Battle of Britain

battle_name=Battle of Britain

Foreign contribution

From the very beginning of the war, the Royal Air Force accepted foreign pilots to supplement the dwindling pool of British pilots. The RAF roll of honour for the Battle of Britain recogniseshttp://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/roll.html 510 overseas pilots as flying at least one authorised operational sortie with an eligible unit of the Royal Air Force or Fleet Air Arm during the period 10 July to 31 October 1940.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Polish Contribution

On 11 June 1940 the Polish Government in Exile signed an agreement with the British Government to form a Polish Army on Great Britain and, specifically, a Polish Air Forces in Great Britain. The first two (of an eventual ten) Polish fighter squadrons went into action in August 1940. In total four Polish squadrons took part in the battle (300 and 301 Bomber Squadrons; 302 and 303 Fighter Squadrons) with 89 Polish pilots. Together with more than 50 Poles fighting in British squadrons, a total of 145 Polish pilots defended the British sky. Polish pilots were among the most experienced in the battle, most of them having already fought in the September Campaign in Poland and the Battle of France. One must also point out the very high level of pilot training in the pre-war Poland. 303 Squadron, named after the Polish-American hero General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, achieved the highest number of kills (126) of all the fighter squadrons engaged in the Battle of Britain, even though it only joined the combat on August 30. To put things in perspective, 5% of pilots were responsible for 12% of the total scores of the Battle.

Related Topics:
11 June - Polish Government in Exile - Polish Air Forces in Great Britain - 300 - 301 Bomber Squadrons - 302 - 303 Fighter Squadrons - September Campaign - Tadeusz Kosciuszko - August 30

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Czech Contribution

There was also a significant input of Czech pilots in the Battle of Britain. Two Czech fighter squadrons, 310 and 312, took part in the battle. Together with Czech pilots serving in other allied units, a total of 87 Czechs defended the British sky. One of them, Josef Frantisek, flying with 303 Polish Squadron, was the most efficient allied ace of the Battle of Britain, with 17 confirmed kills.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Irish Contribution

Among the Irish pilots who flew in the battle was Brendan "Paddy" Finucane, an air ace who went on to down a total of 32 enemy aircraft before being shot down and killed himself in 1942. He become operational in July of 1940 and shot down his first Bf 109 on the 12th of August, getting a second Bf 109 the following day. In a 51-day period in 1941, he shot down 17 Messerschmitt 109 fighters while flying with an Australian squadron. "Paddy" Finucane went on to become the youngest ever wing commander in the RAF, an appointment he recieved at the age of 21. Despite his early death, his score remains the second highest of the "Home nation" RAF aces.

Related Topics:
1940 - 1941

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

American Contribution

The RAF recognises 7 Americans as having taken part in the Battle of Britain. Three squadrons of American volunteers, known as Eagle squadrons, also fought with the RAF in this period, although the first became operational in February 1941, after the main daylight battles.

Related Topics:
American - Eagle squadron

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Palestinian Contribution

The RAF's official "Battle of Britain Roll of Honour" recognizes 1 Palestinian as having fought in the Battle of Britain: Pilot Officer George Ernest Goodman (42598), born in Haifa, Palestine (now Haifa, Israel). The Palestinian contribution is also sometimes described as the "Israeli contribution", although the State of Israel was not proclaimed until 1948. Officially, PO Goodman is recorded as a British airman.

Related Topics:
Palestine - Haifa - Israel - Proclaimed - 1948

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At least 32 (probably 43) Jewish airmen took part in the Battle of Britain. Over three-quarters were British Jews, the rest fighting in the American, Belgian, Canadian, Czechoslovak, Polish and South African contributions (Martin Sugarman, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/ww2/sugar4.html).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~