story . I have seen documentary on Avro Arrow , this was very advanced jet , just didn't know that was the Polak who went supersonic first for Canada...
Another amazing story that i learned today about my fellow countryman. Thank you sir!
all Polish Dywizjon in english
polishairforce pl
polishairforce
pl
all Polish Dywizjon in english
Do you know that Poland as the only country in the world had been requested to pay for polish troops stationed in the UK and for their training and equipment? That has never happened before or after that. Britain did that because Poland has deposited a significant amount of gold in UK vaults before WW2. In order to steal that UK came up with the idea to charge Poland for protecting the UK. Poles were later on sold out to the Soviets and prohibited from participating in the parade of victorious countries after the war. That's what Poles got from the UK for defending them and for fighting Germany. Poland would have been more appreciated if they chose to fight alongside the Germans.
... and this should never be forgotten.
@@wpfilip I agree
Also agree. Charging the Poles to protect THEIR (UK) country. Shameless.
@@antbonyziemiak208 Shameless and unprecedented.
This kind of treatment by the U.K. is totally understandable and a disgrace. Understandable realizing 'Brtianna' had developed as a rudeness merchandising global colonizers 400 years eariler. The English language is a language dealing exquisitely with trade & merchandising...no wonder these aristocratic cranks would create a law to fleece Poland or anybody for that matter. So easy to do when the money is in Royal banks....hmmmm...rings of how America fleeced China of its War time deposit of Gold bullion. The Royal family, the 'cityof London' & their established corporate based legal statues, uniform commerce code & Admiralty law system has been stealing millions from America since our first bankruptcy in late 1790s when our loan to the European banks came due for revolutionary war...oh did ya think the 13 colonies sold war bonds...LOL and we were broke...enter in 60 more years of slavery garrenteed thru the labor & natural resources of America & its people. There is a very dark history between the British Government & its colonies...a history of which little is known a topic not openly taught, rarely discussed...and that's the way the Brits...the aristocracy likes it!! The working class people are great folks....
Finally, a lot of positive historical information about Poles and their contribution to the British war effort. My father, a bomber pilot navigator sadly passed away before all this was common knowledge. He was particularly bitter that the Poles were not represented at the armed forces victory parade in London.
That was a shameful chapter in WW2 history to be sure.
understatement of the year…
@@CalibanRising Not as shameful as the treatment Polish and Czechoslovak pilots got when they returned home.
@@liborkozak8938 Tmavomodrý Svět...
Why don't we have any movie pointing it out so well in Polish cinematography?
@@liborkozak8938 they returned to occupied country, what they did not know on departure.
My gran dad was still crying in 2002 when he told me of the moment when he wasn't invited to the victory march. It was awful he couldn't go back cause he b killed by Russians he stayed Britis were easier to him but he found love settled in Inverness. He learn to love Scotland Britain learn to love him. He died of a great age of 92. Was married for over 50 years. We still miss his stories
very true. Even for the 50th anniversary of the BoB, the surviving Polish pilots were not invited. Britain claimed that at the time Poland was trying to break from the Soviets, the UK did not want to antagonize the USSR.
@@mathewm7136no it’s because the British politicians are spineless and didn’t want to upset the Russians
My woodwork teacher was a fighter pilot during ww11 he flew Hurricanes then Spitfires, i used to be fascinated listening to his experiences of the battle of Britain. He told me many heroic stories of the Polish pilots and one of them was still a good friend of his. He also told me of how good they were at gardening.
Gardening sounds accurate to me, and im Polish.
As territorial creatures, we love our Gardens in Poland lol XD ❤️
World war 11? I thought there were only two world wars
@@darixon7238 Go do some gardening 7238.
A great researched documentary.... My father joined the RAF in 1946 and was always very complimentary about the Poles and Czech's that continued to serve post WW2 in the RAF. These people also shouldn't be forgotten. They continued to support the UK when they felt they couldn't go home.
And Britain gave their homeland to the criminal Soviet Stalin & kicked the Poles outta Britain.
Luckily three squadrons are immortalized in the song Aces in Exile by Sabaton.
Polish people didn't feel like they couldn't go home, they couldn't because there was execution by Russians waiting for them after the west sold us to Russia.
"shouldn't be forgotten" but after war they even want too pay for the planes they fly.... now when poles work in england your people treat us worse then "engineers" from asia...
Re >the Poles and Czech's that continued to serve post WW2 in the RAF<
Unfortunately most Poles were kicked out from all British armed forces after WWII... for political reasons. Poland was not even invited for London's Victory parade of 1946 despite the fact that the Polish armed forces were the fourth largest Allied forces in Europe. All because the Allies didn't want to upset Stalin....
What's more incredible is how their planes even flew with the weight of their enormous balls on the board.
Poles have no balls, as they suck to many priests. Except ones that have, but these are not Catholics, so they don't count by polish standards
I have admired the polish people since I was 15 and first read of them. I am an American of Italian decent. I am 75 now and nothing the Pols have done in this time has changed my mind!!!
Are you aware of the fact that Poland is mentioned in Italy's anthem and that Italy is mentioned in Poland's national anthem? The Polish people have always liked the Italian people. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that both are Catholic and they don't border each other!!!
@@peterj5083 Both have had it tough.
Thanks for your lovely comment ❤️🇵🇱🤗😘
@@peterj5083 ... and the Polish king 👑,married an Italian princess 👸, who became the Polish queen.
@@ewaczupryna6905 Yes, what was her name. I think I know. Does it start with the letter "B"?
Great video, Phil. The Poles are remarkable people. A lady I befriended and worked with for 16 years was from Krackow. She was a wonderful person. Although my heritage is "Hun," she even arranged for me to become a member of the Board of Directors of the Austin Polish Society. Most of the members were born in Poland. Yet I was welcomed and accepted as if I were one of their own. The whole experience touched me deeply.
Kind of you to say so, kolego!
It's 'Kraków', btw.
;)
Thanks for watching Peter! I've also had many close Polish friends. My last flat mate was from Gdansk and he made sure I learned how to drink vodka properly.
@@elmonte5lim Not at all, my friend. It's true. Apologies for my horrible spelling. It's even worse in English. Thanks!
@@CalibanRising You are welcome as always, Phil. I wouldn't dare attempt to keep up with Poles drinking vodka.
Many a "Hun" became Polish heroes.
It seems once away from the Fatherland and all the bullshit they teach you there Germans are normal people
And that bit of wisdom is from an American of Hunnish descent and a bit Polish
I'm Polish living in Australia. Have to adult kids born here. But I always say to them : You are lucky 50% of your blood is Polish.
Great video on a great subject. Poles also served in the Royal Navy. Drachinifel mentioned a polish destroyer crew that were present at the sinking of the Bismarck. They charged the germans firing all guns and signaling “I am a Pole” ! Gotta love that spirit.
Very interesting facts..good to know that the Poles also served in the Royal Navy..Without the poles the Battle of Britain would have had a different outcome
That was ORP Piorun (G65) destroyer. The Polish Navy during WW2 consisted of 2 cruisers, 7 destroyers, 3 submarines and smaller units (chasers, torpedo boats, guard boats, surveillance boats, submarine chasers).
I think that was ORP Błyskawica (thunder), small Polish destroyer.
@@ToowimPL ORP Piorun was in the destroyer flotilla that kept the Bismark busy until the RN battleships arrived.
It was the destroyer "Piorun " . The commnder was Eugeniusz Plawski . He moved to Vancouver BC after the war . His wife was helping me with my French lessons when I was in high school .
Pols are classy, God-fearing people that have a vibrant culture. Pols truly understand the importance of a strong family. ..I was blessed to grow up in a community in Western Massachusetts where there was a large Polish population. ..They are a blessing.
Us?
Classy?
More like stylish
Fortunately, more and more Poles no longer fears mythical beings. But yeah, most Poles in the US from the old emigration were uneducated simpletons from poor villages, so naturally they were god-fearing.
@@impact0r when Buffalo Bills player collapsed during the game it was suddenly so cool to pray on the field for all players coaches and fans and no one was ashamed doing it.
@@zksstalstawidlo9015 What's your point? As the US is largely a third world country (predatory social system, anti-human healthcare system, political system designed specifically for corruption and anti-democracy, abysmal education system producing throngs of ignoramuses) it is only natural that religion is rampant there.
My father fought with Polish 2nd Corps at Montecassino and on his way to the front, he passed within a couple of miles of the village where my mother lived at time. They both emigrated to England after the war, and met (and married) in Northern England after the war - cool eh?
They both taught me about the priceless value of family - they are both gone now (R. I. P) but I've kept all their documents and papers and explain them to my children and grandchildren regularly.
Every 4-6 weeks, I call my family together for dinner at my home, and every 2 months, I have dinner with my daughters (just me and my daughters) - these events have become family traditions, which I hope my grandchildren will continue.
I am always impressed by Poles today got diligence, eagerness to understand, and take full responsibility for their actions!
"because we don't beg for freedom, we fight for it"
that's the sentence Witold Urbanowicz, first leader of 303 squadron had written on the side of his plane. So we do.🇵🇱
Thank you for such detailed account of Polish pilots undertakings at the Battle of Britain. To bad that they were not included in Victory Parade.
Polish soldiers fought on almost all WWII fronts in hope to come back to Free Homeland after the war. Most of them didn't live to do so, unfortunately.
You got a new subscriber, I looked up some of your other podcasts and like your approach to history. Till next episode then. Greetings from Warsaw 🇵🇱
Pięknie powiedziane ,dzięki i pozdrawiam 👍❤️🇵🇱🇦🇺🦘
Dziękuję
The Polish soldiers fought on all WII fronts
@@wolvemusic478 Yeah man. Unbelievable but true, except one thing. Polish soldiers never were fighting agains Japan... Of course, I'm not talking about Americans, Brits or Australian with polish roots in Allied Forces. I'm just talking about regular polish military units.
@@piotrrozynek9658
Witold Urbanowicz, second CO of 303 squadron,fought against Japs in China.
Thanks for the great educating video! I'm big fan of Poland, Polish and Bulgarians are notorious for their patriotism. Greetings and love from Bulgaria!
Other fact, polish King fought in Bulgaria against Turks. And die by Varna
How wonderful to listen to someone who, in the context of the Polish Army of WWII, talks about good training, experience, innovative tactics, responsibility and friendship. Thank you for this video. Dziękuję.
My brother Finished Deblin air force 4 year course and he is one of the top pilots in USA now .Poland was always known for best pilots .Have good day
I never imagined that my comment would be one of the reasons for such a detailed analysis of the achievements of 303 Squadron in the Battle of Britain. As for Josef Frantisek, he claimed to be Polish and refused to join a Czechoslovakian squadron of the Royal Air Force. He did not renounce his nationality, but was attached to the colleagues alongside whom he had fought since 1939. He was one of two Czechoslovak pilots who took part in the Battle of Britain in Polish uniforms - the other was a Slovak, Jozef Kaňa.
Funny story about 303 squadron... where one of political fraction in UK start fighting against polish immigrants and they used a picture of the plane from 303 squadron 🤣 they show how little they know about the own history.
Frantisek and his pals after the fall of czechoslovakia with no air combat tossed a coin to decide wether to join the French airforce or the Polish airforce, the poles won the toss, so a toss of the coin not that they gave a rats arse about poland. Just more polish bullshit trying to claim frantisek as polish to claim his kills as polish.
lets not also forget that the Poles made big inroads in cracking the Enigma and sent all their findings to Bletchley Park as well as some personnel.
Yes a lot of people forget they were the first to break the Enigma
@@sharonprice42 Enigma was WIP. Poles did break earlier models, they paved a way for British to break newer, more secure version widely used during WWII.
Did they break the code or did they capture a machine? The second, I think.
@@I_Don_t_want_a_handle Poles developed formula (1931) to brake this type of coding. It was a secret till 70'
@@zbigniew1181 Well, you learn something new every day and I am happy to admit being wrong .
But 😜 ... it was a Briton who cracked the first Enigma code, however, it was the commercial enigma and not the military one. The first military decrypt was of an Italian Enigma. The German Enigma, with the plug board, was indeed first decrypted by the Poles but not alone. They were given manuals of the military machine by a French spy. The cryptanalysis was indeed all Polish.
Turing's genius was in decrypting the much more complicated machines that were used in WW2. Turing did not use Polish techniques, because they were considered 'fragile,' but the Polish information sped the cracking of the Naval Enigma.
I remember reading that once an RAF Group Commander essentially accused 303 of "padding their stats", and 303's commander Witold Urbanowicz invited the officer to join them on a sortie sometime. The officer did, and in his report the next day on the sortie described them as "wonderful madmen".
which was still offensive, since we know they were many things but for sure not madmen.
@@michastepien8326 The term is affectionate and not literal incase not clear. Such as the phrasing when your friend has done something crazy that worked "You crazy bastard".
@@michastepien8326 sciagnij ta flage chłopie
The well known story regarding scepticism over 303's claims is when Station Commander Kellet flew with them on a sortie to see what they did for himself. He returned, shaken, and stated that what they claimed they Indeed got.
@@grzehmk dlaczego?
I read a missive from a British fighter pilot - he put a lot of it down to the fact that Brits tended to look at downing an aircraft - the Poles wanted to kill Germans (as you can imagine, after what their country had gone through). Thing is, during the Battle of Britain, the RAF planes were armed with eight .303 machine guns - problem is the .303 didn't do a lot of damage to the target's airframe - but it did do a lot to the pilot. So the Poles would get close and aim for the pilot (which was Douglas Bader's technique too).
I read a similar missive regarding the Polish pilots. A Brit asked a Pole why he flew within 100 ft of the Heinkle he shot down. The Pole responded he got so close to make sure he killed every member of the crew. No parachutes were recorded from the Heinkle.
German Bombers also concentrated their crew in the same compartments or very near, and were largely ony protected by plexiglass.
yup
One pilot i think it may have been Ginger Lacey used to shoot up a bomber but hoped it crash landed back at its base,his reasoning was a shot up bomber and crew was far worse for morale than a plane simply not returning.
Same as Georges Beurling
As a Pole I truly respect your professional approach to explain the topic. Very good content. Thank you.
Thank you too!
I grew up in Kosciusko, Mississippi. They have a statue of Tadeusz Kosciuszko on the town square. He obviously impressed the the American colonists during the Revolution!
It's funny and nice to see Kościuszko as a city in US - must be a bit of a tongue twister for you guys ;) Well my bus stop was on Roosevelt street, one of main streets in center of Poznań, Poland :) 🇺🇸🤝🇵🇱
@@CryptoC4T There are many Roosevelt streets in Polish cities. My bet is that it's a legacy after communism like names referring to communist 'heroes' and 'the Polish-Soviet friendship' or 'the victory of World War II.' Unfortunately, Roosevelt did not deserve it, he had a weakness for Stalin and did not have the strength to negotiate with him. Roosevelt and Churchill decided to sell Poland to Stalin in the name of peace and good relations with the USSR which didn't last too long as the Cold War started. For something like this, they condemned us to having no right to self-determination, being exploited and economic slavery for 50 years from which we will be recovering for another 50 to chase the top economies of the world. Although we have been ridding of communist symbols like this, after all, we will not be removing any plaques commemorating the President of the United States.
@@PacekBrudnyPlacek As long as I agree with Roosevelt, Churchill was different. He really wanted to help Poland but had no power over the two. Churchill hated Stalin and didn't trust him. This is not fair to throw accusations like that at Churchill. Please read a bit more and you will see how complex the situation was and how much effort Churchill put to save Poland. And BTW, as the assassination of Sikorski is a mystery until today, I strongly believe it was Stalin's game plan. The UK deals with problems in a different way than Ruskies.
Imagine my shock, when BLM devastated one of his statues, didn't they know that he left big part of his fortune to African-Americans, to buy freedom to as many of them as possible. I don't like twists like that, because I'm always supporting everyone's right to fight for equality, but I don't like when protests degenerates into riots
@@sumofighter tak, Burowie i Hindusi chętnie potwierdzą.
Churchill sprzedał Polskę za francuską strefę okupacyjną w Niemczech, Grecję i Jugosławię, a później wystawił rachunek za sprzęt i paliwo polskim siłom zbrojnym będącym w podległości strategicznej i operacyjnej armii brytyjskiej i walczącym w interesie GB. Gdyby Polacy wiedzieli, że tak to się skończy to Brygada Sosabowskiego miałaby w dupie ratowanie Brytyjczyków i zamiast pod Driel skoczyłaby na Warszawę. W końcu sprzęt był zapłacony.
Credit and respect to all pilots who fought in that dark time,brave young men who not only lost there youth but in many cases there lives. Never forget.
I am very impressed with this story and the deep analysis of the basics of the skills of Polish pilots. What wonderful and noble people. Thank you 🧡🧡🧡
Glad you enjoyed it!
As a child my grandmother's partner was a Pole named Jan. He was a former Polish fighter pilot that had fought in the RAF.
I remember him as a very gentle and kind man, always pleased to see us. My father told me that when the war had finished he had returned to Poland to find his entire village, his house and everyone and everything he knew utterly destroyed.
I couldn't then, and can't now, imagine such a pain. I often think of him and his comrades and I am forever grateful.
I am really pleased that you mentioned Polish Air Force University in Dęblin (where I currently study). It is nice to see foreigners pay attention to small details like how the Dęblin students were taught how to fly.
I really enjoyed researching it and I'm glad to hear the institution is still in existence today!
@@CalibanRising It is still the basis for the training of Polish military pilots
My wife’s father was a Polish fighter pilot,who fought in Poland at outbreak of war,then into France,after in Uk where he was in 316.He never spoke much about his exploits,as he said it was either shoot enemy down or get shot yourself.He spoke about Poles being excluded from the victory parade at end of war.He never returned to Poland because of Russia ,made his home in uk.
the Polish people are amazing even today
Really? I dont think so. Even polish folkes say something opposite.
@@Mrcoldy1988 No we don't. We are still amazing, always were. Visit our country to see for yourself.
@@TurboLazer007 Ok. So u call me a liar now. I met a bunch of poles and i know what i heard as well as i know what i've seen.
@@Mrcoldy1988 Great. Have you been to Poland? there's like 38 million people there, you can't base opinion on 5-10 polish people you met somewhere, shit there's 20 polish people I don't like that would give bad opinions, but it doesn't mean they are right. Go and see for yourself. Where are you from by the way?
@@TurboLazer007 Z Polski. Więc nie mów mi czy polacy są "amazing" czy nie, bo widziałem ich tutaj przez 25 lat i kolejne 7 w Anglii. Już ja wiem doskonale jacy oni (my) są dla siebie i w stosunku do życia. Nie rozumiem tylko po co opowiadasz takie bzdury. Wybielasz, bo obcokrajowcy nie mają jak sprawdzić?
The Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, was blunter in his assessment, ‘Had it not been for the magnificent work of the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of battle would have been the same’.
A great compliment from a great man and a well earned one but the Germans could not have won the battle,the late Adolf Galland explained this he also said that the jets could not have changed the outcome of the war for that matter the new submarines coming on tap at the end of the war would not have made any difference it was all to late and had they been available earlier it was still not going to make a difference. The air attacks across the Channel mounted post BoB by the RAF were very costly in good pilots suffering from some of the problems well known to the Germans,i have heard the Germans had a supply of drop tanks but never used them during the BoB if that is true it was a foolish mistake just like starting the war in the first place.
Sir Hugh Dowding was treated horribly by the British after the battle of Britain. A great man. RIP Sir.
Also, the Hawker Hurricane was a very stable gin platform.
@@harrisonofthenorth The reason Britain won the BOB was that Britain had the world’s first Radar based integrated air defence system, RAF fighter command new exactly where the Germans were and only scrambled the fighter squadrons when needed, if Britain didn’t have that, the RAF would have had to use standing patrols which would have been a serious drain on resources and mostly only find the German bombers by luck, also Britain did need decent fighters to actually do the job once they tangled with the Germans which of course in the Hurricane and Spitfire they had, no matter who was flying them but I must point out by the time the Polish and Czech squadrons entered the fight, RAF fighter command were expert at vectoring the squadrons to where the enemy actually was.
Edit; also the pilots from the Polish and Czech squadrons were not exclusively from those countries, there were Canadians, ANZACs and British personnel in them as well.
Well he may said that but sadly in book "Ace" by Witold Urbanowicz - author openly write how hostile towards polish squadrons Dowding actually was and point out of many problems making he did to them.
❤ Very well put. I agree 1000%
In Poland 303 is considered a mostly Polish squadron, however we do not forget about other nationalities fighting in it. "303 squadron" is a famous book by Arkady Fiedler and he wasn't shy enough to skip the detail of a Czech being an ace in the unit. We (the Poles) are sometimes a little too... vary of the fact that Polish troops weren't invited to a victory parade or that post war decisions put Poland under soviet occupation, so every time a video like this one is being presented... well it tends to bring emotions...
Thank you fort the video. May our children know no wars other than those they read about in history books.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 never again with you on one side
I guess Poles are passionate people. Being half Irish I understand. Love your friends, hate your enemies. My dads English, he loves everyone.
yeah we all love to play counter strike
Yes we have that with Irish and Welsh
Janusz Żurakowski, a Polish BoB figher pilot and later an immigrant to Canada, was the chief test pilot for the CF-105 (the Avro Arrow).
and 'Spud' Potocki.
I remember seeing RL201 that he flew pass over my school many times during the
flight-test program.
He also flew the CF-100 Canuck and would fly inverted with anything that'd been left in the aircraft rattling inside the canopy. He was a fantastic pilot.
I had the pleasure of hosting my scout summer camps at Mr. Zurakowskis land near Barrys Bay (Canada). He would tell a few stories to the youngsters around the campfire. Remarkable man. World needs that kind of man.
Janusz Żurakowski was the squadron leader with the 303 for my uncle Ludec Kraszewski, after the Battle of Britain, and they continued their friendship for many years.
I remember living with my family in an old Victorian house in Glasgow in 1946-47, and my uncle would walk into my room, cocky like a hero....well deserved. He would bring me model airplanes.
Later in Toronto, Canada, I got to know Janusz Jurakowski at the time when he was the chief test pilot of the Avro Arrow, and family friend. He told that one time he chose to see how high he could take the aircraft, but it did a flame-out. However he was able to re-start, it. (unlike that Top Gun movie)
We also visited him in Barry's Bay, where he had a cottage and invented a new kind of jet-boat.
I already appreciated the fact that the Polish were the first to crack the initial version of Enigma. I also cannot live without Chopin and Szymanowski. I knew that Polish pilots were simply better than most RAF pilots, but this is an education. Poland and your people - I salute you.
'I knew that Polish pilots were simply better than most RAF pilots.' You know that, do you?
@@afischer8327
♥️👋👍😉
Chopin , Szymanowski great composers, recommend Andrzej Kurylewicz muzyk i kompozytor,Polskie drogi❤ (Polish roads)he remembered him Pat Matheny🎸
Pozdrawiam z Polski👋
Josef Frantisek was one crazy dude, but excellent pilot. Would love to see you to cover his story.
Yes, our Polish crazy Czech :)
Josef was from Czech
Z pochodzenia Czech z wyboru Polak, sam jednoznacznie oświadczył, że jest polakiem i kropka. Inna sprawa, że poprzez swoje skrajnie indywidualistyczne nastawienie stał sie dla zespołu niebezpieczny i dlatego pozwolono mu na samotne łowy, stąd tyle jego zestrzeleń. Polacy dokonywali zestrzeleń w walce, wbrew pozorom byli tak niebywale wyszkoleni, że potrafili jednocześnie atakować i ubezpieczać kompanów, bywały przypadki, że przerywali atak by bronić kolegów, podstawową umiejętnością polskiego pilota była prawie na 360 stopni kontrola pola walki (szeregowy lotnik brytyjski tego nie potrafił). Brytyjczycy widzieli, że polacy jak szaleni szarżowali na niemieckie samoloty, a nie zdawali sobie sprawy, że działali w ściśle ubezpieczajacym się wzajemnie zespole. Widać to w pełni było w cyrku Skalskiego (zwano ich też Polskimi Diabłami), chyba najlepszej formacji lotniczej w całej II wojnie światowej (28 zestrzeleń, 9 uszkodzeń i 0 strat osobowych w ciągu kilku miesięcy trwania Polish Fighting Team). Frantisek polował na samoloty wracające do Francji z pola walki, często już uszkodzone maszyny. Tacy jak on też są potrzebni, dostał na to zgodę od naszych pilotów, jednak brak ochrony ze strony kolegów skończył się szybką śmiercią tego dzielnego polaka z Czech :-). Bo bycie polakiem to stan umysłu a nie narodowość pochodzenia czy nawet kolor skóry :-)
@@Arteont Let's agree, he was Czechopolak :)
@@Arteont Původem Čech, vlastní volbou Polák :) Ano, zní to tak hezky romanticky, ale realita byla mnohem prozaičtější. František byl Čech, přesněji Moravan, a v polské 303. létal proto, že měl dlouhodobé kázeňské problémy už v československé armádě, byl prostě nedisciplinovaný a to ho stálo služební postup i pozici, které by mu, jako zkušenému stíhacímu pilotovi náležely už v čs letectvu. A protože byl tvrdohlavý a nechtěl si odpykat trest za jeden z mnoha kázeňských přestupků, který dostal u českého velení, zvolil po příchodu do Anglie raději službu v polské 303., kde se na jeho minulost nikdo neptal. A vyplatilo se, jak Františkovi, tak Polákům, byl to bojovník a skvělý pilot, bohužel ho zabilo právě to, s čím měl problémy celý život, nerozvážnost.
Thank you for this video. I see no reason why the historical background story about the Polish success should diminish the true bravery of Polish pilots. Both goes hand in hands. Greetings from Poland.
Because We Do Not Beg For Freedom .We Fight For It !🇵🇱 ♥ 💪
But you beg for Tusk
My old man was part of a six man RAF liaison team for 301 Squadron. He loved his time, despite the airfield where they were based being freezing cold. There was a couple of thousand Poles on the base, and they had their own butch and sausage making. They apparently made a good impression on the young lad from the Home Counties. However, the Czechs...
He then went on to spent most of the war training Allied aircrews on comms equipment whilst stationed in Bermuda. There he meet folk from most of the Western Allies. The most professional were the Czechs who seemed to have a motto "I'm here to drink Pilsner, and kill Nazis... and I'm all out of Pilsner."
This was absolutely fascinating! I learned so much and now have enormous respect and admiration for the Polish airmen, ground crews and Polish people in Poland who fought in their Resistance against the Nazis throughout the war. I would also like to highlight the fact that Poland has the most Righteous Among the Nations individuals recognized as saving Jews during the holocaust. (I am an Italian-American, so this is an unbiased opinion).
My grandfather was stationed at Lincoln. Polish Reg RAF. He survived the war, and lived until he was 96.
My dad was a lieutenant in the USN and served in the precursor of the navy seals. He had immense regard for the Polish military men.
We Poles are a very creative and improvisational nation, we don't like rules... we create them ourselves. In a crisis situation, we work best, we often do things at the last minute. I think these are our positive qualities ;)
Great Polish men who went down in the history of the World. Thank you for reminding about them, their courage and dedication.
I'm Czech. And even though all the compliments in the comments make me feel good too (even though I had nothing to do with it), let's be realistic and stay away from silly national stereotypes. I think any people from any country with the same conditions would have performed the same way
@@jankutac9753 but there were Czechs fighting in the RAF as well as Poles.
@@soltys1986 yes I know, that's what I'm talking about
@@jankutac9753 I do not see any 'steoretypes'. Poland is leading country in Central Europe. That was the fact in past ages and it is now. You Czechs surrendered to Hitler without firing a shot. Unfortunately, this does not bring you glory.
Hurray for all true heroes, Brits and Polish! HURRAY!!!
My brother is a adept of Deblin school, now in captain rank. Super proud of him .
Spot on! Also, when the Poles had their own army units among the British and commonwealth (Canada mainly) invaded Normandy, German troops realized that the Poles were dangerous because they were also seeking vengeance for what the Germans had done to Poland. Although the Poles did not close the Falaise Gap fast enough for Patton, the Germans were scared to death of running into Polish armor. That fear may have had an effect of how hard and desperate the Germans fought to keep the gap open.
I wish I'd had the time to really go into detail about the other Polish services, it probably would have answered the question "was it just because they were Polish?". The Polish underground is also a fascinating story which is directly connected to their 100+ years of subjugation.
I've seen a video of a Polish Army officer (who was there at the time) who explained that the Polish were definitely in position at the end of the Falaise Gap, when and where they should have been. Several times, they had to fight off Germans who were climbing onto their tanks. They did manage to shell German units, but they hadn't been followed by units from other Allied armies and found themselves very much alone. They had problems of communication and were running low on ammunition. I also have heard that the American commanders such as Bradley weren't completely aware of the situation on the ground and American troops could have come in earlier to close the Gap from the south, had they understood better what was happening. The Polish tank crews were eventually joined by other troops.
@@CalibanRising If you make a film about the Polish underground state and Polish underground army the same quality (fantastic job!) as this one, that will be an oscar winning documentary
@@CalibanRising Polish underground was unique and amazing organization, you should make a video about it. Pretty please. Include assassination of Franz Kutschera.
@@gorzkawodka I agree that the Polish underground was a fascinating organization. I believe it was the biggest such organization in existence and was entirely set up under the noses of the Germans (Britain's own resistance network was preplanned in 1940).
Dziękuję Ci pięknie za ten wspaniały film. If You want You'll translate it. Regards from central Poland.
Dziękujemy za obejrzenie filmu! (hopefully that's correct)
@@CalibanRising Pięknie.
"Repeat please..."
@@raypurchase801 PIĘKNIE
Stop that polish chit chat and steer 23 zero 🙀
Edit: I really enjoyed the video. The Polish pilots (and servicemen) who made it to the U.K., had an axe to grind, which inevitability made them more determined to take revenge. Added to that you have ground training, flying hours and battle experience, which young British pilots did not have, not their fault, but simply the way it was. Despite the final successful outcome in 1940, the RAF hierarchy appears to have been overconfident and inflexible….playing fields of Eton ..what.
I read about a memorial to the Polish airmen of WW2 which was next to the A1 around Peterborough I think. I stopped once to view it, in the early 70’s I think, but it appears to have been moved.
Poles are awesome peoples, and they have prove a long history of military exploits, defeating mongols, defeating Turcs at Vienna siege, defeating Soviets in 1920, being Elite cavalry in Napoleonic army. They just have a problem with Russians :-). I guess many Poles fight in the air battle of France also cause there was a pole army in France in 1940 (even a ground army), so they were basically the most experienced pilots of the war.
Really? English man is talking about polish pilots?? Really? It's really hard to believe it... Finally someone is telling the truth about the Poles during the battle of Britain... Just keep going mate , you doing just great!!!!
I'm English and it is quite well known that many other nations fought in the Battle of Britain. Of course it is not a very important point from our perspective, but it is known.
@@richardhorrocks1460 How come Poles never got any credit for everything they did for your country ?
@@robertbania6546 What did they do for our country?
@@richardhorrocks1460 They fought better for your country than English pilots 😁 And England never fought for Poland. English army also never been in Poland to fight against Germans or Russians in WWII, and England betrayed Poland when WWII started.
@@snd7622 I don't think that the Polish were fighting for England. We were all just fighting the Nazis together. The Poles would have recognised the importance of defending Britain, as we were the last hope in Europe. And we absolutely did not betray Poland when WW2 started. Do you know how big our army was compared to the Germans? We were a naval power. Unfortunately, the Germans were a land power. There was nothing at all that we could do with our army against the Germans once France had fallen. We did not betray you at all. If it wasn't for us then you'd still be a part of Germany. What is it with Poles being so bitter and twisted? Here's an idea... learn how to defend your own fucking country, and stop expecting us to do it for you.
I am Polish myself. I red the book of Skalski entitled "Czarne Krzyże na Polską" (Black crosses over Poland). He mentioned the fact that flying PZL 11c was very difficult and switching to Hurricanes and Spitfires gave them incredible opportunities in terms of performance. Immagine yourself driving an old formula car and becoming an expert in it, but with no power steering, a stick manual shifter and bad acceleration, then you got the modern F1 car.... Despite my nationality I don't give the credit to the fact they were Polish, rather what you mentioned, experience, strong bound between squadron members and a great fighting spirit knowing that your home country was doomed.
The worst thing was that their dream free homeland betrayed them so much... The Russians were, are and always will be guilty of everything.
Hi there. I am a Pole. I live I Scotland. I met many people - especially older folks saying only good things about Polish soldiers and pilots during dark days of WWII.
It is heartwarming. It really is.
What we usually do not talk about is how the Polish soldiers were mistreated after the war. I am not gonna repeat that "Churchill was a traitor" nonsense. Churchill was British and his very best interest was to take care of British people. Which he did. He was a great man and a great leader.
Polish soldiers and military personnel (not only the pilots) were dispelled and disowned by the British after the war. Many moved further to other countries like the US and Canada. A story from zeros to heroes to scapegoats.
I am old enough to understand human nature and I am just saying this without bitterness. After all it is all history now. Let's talk about it.
This is what I'd like to hear about in future episodes.
I enjoyed the video and I'm glad I discovered your channel. Cheerio the noo!
Poles designed mine detectors, cracked Ultra first and provided information to British, many soldiers proved their mettle in other Allied Armies, and had experience that counted for success. Training and espirit de corps makes a great decisive factor in Polish abilities.
I was in the American air force and noticed such a high number of personnel were of polish background. They called it often the polish air force.
My Air Cadet gliding instructor in 1973 was a Polish Spitfire pilot. He had begun flying gliders in the program described in your video. He was a Prince of a man. Britain's loss was Canada's gain when he and his British bride emigrated to Canada after the war. He couldn't get an aviation job, so he wound up working for a company that produced vaccines. His name is on a vaccine he co-developed to combat rabies. I've always considered it a privilege to have known him. Many Poles settled here, as there was already a large Polish community.
My maternal great-grandmother was the chief housekeeper at a court in France where she met her husband, who was the chief equerry. Both from noble families. My great-grandfather's brother was an Evangelical bishop in the Kraków-Rzeszów diocese. In 1914, they both returned to Poland as a married couple. Where they bought an old Jewish tavern and turned it into a house. (I lived there from 1978 to 1986) In which they survived both wars and the march of hostile armies. first Austro-Hungarian, then Tsarist, IWW, then Wermacht in both directions and the Red Army during IIWW - also in both directions. The stories told by my great-grandmother occupied all evenings, that even then I was too young to understand how important it is, and yet there was a tape recorder at home and it could all be recorded on cassettes. This precious witness to history.
A very good, in-depth video!
Fun fact: one might notice that the emblem of the 303 Squadron looks kinda American. That's precisely because it was named the Kościuszko Squadron, and as such, it continued the tradition of the unit, which was originally formed by American volunteers during the Polish-Soviet War. Their story could easily be a topic of their own video.
Tadeusz Kościuszko was a Polish officer who served as a volunteer in the American Revolution (mainly as an engineer but also commanding some troops in the field) and later in the Polish-Russian War of 1792 and led a national Uprising named after him in 1794. The cap and scythes on the Kościuszko Squadron emblem are a reference to the peasant militia that took part in the Kościuszko Uprising, famously contributing to the victory at Racławice. Kościuszko is quite likely the most universally popular national hero in Poland and is also considered their national hero by many Lithuanias and Belarusians.
I read up a bit on Kościuszko during my research and he was a very interesting character indeed. Shame I couldn't pronounce his name correctly hard as I tried!
@@CalibanRising FYI about Kościuszko Squadron 1919-1921 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_7th_Air_Escadrille
@@CalibanRising during Napoleonic times he settled near Paris, close to Fointainebleu. He helped locals with draining their fields and implementing some engineering ideas. There are still rows of trees planted on his advice (kind of deep rooted, water hungry variety).
And he mobilised locals to fend of Russian marauders looting the area.
He died in Switzerland but those locals from Fointainebleu forest build a small chapel in his name there.
"Better die standing than live on your knees" his motto is on his monument at Polish Land Forces Academy of his name in Wrocław.
@@maciejkukla9615 He also showed middle finger to Napoleon and Tsar before that. Both hoping that his fame could help them win the Polish population.
A quiet, unassuming chap called Mike Manson lived next door to my wife's parents in Maghull, a northern suburb of Liverpool. It turned out that his actual name was Michal Maciejowski...and he was a fighter ace with an impressive number of 'kills'.
Grettings from Poland, dziękuje za film o naszych bohaterach
Thanks for watching.
❤️🇵🇱👍🇦🇺
In 1946, a great military parade was held in London to celebrate the Allied victory over Germany and Japan. Representatives of 30 countries marched through the streets of the city in a column that stretched for several kilometers. Only Poles were missing, who were one of the most numerous national formations fighting on the side of the Allies. It was not until 2003 that British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized to Polish veterans for the attitude of his predecessors and the lack of invitation to the victory parade...
"I deeply regret that none of the Polish troops that fought alongside us in so many battles and that shed their blood for the common cause were allowed to participate in the Victory Parade," declared Winston Churchill in 1946...
In his diaries, one of 303 pilots wrote that even when chilling out, like in their beds, they would often practice spotting enemy planes by following flies in the room with their eyes.
It's actually brilliant in its simplicity.
One of my Uncles with 1st Canadian Army described their ground troops as some of the finest he worked with.
Remember it was the Poles that finally took Monte Casino!
Canadian …
Screw Trudeau
John Alexander Kent went down in the history of the Polish Air Force as a flight commander in the famous No 303 Squadron “City of Warsaw” during the Battle of Britain. Later he was also the commander of the 1st Polish Fighter Wing in Northolt.
Before he arrived in the Polish unit in Northolt, he had already been an experienced pilot. He had been a civilian, a fighter, a test and a reconnaissance pilot.
@@richardsymonds5159 I met a fellow who fought with the group that took Monte Casino on a flight to Poland.
@@warrencurtis7442 That achievement by General Anders is much underated as is most of the Polish contribution to our war effort, sadly!
1st Polish Armoured Division was part of 1st Canadian Army in France in 1944. That's why your Uncle had an opportunity to cooperate with Polish troops.
My father was in the 308 squadron. Escaped Poland to Northern France.
Mother severed in 305.
Fantastic analysis, it confirmed my own understanding that these pilots were very very experienced who had till then been hampered by flying inferior planes compared to the Germans . I was especially please to see some credit going to the ground crew as my Uncle was a radio fitter on 303Sqn during the Battle of Britain.
He helped make history!
They had a better record than the Luftwaffe in Germany actually. Look into it.
During their invasion of Poland I mean. ae: despite the shitty air craft.
I had not idea...never heard...how much training Polish pilots got. WOW...and that they obviously learned to fly and fight on their own.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the video. I'm proud of my nations efforts during WW2 and thankful to the allied nations for giving my countrymen another chance to fight.
I came here expecting to see at least one reference to Sabaton's song Aces in Exile. I'm sure one is in there but I spent about half an hour reading deeper, more historical comments. If you've never heard the song, go listen to it, it references multiple nations and squadrons of foreign pilots who bravely defended the Isles in the Battle of Britain, the first mentioned is the Poles of 303. The names of these legends should never be allowed to die.
I read a book titled Valedictory about these pilots and one in particular. The most amazing story of total commitment and bravery imaginable.
This was quite possibly the best video on the Polish pilots in the RAF Ive ever seen, and quite possibly the most accurate....British Arrogance was a large contributing factor in the way they looked at the Poles and most everybody else they were/are in contact with, having seen it firsthand as a retired US Marine....
Thanks for watching Lee.
Were it not for Sobieski, the West would have been under the thumb of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. We owe a lot to Poland. Its tenacity and will to survive are just astounding.
On a side note, I'm planning a trip to Crete this year. Looking forward to checking out the Ottoman legacy there in its fortresses and other sites.
Rigorous selection, good training and... ambition to perform better than other nations to prove Poland deserved its independence. Thank You for this excellent story!
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 never again with you on one side
Although Josef František was Czech, he wore the Poland patch and was careful to be considered a Pole.
But he was still a loose cannon that even Cobra Urbanowicz couldn't control.
I think there is a deep divide between Western and Eastern part of Europe. It lives in people's minds regardless if they're aware of it or not. It's visible when you sum up stories like this one: the treatment of highly skilled and useful men that'd add so much to the victory of their adopted army if they were treated with full respect they deserved.
I think current war that russia wages once again on its neighbour brought a lot of this to people's attention and I can see more and more videos about past achievements of Eastern Europeans. I'm happy about it, for obvious reasons - I am Polish myself - but also bc I believe it will lead to better future in general. People will acknowledge independence of Poles, Belorussians and Ukrainians and respect (as a regular one, the basic respect that all humans deserve) will follow.
Also I think that this round of history Britain is acting waaaaay better giving a lot of support to Ukraine both in providing equipment and training to Ukrainians and political support to their cause! So well done Britain, you're doing great.
Although i knew a lot about the PAF fighter pilots in RAF service, this episode told me a lot of new facts about them! The statistics were especialy interesting, indeed, as they impressively show the relation between the numbers. I realy enjoyed watching!!
Thanks for watching Richard.
I don't know if you know, but Józef Piłsudski's daughter Jadwiga Piłsudska served in Air Transport Auxiliary,auxiliaries of the Royal Air Force.
As a Pole I appreciate your study and recognition of Polish pilots in WW2. It feels good that justice is made to their story. Thank you.
Prawda! Polacy walczyly dla Polski! They were the best!!!!
I've never seen a more thorough description of the reality in those days. Thank you for the video! Cheers from Poland!
Thanks for watching mate!
Thank you for the honesty of the narrator!
Thanks for watching.
It's a very nicely put documentary, a lot of effort to it - full respect with a hat down - it's just one thing: imagine what these boys would achieve if they were given Spits instead of Hurricane Mark 1, outdated at the time despite having the punch. Thank you for doing what you do, with a lot of effort and historical insight. Subscribed. Love from Poland.
School for pilots in Dęblin still works well and it is army school where is very difficult to enter. My Cousin used to learn there and now is the pilot on F16.
Even late communist Poland acknowledged pilot's achievements. A.Fiedler's Squadron 303 book was almost mandatory for 70' and 80' generation. I still have it.
One thing I've learned some time ago: Poles opened fire on distance lesser than half of those of RAF pilots.
It comes from RAF veteran.
Thank you, to Polish and Czech Pilots, for keeping Panzers far away from N America, too.
Semper Fidelis.
It's great to see that this chapter of history wasn't forgotten, instead it's getting more attention. Thank you :)
It's a very interesting chapter of history indeed!
Hey there, there is huge love for aviation in Poland and full respect for those heroes.
Great documentary. Many Thanks on behalf of all Polish
How the Poles were treated in UK/France is very similar in ways to how my unit was regarded in Iraq and Afghanistan at times. We were VERY successful, but also unconventional and made up entirely of smart, motivated volunteers. We adjusted our tactics daily based upon our experiences. We had no regard for established procedures if they didn't work. Our unit was misunderstood, mistreated, and ignored.
We once ran a patrol with only a single newly minted NCO, the rest were lower enlisted. Prior to our first deployment, our unit had trained hard for a year together, lacking NCOs and officers, and so lower enlisted took on the rolls of platoon leaders, platoon sergeants, etc. We were a very motivated, tight knit unit, and we took pride in our work. Our leaders were great and trusted us and didn't look over our shoulders and instead trusted us to do our jobs. And if we worked hard and got results, we got to have fun, finish the day early, etc. Even 17% understrength, our company outperformed 3 other companies combined.
Britain was well served by having so many other nations troops in their military. Poles, French, Sikhs, the remarkable Gurkhas, as well as the Commonwealth members such as New Zealand, Australians (Who held Tobruk against Rommel, earning his respect) and Canadians. They provided fresh ideas and energy in the otherwise stogy British military system, which tended to be hidebound.
@@blank557 That's a good point.
@@blank557 Britain taught them everything they knew, you are simply repeating dumb stereotyping, Britain after the fall of France wanted to have people from other countries taking part to get the rest of the world on Britain’s side, after all the USA was quite happy for Germany to bomb, invade, kill and occupy every country in Europe, Britain acted and apart from a handful of countries got the rest of the world to take on the murdering Nazis.
@@blank557 and “stodgy British” the country who invented just about everything used on a daily basis in World today and invented most of the sports played around the world, and a TV and music industry second to none, how is that for stodgy?
@@blank557 Totally agree with your first point, and there are many more that could be added to your list. I think, amongst those interested in history, the record is a lot straighter than it would have been a few decades ago. I partially agree with your with your second point. I'd say the idea of the stodgy Brits is a bit of an overplayed stereotype. Whilst it's true that they held on to some out-dated ideas it's also true that they created many innovations and also adopted ideas from elsewhere. Like many things, it's way more complex.
This is some wonderful material! There is the narrative in the UK and even in Poland(!) that the success of 303 was due just to their bravery, unruliness and thirst for revenge. But you have shown that it was through careful selection, relentless training, excellent education, experience and wonderful team spirit. It makes for a much more inspiring story! Kids should learn this in Polish and British schools. Well done!
Thanks for watching mate!
You mentioned Orvanovich
It is Evanovich
I worked with his son in Cammel Lairds shipyard in Birkenhead
I heard the Poles gave up on the French as they thought them to be useless, then they went to Britain
An excellent article
This is a very informative video, with a lot of work & research put in it. I got tons of respect for all the Polish Fighting Men. They helped free my country from the nazis, and lost (Market Garden) many men. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so very much for this video!
It’s very informative and I appreciate getting even more knowledge on this fantastic topic.
Squadron 303 is every Polish person’s pride and we all should know as much as we can about the bravery and hard work these men put in achieving the victory in the WWII. ❤
Bonjour de France. Excellente vidéo. Beau Travail. Merci beaucoup.
Merci Jean-Robert.