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Lt. Col. Matt Urban was born on August 25, 1919, in Buffalo of Polish immigrants. He was raised at 1153 Broadway and attended Buffalo Public School #57. He entered the US Army in 1941, saw much conflict during World War II and became the most decorated American war hero, earning virtual every combat medal including the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Lt. Col. Matt Louis Urban

A 1941 graduate of Cornell University, within a week of graduation he was at Ft. Bragg, N.C. and later on the beaches of North Africa. From there he and the 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division moved to Sicily, France, Belgium and Germany. Typical of Urban's service were actions on D-Day, where he landed with his men on Omaha beach. he suffered a broken leg in a landing mishap, but with his men trapped on the beach, Urban got up on top of a tank and led them in an attack on German positions and off the beach.

In many subsequent encounters, Urban's battlefield leadership skill and his uncanny ability to frustrate German plans caused the enemy to give him the nickname "the Ghost." Lt. Col. Urban was wounded six times and six times he went back to the front lines. The seventh time he was wounded, he was shot in the throat and the bullet tore out a vocal cord. Army doctors gave Urban no hope for survival. But he recovered two years later with damaged vocal cords which left him raspy-voiced to the end of his days.

After the war, he moved to Michigan where he served as recreation director for Port Huron for seven years, then director of the Monroe Community Center for 16 years. His last job was director of the civic and recreation department of Holland, Michigan. He retired in 1989.

After retiring as Holland recreation director, Urban traveled nationwide to speak to veterans groups. He wrote an autobiography, "The Matt Urban Story: Our Most Decorated Combat Soldier."

His awards and citations include:

Medal of Honor
Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal with "V" (valor) device, two oak-leaf clusters
Purple Heart with six oak-leaf clusters
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with six service stars)
World War II Victory Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Presidential Unit Citation
Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star (individual award from the government of France)
Croix de Guerre (unit award from the government of France)
Belgian Fourragere (unit award from the government of Belgium)

Retired Lt. Col. Matt Urban never pursued the recognition he received. However, the fortunate discovery of missing paperwork—filed 35 years earlier—resulted in the Congressional Medal of Honor for Urban.

LTC Matt Urban Memorial

"When I came home, I never thought about the war," said Urban. "That's why the medal was 35 years late. I knew that there was an application in. The sergeant put it in ... I just never pursued it."

Humble about his accolades, Urban is one of the most-decorated World War II combat veterans in United States history.

He is also referred to as "The Ghost," a title Urban says was given to him by German soldiers. "I guess it was because I kept coming back," he said. "I was shot through the leg, and they thought I was gone but I came back. I was shot through the arm and came back. I was even shot through the neck and went AWOL, hitchhiked rides on planes. . .and got into Germany with my troops, crossed the channel with no voice at all. . .It took me about two weeks to get there."

In July, 1944, after the D-Day landings, Urban was involved in Operation Cobra, aimed at getting Allied forces out of Normandy and into northern France.

Plaque on LTC Matt Urban Memorial

He still was recovering from a leg wound suffered after destroying two tanks with a bazooka. A third tank fired at him, and a shrapnel cut into the back of his leg.

A return to combat after a short stay in an English hospital found Urban inspiring to troops under fire. His actions gave them confidence which saved their lives. A few months later, he was shot through the neck. "The one through my neck finished me."

He returned home and struggled to regain his voice. He read the paper every morning out loud for five years until his voice started coming back.

Matt Urban and Family

Urban served as platoon leader, morale officer/special services officer, company executive officer and company commander, battalion executive officer and battalion commander.

Before his passing, Urban worked as recreation director for the City of Holland, and spoke to about 60 groups each year about his war experiences. His advice to young soldiers: "Take care of yourself, follow orders, and don't try to be a hero. I never tried to be a hero."

Medal of Honor Citation Urban, Matt

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel (then Captain),
2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, World War II.
Place and date: Renouf, France, 14 June to 3 September 1944.
Entered service at: Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 2 July 1941.
Date and place of birth: 25 August 1919, Buffalo, New York.

Citation:

Lieutenant Colonel (then Captain) Matt Urban, l 12-22-2414, United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of bold, heroic actions, exemplified by singularly outstanding combat leadership, personal bravery, and tenacious devotion to duty, during the period 14 June to 3 September 1944 while assigned to the 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.

On 14 June, Captain Urban's company, attacking at Renouf, France, encountered heavy enemy small arms and tank fire. The enemy tanks were unmercifully raking his unit's positions and inflicting heavy casualties. Captain Urban, realizing that his company was in imminent danger of being decimated, armed himself with a bazooka. He worked his way with an ammo carrier through hedgerows, under a continuing barrage of fire, to a point near the tanks. He brazenly exposed himself to the enemy fire and, firing the bazooka, destroyed both tanks. Responding to Captain Urban's action, his company moved forward and routed the enemy.

Later that same day, still in the attack near Orglandes, Captain Urban was wounded in the leg by direct fire from a 37mm tank-gun. He refused evacuation and continued to lead his company until they moved into defensive positions for the night. At 0500 hours the next day, still in the attack near Orglandes, Captain Urban, though badly wounded, directed his company in another attack. One hour later he was again wounded. Suffering from two wounds, one serious, he was evacuated to England.

In mid-July, while recovering from his wounds, he learned of his unit's severe losses in the hedgerows of Normandy. Realizing his unit's need for battle-tested leaders, he voluntarily left the hospital and hitchhiked his way back to his unit hear St. Lo, France. Arriving at the 2d Battalion Command Post at 1130 hours, 25 July, he found that his unit had jumped-off at 1100 hours in the first attack of Operation Cobra." Still limping from his leg wound, Captain Urban made his way forward to retake command of his company. He found his company held up by strong enemy opposition. Two supporting tanks had been destroyed and another, intact but with no tank commander or gunner, was not moving. He located a lieutenant in charge of the support tanks and directed a plan of attack to eliminate the enemy strong-point. The lieutenant and a sergeant were immediately killed by the heavy enemy fire when they tried to mount the tank. Captain Urban, though physically hampered by his leg wound and knowing quick action had to be taken, dashed through the scathing fire and mounted the tank. With enemy bullets ricocheting from the tank, Captain Urban ordered the tank forward and, completely exposed to the enemy fire, manned the machine gun and placed devastating fire on the enemy. His action, in the face of enemy fire, galvanized the battalion into action and they attacked and destroyed the enemy position.

On 2 August, Captain Urban was wounded in the chest by shell fragments and, disregarding the recommendation of the Battalion Surgeon, again refused evacuation.

On 6 August, Captain Urban became the commander of the 2d Battalion.

On 15 August, he was again wounded but remained with his unit.

On 3 September, the 2d Battalion was given the mission of establishing a crossing-point on the Meuse River near Heer, Belgium. The enemy planned to stop the advance of the allied Army by concentrating heavy forces at the Meuse. The 2d Battalion, attacking toward the crossing-point, encountered fierce enemy artillery, small arms and mortar fire which stopped the attack. Captain Urban quickly moved from his command post to the lead position of the battalion. Reorganizing the attacking elements, he personally led a charge toward the enemy's strong-point. As the charge moved across the open terrain, Captain Urban was seriously wounded in the neck. Although unable to talk above a whisper from the paralyzing neck wound, and in danger of losing his life, he refused to be evacuated until the enemy was routed and his battalion had secured the crossing-point on the Meuse River.

Captain Urban's personal leadership, limitless bravery, and repeated extraordinary exposure to enemy fire served as an inspiration to his entire battalion. His valorous and intrepid actions reflect the utmost credit on him and uphold the noble traditions of the United States.

Additional Sources:

www.polamjournal.com
www.authentichistory.com/murban
www.arlingtoncemetery.net
wings.buffalo.edu/info-poland/classroom/urban
www.grunts.net
www.oldreliable.org
www.ngb.army.mil
www.pgf.cc
www.hollandsentinel.com
www.mdw.army.mil

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on February 11:
1465 Elizabeth of York London, Consort of King Henry VII
1535 Gregory XIV [Niccolò Sfondrati], Roman Catholic pope (1590-91)
1800 William Henry Fox Talbot Wiltshire England, photographic pioneer
1812 Alexander Hamilton Stephens Vice President (Confederacy), died in 1883
1812 Benjamin Franklin Sands Commander (Union Navy), died in 1883
1821 Auguste Édouard Mariette French Egyptologist, (dug out Sphinx 12/16/42)
1829 William Anderson Pile Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1889
1833 Melville Weston Fuller 8th chief justice
1839 Josiah Willard Gibbs theoretical physicist/chemist
1840 Sanuel Dana Greene Lieutenant Commander (Union Navy), died in 1884
1847 Thomas Alva Edison Milan OH, lit up your life (held 1200 patents)
1898 Leo Szilard Hungary, physicist/A-bomb worker/peace activist
1908 Vivian [Ernest] Fuchs geologist/explorer (British Antarctic Survey)
1909 Max Baer [The Livermore Larruper] Omaha NB, heavyweight boxing champion (1934-35)/actor (The Prizefighter and the Lady)
1909 Joseph L Mankiewicz Wilkes-Barre PA, film writer/director (Sleuth)
1917 Sidney Sheldon novelist (1947 Academy Award, 1959 Tony, Bloodline)
1920 Daniel F Galouye US, sci-fi author (Dark Universe, Last Leap)
1920 Farouk I Cairo, last King of Egypt (1936-52)
1921 Eva Gabor Budapest Hungary, actress (Lisa-Green Acres, Gigi)
1921 Lloyd Bentsen (Senator-D-TX) (1988 Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee)
1922 Leslie Nielsen Regina Sask, actor (Forbidden Planet, Naked Gun)
1925 Dr Virginia E Johnson sexologist (Masters & Johnson)
1925 Kim Stanley [Patricia Reid], Tularosa NM, actress (Right Stuff)
1928 Conrad Janis New York NY, actor (Mork & Mindy, Quark, Bonino)
1934 Mary Quant Kent England, fashion designer (Chelsea Look, Mod Look)
1934 Tina Louise New York NY, actress (Ginger-Gilligan's Island, Julie-Dallas)
1935 Gene Vincent Norfolk VA, rock guitarist/vocalist (Be-Bop-A-Lula)
1936 Burt Reynolds Waycross GA, actor (Gunsmoke, Evening Shade, Striptease, Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit, Dan August, Deliverance)
1938 General Manuel Antonio Noriega Panamanian General/dictator (1983-1990)
1940 Bobby "Boris" Pickett rocker (Monster Mash)
1941 Sergio Mendes jazz/pop musician (Brazil '66/'77/'88)
1941 Glenn Randall Jr stuntman (Species, Mrs Soffel, Return of the Jedi)
1942 Otis Clay US gospel/R&B-singer (That's how it is)
1953 Stephen D Thorne Frankfurt-on-Main, German, Lieutenant Commander USN/astronaut
1953 Alan Rubin music figure (Blues Brothers)
1969 Shannon Long Gladstone Australia, playmate (October 1988)
1969 Jennifer Aniston Sherman Oaks CA, actress (Rachel-Friends)
1979 Brandy [Norwood] singer (Les Miserables, Moesha)

Deaths which occurred on February 11:
0641 Heraclius emperor of Byzantium (610-641), dies at about 65
0731 Gregory II Greek-Syrian Pope, dies
0821 Benedict of Aniane saint, dies
0824 Paschal I Italian Pope (817-24), dies
0867 Theodora the Saint, empress of Byzantine, dies
1503 Elizabeth of York Consort of King Henry VII, dies on 38th birthday
1650 René Descartes philosopher "I think therefore I am", stops thinking
1868 Léon Foucault discovers 1st physical proof of Earth's rotation, dies
1899 George Morgan 1st English motorist to die in an motor accident, dies
1911 Albert von Rothschild baron/Austrian banker, dies at 66
1941 Rudolf Hilferding German economist/Minister of Finance (SPD), suicide at 63
1945 Al Dubin Swiss songwriter (Tiptoe Thru The Tulips), dies at 53
1961 Patrice Lumumba 1st premier Congo, murdered at 34
1963 Sylvia Plath poet/novelist (Ariel), kills herself in London at 30
1971 Whitney Young Jr National Urban League director, drowns in Nigeria
1976 Lee J Cobb actor (12 Angry Men, On the Waterfront), dies at 64
1982 Takashi Shimura Japan, actor (Rashomon, 7 Samurais), dies at 76
1986 Frank [Patrick] Herbert sci-fi author (Dune), dies at 65

1993 George A Stephen, inventor (Weber Kettle Grill), dies at 71

1994 Antonio Martin Spanish cyclist, dies in cycling accident at 23
1994 Sorrell Brooke actor (Mayor Hogg-Dukes of Hazzard), dies at 64
1994 William Conrad actor (Cannon), dies of a heart attack at 73

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 SHUMAKER ROBERT H.---LA JOLLA CA.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1968 VAN PUTTEN THOMAS---GRAND RAPIDS MI.
[04/17/69 ESCAPED, ALIVE IN 98-LEG AMPUTATIONS]
1969 KROSKE HAROLD W. JR.---TRENTON NJ.
1969 ZUKOWSKI ROBERT J.---CHICAGO IL.
[REMAINS RETURNED 93 ID. 10/30/96]
1970 KIEFFER WILLIAM LEWIS JR.---GREENBELT MD.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0660 -BC- Traditional founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu Tenno
0385 Oldest Pope elected; Siricius-bishop of Tarragona
0731 St Gregory II ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0824 St Paschal I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1531 Henry VIII recognized as supreme head of the Church in England
1543 Battle at Wayna Daga Ethiopian/Portugese troops beat Moslem army
1573 1st European, Francis Drake sees the Pacific (from Panamá)
1575 King Frederick of Denmark offers island of Hveen to Tycho Brahe
1766 Stamp Act declared unconstitutional in Virginia
1768 Samuel Adams letter, circulates around American colonies, opposing Townshend Act taxes
1790 Society of Friends petitions Congress for abolition of slavery
1794 1st session of US Senate open to the public
1808 Anthracite coal 1st burned as fuel, experimentally, Wilkes-Barre PA
1809 Robert Fulton patents the steamboat
1810 Napoleon marries Marie-Louise of Austria
1811 President Madison prohibits trade with Britain for 3rd time in 4 years
1812 Massachusetts Governor Gerry signs a redistricting bill-the 1st "gerrymander
1852 1st British public female toilet opens (Bedford Street London)
1854 Major streets lit by coal gas for 1st time
1858 1st apparition of Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette of Lourdes France
1861 US House unanimously passes resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state
1861 President-elect Lincoln takes train from Spingfield IL to Washington DC
1878 1st US bicycle club, Boston Bicycle Club, forms
1878 1st weekly Weather report published in UK
1889 Meiji constitution of Japan adopted; 1st Diet convenes in 1890
1895 -17ºF (-27.2ºC) in Braemar, Grampian (UK record)
1895 Georgetown became part of Washington DC
1897 White Rose Mission opens on East 97th Street, NYC
1899 -15ºF (-26ºC), Washington DC (district record)
1899 -61ºF (-52ºC), Montana (record low temperature)
1905 Pope Pius X publishes encyclical Vehementer nos
1907 De Master's Dutch government resigns
1907 Passenger ship Larchmont sinks by Block Island, 322 die
1922 "April Showers" by Al Jolson hits #1
1929 Vatican City (world's smallest country) made an enclave of Rome
1932 73ºF highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in February
1935 -11ºF (-24ºC), Ifrane, Morocco (African record low)
1935 1st US airplane flight with auto slung beneath the fuselage, New York
1937 44-day sit-down strike at General Motors in Flint MI ends
1941 1st Gold record presented (Glenn Miller-Chattanooga Choo Choo)
1941 Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel arrives in Tripoli
1942 "Archie" comic book debuts
1943 General Eisenhower selected to command the allied armies in Europe
1945 1st gas turbine propeller-driven airplane flight tested, Downey CA
1945 Yalta agreement signed by FDR, Churchill & Stalin
1950 "Rag Mop" by The Ames Brothers hit #1
1951 Kwame Nkrumah wins 1st parliamentary election on Gold coast (Ghana)
1953 President Eisenhower refuses clemency appeal for Rosenberg couple
1953 Russia breaks diplomatic relations with Israel
1954 6th Emmy Awards I Love Lucy, Donald O'Connor & Eve Arden win
1960 Jack Paar walks off his TV show
1961 Robert C Weaver sworn in as Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency with then highest federal post by a black
1961 Trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem
1963 Beatles tape 10 tracks for their 1st album, including "Please, Please Me"
1963 CIA Domestic Operations Division created
1964 Beatles 1st live appearance in US; Washington DC Coliseum
1964 Greek & Turks begin fighting in Limassol, Cyprus
1966 San Francisco Giant Willie Mays signs highest contract, $130,000 per year
1968 Jeffrey Kramer survives 76 meter jump, Washington Bridge, Hudson River NY
1969 Diana Crump becomes 1st US woman jockey to ride against men, Hialelah
1969 Dorey Funk Jr beats Gene Kiniski in Tampa, to become NWA champion
1970 26.37 cm (10.38") of rainfall, Mt Washington NH (state 24-hour record)
1970 Japan becomes 4th nation to put a satellite (Osumi) in orbit
1975 Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath for Conservative leadership
1976 Clifford Alexander Jr confirmed as 1st black Secretary of Army
1977 20.2-kg lobster caught off Nova Scotia (heaviest known crustacean)
1979 43 million watch "Elvis!" on ABC
1981 Polish premier Jozef Pinkowski replaced by Wojciech Jaruzelski
1983 "Weird Al" Yankovic records "Ricky" & "Buckingham Blues" debut LP
1984 10th space shuttle mission (41-B)-Challenger 4-returns to Earth
1984 Wayne Gretzky sets NHL short handed season scoring record at 11
1985 Jordan king Hussein & PLO leader Arafat sign accord
1985 Kent Hrbek signs 5-year, $6 million contract with Minnesota Twins
1986 Iran begins Fajr-8 offensive against Iraq
1988 Anthony M Kennedy appointed to the Supreme Court
1989 Barbara Clementine Harris consecrated 1st female bishop (Episcopalian)
1990 James "Buster" Douglas KOs Mike Tyson to win heavyweight boxing crown
1990 Nelson Mandela (political prisoner-27 years) freed in South Africa
1993 Janet Reno selected by Clinton as US Attorney General
1998 Lyrics to "Candle in the Wind 1997" auctioned for $442,500 (someone has waaay too much money)
1998 A federal judge ruled that pro golfer Casey Martin, who suffered from a circulatory disorder that made it hard for him to walk, was covered by the American with Disabilities Act and should be allowed to use a golf cart to complete in PGA tournaments.
1999 Pluto is once again the farthest planet from the sun in our solar system

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Bangladesh : Shaheed Day
Cameroon : Youth Day
Flint MI : White Shirt Day-end of blue collar sit down strike (1907)
Florida : Gasparilla Carnival-remembrance of pirates
Ft Myers FL : Pageant of Light (1884)
Italy : Giorno della Conciliazione Day (1929)
Japan : Empire Day
Japan : Foundation Day (660 BC)-accession of Emperor Jimmu
Liberia : Armed Forces Day
Mauritius : Chinese Spring Festival
US : National Inventors Day
Florida : Gasparilla Carnival-rememberance of pirates
International Twit Award Month

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Adolph
Methodist : Race Relations Sunday (2nd Sunday in February)
Phil : Our Lady's Miraculous Apparitions of St Bernadette Soubirous
Unification Church : True parents' birthday
Roman Catholic : Feast of St Gregory II, 89th Roman Catholic pope (715-31)
Christian : Commemoration of St Theodora, Byzantine empress
Roman Catholic : Memorial of the Apparition of the Virgin at Lourdes (opt)
Jewish : Tu B'Shevat-Arbor Day (Shevat 15, 5758 AM)

Religious History
1650 Death of Ren‚ Descartes, 53, French philosopher and mathematician. His last words were: 'My soul, thou hast long been held captive; the hour has now come for thee to quit thy prison...; suffer, then, this separation with joy and courage.'
1779 English founder of Methodism John Wesley wrote in a letter: 'Chance has no share in the government of the world. The Lord reigns, and disposes all things, strongly and sweetly, for the good of them that love him.'
1858 In Lourdes, France, 14-year-old French peasant Bernadette Soubirous experienced her first vision of the Virgin Mary. By July 16th of this year, she had experienced 18 such visions.
1948 U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall prayed: 'We ask Thee not for tasks more suited to our strength, but for strength more suited to our tasks.'
1989 Rev. Barbara C. Harris, 58, was consecrated in Boston as the first woman bishop in the Anglican Church. (In 1988 the Church of England passed the first legislation which began opening the Anglican priesthood to women.)

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"History never looks like history when you are living through it."

Question of the day...
Do you ever wonder if really dumb people get the full effect of alphabet soup?

Murphys Law of the day...(Cooper's Metalaw)
A proliferation of new laws creates a proliferation of new loopholes.

Amazing fact #78,904.7...
The highest temperature ever recorded in the world was 136.4 degrees Fahrenheit at El Azizia, Lybia, on September 13, 1922(more proof of global warming)

Hi Sam

Polish contribution to the RAF in WW-2

First Polish pilots started reaching England in December 1939, following the British agreement to accept a contingent of 300 Polish aircrew and 2,000 of support personnel. The British were at first reluctant to use them for operational duties, but after the German invasion of France, in view of her imminent collapse, the Air Ministry agreed to form two Polish bomber squadrons, as part of the Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve. Sir Hugh Dowding strongly opposed forming Polish fighter squadrons - for which the Polish government in exile pressed very hard - but in view of rapidly deteriorating military situation, with Britain's very survival depending on the Few fighter pilots it could muster, an agreement was finally reached on August 5, 1940. Four bomber and two fighter squadrons would be formed. These would formally constitute an independent Polish Air Force, operationally however they would be under British command.

In the meantime, even more Polish pilots had reached England following the collapse of France, and in July several of them had already been posted to British squadrons in the ranks of RAF Voluntary Reserve.

British reluctance to accept Polish aircrew into RAF was understandable, even though in the end it proved unfounded. John Kent, a Canadian posted in August 1940 as a flight commander to 303 Squadron later remarked, All I knew about the Polish Air Force was that it had resisted the Luftwaffe for about three days. While it wasn't exactly the truth, it was generally thought that after two lost campaigns (Polish and French) the pilots' morale must have been low, and their skills remained largely an unknown. Another important factor was that few of them knew English, so they would be difficult to incorporate into the British defensive network which relied heavily on radio communications. But the ever increasing casualties and insufficient supply of new pilots finally forced the RAF to accept into service foreigners, of whose Poles were the largest group.

On July 16, first four Polish pilots were posted to British No 145 and No 253 squadrons. Three days later, Pilot Officer Antoni Ostowicz of 145 Sqn. scored the first victory for Polish pilots in the Battle of Britain, sharing a Messerschmitt Bf 110 with a British pilot. Ever since, the number of pilots fighting in British squadrons steadily increased, to reach its peak of 73 in October. Victories followed, but so did casualties - on August 11 Antoni Ostowicz, the same pilot who had scored the opening victory, became the first casualty, having been meanwhile awarded two more confirmed kills.

F/Sgt Antoni Glowacki and P/O Stefan Witorzenc of 501 Sqn - two of many Polish Battle of Britain aces

During the intensive fighting in August, first Polish aces were made. Witold Urbanowicz, posted to No 145 Squadron, claimed four victories, and added thirteen more in September, after being moved to the all-Polish 303 Squadron. Both Boleslaw Wlasnowolski and Karol Pniak scored five victories in the Battle, but while the former was killed on November 1, the latter was destined to survive the war. Stanislaw Skalski of 501 Squadron, who had scored 4.5 victories in the Polish campaign, scored five more in the Battle, before being shot down and wounded in early September. In the same 501 Squadron, two other Polish pilots became aces - Stefan Witorzenc with five victories, and Antoni Glowacki, who on August 24 enjoyed a remarkable success, shooting down no fewer than five German aircraft in one day, for a total of eight in the Battle. Not everybody shared such luck, though. Throughout the Battle, a total of 16 Polish pilots flying in British squadrons were killed, and several others seriously wounded. 11 and 12 August were especially grim, with five pilots killed in the space of just two days. On August 18, Franciszek Kozlowski - again of 501 Squadron - was shot down by German ace Gerhard Schopfel, during his famous sortie when he downed four Hurricanes without being seen - the infamous British 'vic' squadron formation was to blame for his success.

Meanwhile, on 15 August, the first all-Polish fighter unit - 302 City of Poznan Hurricane Squadron based at Leconfield - reached operational readiness in the No 12 Fighter Group. Flying mostly convoy patrols, the pilots rarely had a chance to engage in combat, and as a result shot down only three German bombers until they were moved to Duxford on September 14 as part of the 'Big Wing', led by the indomitable Douglas Bader.

Polish 303squadron scramble!!

On September 15, the wing was scrambled twice, and for the first time 302 Squadron engaged in large scale combat. While on their first sortie the pilots got a clean shot at German bombers, on the second they were engaged by German escorts. Overall, the squadron claimed 11 victories, at the cost of three Hurricanes and one pilot.

On September 18 the squadron was scrambled three times, and in the last sortie intercepted a German formation, claiming five victories with no losses on its part. In the following days the weather deteriorated, and finally, as enemy activity was losing its intensity, on September 25 the squadron moved back to Leconfield, to resume its regular duties. It remained there till October 11, when it was moved to Northolt in place of 303 Sqn. Any hopes of a significant boost to the squadron's tally were quickly abandoned however, as the good 'hunting season' was over, with weather getting progressively worse, and only German Jabo (fighter-bomber) formations appearing over England. On October 15 the squadron was scrambled to intercept a formation of about 60 Messerschmitts Bf 109, and in the resulting fight two Bf 109s were shot down, at the cost of two Hurricanes, with two other damaged. Throughout that period, however, the weather proved more dangerous an enemy than the Germans, and five pilots were killed in October as the result of bad weather conditions. Especially tragic was October 18, when the squadron was scrambled in late afternoon in very difficult weather, and four pilots crashed into the ground while returning to the airfield (one of them was a British instructor attached to the squadron). Overall, during the Battle of Britain, 302 Squadron was awarded 17 confirmed victories, three of which were scored by British pilots flying with the squadron.

The second Polish fighter squadron which took part in the Battle, 303 Kosciuszko Squadron entered the Battle on August 30, and from the beginning took part in intensive action. Throughout its stay at Northolt in the 11th Fighter Group - which bore the brunt of fighting during the Battle - the squadron achieved phenomenal success. With 125 confirmed victories to its credit, in the space of mere five weeks it became the top-scoring squadron of the entire Fighter Command. Please see the 303 Squadron Battle Diary page for a more detailed look at the squadron's involvement in the Battle.

When examining the importance of the Polish contribution during the Battle, the first look, as usual, has to be at the numbers. Overall, 144 Polish pilots took part in the Battle, and scored 201.5 confirmed victories (17 of which were scored by the famous Czech ace, Josef Frantisek, who officially was a member of the Polish Air Force). 29 pilots were killed (including several in accidents), many more or less severely wounded. While this yields quite an impressive 'kill ratio', in terms of pure numbers can hardly seem a decisive factor (the entire RAF claimed 2698 'confirmed' victories). However, the statistics don't tell the most important thing. It is generally agreed that the single most important factor that could have lead to British defeat was the shortage of pilots. As the result, the British were forced to rely on their allies to fill this gap, and Polish pilots, with their excellent pre-war training and experience from two campaigns performed beautifully in that role. They were ferocious fighters. With their homeland in enemy hands and news of Nazi atrocities in the occupied Poland reaching them on almost daily basis, unsure of the fate of their close ones, they took their hate into the air with them - as is best testified in this excerpt from the diary of a German Heinkel pilot (it's also an interesting snapshot of brain-washed Nazi mentality):

Moeller says that Poles are excellent pilots. He's not the first to say that, others have noticed that too. They're unpredictable, they fight fiercely like dogs, damned well at that. Moeller says you can feel in the air how they hate us. Personally, I don't have such feelings towards them. Why should I? After all, it wasn't us who started the war and, equally well, they could now be attacking England with us [sic!]. However, people often don't know what's good for them. Many of them don't even know why they hate us .

In terms of numbers, in the crucial days of September 1940, every one in eight pilots of the Fighter Command was a Pole, and 303 Squadron's contribution was nothing short of amazing.

Nor was the success of Polish fighter pilots lost on the British in the long run. No more difficulties in expanding the Polish Air Force were made after the Battle. By the end of 1940, three more fighter squadrons - No. 306, 307 (night) and 308 were formed, to be joined by No. 315, 316 and 317 in early 1941. By the end of 1943, a total of 14 Polish Squadrons (ten of them fighter sqns.) and a complete infrastructure were in existence, making the Polish Air Force the fourth largest Allied air force of the war.