RAF No 316 (Warsaw) Squadron

Motto: No Motto - Badge: 'Warszawski'

Formed at Pembrey on 15 February 1941 as a Polish fighter unit, it was equipped with Hurricane Is and carried out defensive duties over South-West England. In August it re-equipped with Hurricane IIs and began offensive sweeps over France. It then began the standard round of alternating duties between offensive sweeps in the south and defensive duties in the North of England.

Mustangs replaced the Spitfires in April 1944 and it moved to East Anglia for bomber escort duties and with a short interlude from July to October, when it was engaged in anti-diver (V-1) operations, it continued in this role until the end of the war. The squadron finally disbanded on 11 December 1946.

Commanding officers

From	To	Name	Remark
Feb 1941	Mar 1941	Captain Juliusz Frey
Mar 1941	Jul 1941	S/Ldr  C.J. Donovan	British Officer
Jul 1941	Sep 1941	Captain Juliusz Frey
Sep 1941	Nov 1941	Captain Wacław Wilczewski
Nov 1941	Jun 1942	Captain Aleksander Gabszewicz
Jun 1942	Dec 1942	Captain Janusz Żurakowski
Dec 1942	Sep 1943	Captain Marian Trzebiński
Sep 1943	Jun 1944	Captain Paweł Niemiec
Jun 1944	Sep 1944	Captain Bohdan Arct
Sep 1944	Jul 1945	Captain Zygmunt Drybański
Jul 1945	Oct 1945	Captain Michał Cwynar
Oct 1945	Dec 1946	Captain Paweł Niemiec

Squadron bases

From	To	Name
Feb 1941	Jun 1941	RAF Pembre
Jun 1941	Aug 1941	RAF Colerne
Aug 1941	Dec 1941	RAF Churchstanton
Dec 1941	Apr 1942	RAF Northolt
Apr 1942	Jul 1942	RAF Heston
Jul 1942	Mar 1943	Hutton Cranswick
Mar 1943	Sep 1943	RAF Northolt
Sep 1943	Feb 1944	RAF Acklington
Feb 1944	Apr 1944	RAF Woodvale
Apr 1944	Jul 1944	RAF Coltishall
Jul 1944	Jul 1944	RAF West Malling
Jul 1944	Aug 1944	Friston
Aug 1944	Oct 1944	RAF Coltishall
Oct 1944	May 1945	RAF Andrews Field
May 1945	Aug 1945	RAF Coltishall
Aug 1945	Nov 1945	RAF Andrews Field
Nov 1945	Mar 1946	Wick
Mar 1946	Dec 1946	RAF Hethel

Aircraft operated

From	To	Aircraft	Version
Feb 1941	Aug 1941	Hawker Hurricane	Mk.I
Jun 1941	Nov 1941	Hawker Hurricane	Mks.IIa, IIb
Oct 1941	Nov 1941	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.IIa
Oct 1941	Jul 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.Vb
Mar 1943	Sep 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.IXc
Sep 1943	Apr 1944	Supermarine Spitfire	LF.Vb
Apr 1944	Dec 1946	North American Mustang	Mk.III

Squadron Codes used: -

NL Allocated Apr - Sep 1939
SZ Feb 1941 - Dec 1946

Bibliography

• Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918 -1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE,BA,RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
• Matusiak, Wojtek with Robert Gretzyngier and Piotr Wiśniewski. 315 Squadron. Sandomierz, Poland/Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model publications, 2004. ISBN 83-89450-00-3.
• Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald & Jane's (Publishers)Ltd., 1969 (revised edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.