No. 306 Squadron — City of Toruń

No. 306 “City of Toruń” Polish Fighter Squadron was established on 28 August 1940 at RAF Church Fenton, drawing its personnel largely from officers and airmen of Poland’s pre-war 4th Air Regiment, which had been based in Toruń — a city then under German occupation. The squadron carried the traditions and emblem of the pre-war Torunian fighter unit into exile, flying initially under RAF Fighter Command with Hurricane Is before converting to Spitfires from mid-1941. Based at RAF Northolt from April 1941, the unit flew offensive sweeps over occupied France as part of No. 11 Group’s policy of taking the fight to the Luftwaffe across the Channel. In late 1943 the squadron transitioned into the Second Tactical Air Force, re-equipping with North American Mustang IIIs in early 1944 and joining No. 84 Group’s No. 133 Wing in time to escort Allied forces during the Normandy landings. Through the summer of 1944 the Mustang-equipped crews played a prominent role in the defence against V-1 flying bombs, destroying more than 59, before returning to long-range bomber escort duties over Germany until the final sortie on 25 April 1945 — an escort to Berchtesgaden. By disbandment on 6 January 1947, the squadron had accumulated 8,357 operational sorties and claimed 68 confirmed aerial victories.