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Short filmTranscript
00:00Identification cards please, sir.
00:15Sir.
00:19Northhold.
00:23Northhold.
00:27Northhold.
00:29Serial one seven.
00:31Serial one seven.
00:33All eleven group squadron readiness.
00:36All eleven group squadron readiness.
00:39Correct.
00:41Apaty and Caribou squadrons readiness.
00:43Apaty and Caribou squadrons readiness.
00:46The 15th of September marked the high point of the Battle of Britain.
00:50On that day, one in five of our pilots in the air was Polish,
00:55including the men of 303 Kostrzysko squadron,
00:58who took off from RAF Northhold, just beyond these trees behind me.
01:03One of their number, Mirosław Kherycz, kept the squadron diary.
01:07He describes that day how they were scrambled at midday and returned with ten victories,
01:13scrambled again in the afternoon, they came back with another six,
01:17making an astonishing tally of 16 enemy aircraft destroyed in one day's fighting.
01:23His diary entry for that day ends with these words.
01:27Łukaszewski was wounded but returned with the squadron.
01:32Andruszkow had to bail out.
01:35About Brzezowski we have so far had no news.
01:41There never was any news about Brzezowski.
01:45At 18,000 feet, the squadron had attacked a formation of some 400 enemy aircraft near Gravesend.
01:52Brzezowski would have been shot down somewhere over the Thames estuary,
01:56at the bottom of which he and his hurricane lie to this day.
02:02He has no grave.
02:04He has no headstone.
02:06He has no public memorial in England, save this one.
02:13Sergeant Michał Brzezowski was 19 years old.
02:18He was the youngest Polish pilot to take part in the Battle of Britain.
02:22This film is a tribute to him and to all his colleagues in the air and on the ground
02:29who did so much to make the Polish Air Force a critical factor in winning the Battle of Britain.
02:49The Battle of Britain
02:54One of the commonest myths about the Battle of Britain
02:58is that in the summer of 1940, Britain stood alone.
03:03In fact, Britain still had one ally, and that was Poland.
03:08Although invaded and occupied, Poland never surrendered.
03:12Its government and armed forces moved first to France and then to Britain,
03:17continuing to fight for your freedom and ours.
03:21While the Polish Air Force operated under the direction of the Royal Air Force,
03:25it retained its own insignia, ranks and administration as a sovereign air force,
03:31paid for by the Polish government-in-exile through loans from the British Treasury.
03:47This year we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
03:52The Polish War Memorial is one of the most important monuments
03:56dedicated to Polish history here in the United Kingdom.
04:01We are here just to remember about our heroes.
04:05We are here just to remember about close Polish-British cooperation during the Second World War.
04:11We are here to remember about our heroes who fought for our freedom.
04:17We will always remember them.
04:20In Hillingdon, we have always been indebted to the Polish airmen
04:24due to their bravery, their sacrifices, their will and determination
04:29and their eagerness to help, to help fight the good fight.
04:34They played a very large part in giving us the type of lives we have now today.
04:40As the Mayor of Hillingdon, I also feel very proud to be wearing the chain of office
04:46with the military coat of arms of the Polish airmen.
04:49And what I would like to say to the Polish airmen, their families and their descendants
04:54is thank you for everything you have done.
04:57From flying those planes, the Hurricanes up above in these skies during the Battle of Britain,
05:03taking your own lives, showing determination and courage
05:08to give us the life we have now.
05:20Of nearly 3,000 pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain, 20% were not British.
05:26Among these, by far the largest national group were the 147 Polish Air Force pilots,
05:33including one Slovak and one Czech, Frantisek,
05:36whose 17 victories made him one of the highest-scoring pilots of the battle.
05:41Although amounting to only 5% of pilots engaged,
05:45and with most of them not deployed during the early stages of the battle,
05:49the Polish Air Force nonetheless accounted for 202 victories.
05:54303 squadron alone, with 126 victories in just six weeks at Northolt,
06:00outclassed every other squadron by a large margin.
06:04They made a critical difference in the hectic weeks of August and September,
06:09when the outcome of the battle, and of the war, was on a knife edge.
06:15A Holy Lord, Holy Almighty, Holy and Immortal,
06:21O God, give Your forgiveness and love on human salvation.
06:26To Your mercy, we humbly commend the souls of all airmen killed
06:33in defense of Polish and foreign skies.
06:37We humbly commend the souls of all airmen killed in defense of Polish and foreign skies,
06:45who flied higher than eagles, stronger than lions, are not separated in their death.
06:53In their earthly life they fought well, reached their goal and kept their faith.
07:01So, in the Kingdom of Heaven, let Your mercy unite them with the choirs of angels
07:08and give them a share in the glory of Your saints.
07:13Let the sacrifice of their lives be not in vain,
07:18but be the seed of a better future for Your Church, for Poland and for the whole world.
07:27We, for our part, pray that You fill us with joy and peace in our faith,
07:35so that we may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
07:41Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
07:57TRUMPET PLAYS
08:27TRUMPET PLAYS
08:57TRUMPET PLAYS
09:07TRUMPET PLAYS
09:19While there were 70 pilots in the Polish 302 and 303 squadrons,
09:23there were a further 77 dispersed in RAF squadrons.
09:27Men like Głowacki in a 501 squadron.
09:30On the 24th of August, in three sorties,
09:33he shot down five enemy aircraft, thus becoming an ace in a day,
09:38one of only six pilots to achieve this in the battle.
09:42Or like Skalski, shot down and burnt on the 5th of September,
09:46he absconded from hospital after five weeks and returned to 501 squadron.
09:51Because of the burns to his leg,
09:53he could not run when the squadron was scrambled,
09:56so while they were at readiness, he sat for hours in his cockpit.
10:00He became the highest-scoring Polish pilot in the war,
10:04and after his return to Poland,
10:06was accused of treason by the Communist government
10:09and sentenced to death, eventually commuted to many years in prison.
10:14RAF North Hart
10:34Commanding RAF North Hart is an extraordinary privilege.
10:37Dating from 1915, it is the RAF's oldest station
10:40and the only remaining which was operational in the Battle of Britain.
10:43It was home to the most successful squadron in the battle,
10:46the Polish 303 squadron, and for most of the war,
10:49there were always three Polish fighter squadrons resident here,
10:52pilots, ground crew and staff,
10:55which is why it is the only RAF station ever to have needed a sign in the bar
10:59saying English spoken.
11:01The dining room looks much as it did in 1940.
11:04You can picture it, filled with a hubbub of English,
11:07Polish and Canadian officers at the start of the day.
11:10Not all of them would return that night.
11:12Exhausted pilots who might have been fighting for their lives
11:15in two or three dogfights during the day
11:17would rest and refuel whilst their mechanics repaired
11:20and rearmed the aircraft.
11:22But this is no museum.
11:24Our proudest occasion is the annual dinner
11:26to mark the Battle of Britain.
11:28The standards of the Polish Air Force and the Royal Air Force
11:31were displayed as they are now.
11:33And on the top table is our Polish silver.
11:36This tray was a wedding present
11:38presented in 1941 from 303 Squadron to an English officer.
11:42It is engraved with the signatures of the Polish pilots
11:46who had survived the battle.
11:48This cup was presented to RAF Northolt by the Polish wing
11:51when it finally left in 1944.
11:54It shows the numbers of all the Polish squadrons which had served here.
11:58It marks the affection and gratitude they felt towards RAF Northolt.
12:02And today, we at RAF Northolt
12:05feel the same affection and gratitude to the Polish airmen
12:09who once shared our home.
12:12There certainly were some tensions
12:14between Polish airmen and their RAF counterparts,
12:17particularly when Poles felt that what they had learnt
12:20from combat in Poland and France
12:22was ignored by rigid pre-war thinking in the RAF.
12:26But there was also friendship and respect.
12:29Ludwig Martel, who served in the RAF's 603 Squadron, said,
12:33I felt so well in my English squadron
12:36that I twice refused to be transferred to a Polish unit.
12:39I felt so happy among these comrades.
12:42I can honestly say that I never had such relationships again in my life.
12:47It's impossible to describe how charming they were, how kind.
12:56Wing Commander Ronald Kellett, then squadron leader,
13:00helped form and then command 303 Polish Squadron
13:03during the Battle of Britain.
13:05He had great respect and admiration for his Polish pilots
13:09and presented them to King George VI.
13:12He wrote a heartfelt tribute to them in the 303 Squadron diary.
13:17This is a very sad day, 17 December 1940.
13:22I was posted to command 303 Squadron on 17 July 1940.
13:28And after some days realised that I had the best of pilots and men in the squadron.
13:34We fought together through the Great Offensive of 1940
13:38and I then knew that the pilots of 303 were not only of the best
13:44but also would see me through any troubles.
13:48In the month of September, 303 was on the top.
13:52No squadron from the Empire could equal the courage and skill of our pilots.
13:57No bombing could daunt our airmen.
14:00Together we have seen good days and bad.
14:04But English or Polish, we shared them.
14:08Although I say goodbye to 303,
14:10they know that we have won for Poland a special place
14:15in the hearts of people in the British Empire.
14:27Battle of Britain
14:34Here we are at the Battle of Britain bunker in Uxbridge, West London.
14:38This was the HQ of No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Second World War.
14:44In front of you, you have the plotting table.
14:47And this is as it was on 11.30 on 15 September 1940.
14:53Around 10.30 on 15 September,
14:55Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived with his wife
14:58to view the observations and operations that were going on in the bunker
15:02with Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park.
15:05And around 11am, RDF, Radio Direction Finding,
15:09started to pick up an enemy raid that was forming over Calais.
15:13So, the group controller here took a look at what was happening on this plotting table
15:19from information that was sent through from Bentley Priory,
15:22which was Fighter Command HQ.
15:24Then having to make decisions within those next 20 minutes from about 11am
15:29as to what squadrons would be scrambled in order to react to that threat.
15:33The first two squadrons were 92 and 72 Squadron from Biggin Hill,
15:38No. 303 from RAF Northall.
15:41They were sent to patrol at 11.15 over Biggin Hill
15:45to protect that sector station from enemy threat.
15:48Over.
15:49Roger.
15:50Over.
15:51Roger.
15:52Over.
15:53Hello, AFMI.
15:54Garter calling.
15:55Receiving you loud and clear.
15:56Over.
15:57Hello, AFMI.
15:58Garter calling.
15:59Receiving you loud and clear.
16:00Over.
16:01Hello, AFMI.
16:02Garter calling.
16:03Standby for zero.
16:04Hello, AFMI.
16:05Garter calling.
16:06Standby for zero.
16:07Five.
16:08Four.
16:09Three.
16:10Two.
16:11One.
16:12Zero.
16:13Over.
16:14Hello, AFMI.
16:15Garter calling.
16:16Receiving you loud and clear.
16:17Over.
16:18Hello, AFMI.
16:19Garter calling.
16:20Standby for zero.
16:21Five.
16:22Four.
16:23Three.
16:24Two.
16:25One.
16:26Zero.
16:27Over.
16:28Hello, AFMI.
16:29Garter calling.
16:30Receiving you loud and clear.
16:31Over.
16:32Hello, Red Leader.
16:33Red 3 calling.
16:34Pipsqueak in.
16:35Over.
16:36This is the flying helmet, a C-type leather flying helmet that belonged to Group Captain
16:41Johnny Kent, a Canadian, who was the flight commander of No. 303 Squadron during the Battle
16:46of Britain.
16:48His warmth, admiration, and mutual respect with and for the Polish pilots earned him
16:53the nickname, Kentowski.
16:56And that relationship that he had with the Polish airmen is really summarized in his
17:01own words, I cannot say how proud I am to have been privileged to help form, train,
17:07and lead No. 303 Squadron, and later to lead such a magnificent fighting force as the Polish
17:13Wing.
17:15There formed within me in those days an admiration, respect, and genuine affection for these remarkable
17:21men which I have never lost.
17:25We who were privileged to fly and fight with them will never forget, and Britain must never
17:31forget how much she owes to the loyalty, indomitable spirit, and sacrifice of those Polish flyers.
17:40They were our staunchest allies in our darkest days.
17:45May they always be remembered as such.
17:52The Battle of Britain clasp was only awarded to fighter pilots, but the Polish 300 and
17:57301 Bomber Squadrons were formed before the more famous 302 and 303 Fighter Squadrons.
18:04They had 124 aircrew flying the Fairey Battle Light Bomber.
18:09In mid-September, they spent five weeks on almost nightly missions to bomb invasion barges
18:14at Calais, Boulogne, Ostend, and Dunkirk.
18:20The first Polish declaration for gallantry in England went not to a fighter pilot, nor
18:25even to aircrew, but to a member of 301 Squadron's ground crew, Sergeant Stefan Nowak.
18:32While loading a parachute flare, the detonator was accidentally activated.
18:36To save his colleagues working in the aircraft, he ran with the live flare into open ground,
18:42making 15 yards before it exploded in his arms, nearly killing him.
18:47So here we have the diary of Tadek Kwissa, who was a member of the ground crew for the
18:53Polish Air Force, and on the 15th of September, 1940, he actually made an entry in his diary,
19:01where he listed pilots from the 303 Squadron and the enemy aircraft that they had shot down during that day.
19:12And what this diary shows us is the very close relationship between the ground crew and the pilots.
19:20Because we mustn't forget that there was those individuals at ground level maintaining
19:26and looking after the aircraft, and ensuring that the pilots could keep going up into the sky to help defend Britain.
19:57What made them so effective?
20:00Firstly, they were all seasoned fighter pilots who had seen action in Poland and in France.
20:08Their pre-war training in Poland was exhaustive and included simulated head-on attacks as
20:13a matter of routine.
20:16Lacking radar in Poland, they found the enemy by actively looking for them.
20:22Their armourers harmonised the guns to focus on a spot 150 yards ahead.
20:27From flying outdated aircraft in Poland, they were used to getting in very close, as the
20:32only way to have a chance of damaging the enemy.
20:36But now they were closing to 100 yards or less, with eight Browning machine guns in their wings.
20:42And they looked after each other in the air.
20:45After one mission, Johnny Kent, flight commander in 303, was lucky to have escaped with his
20:49life and after landing went to thank Henneberg for getting the Messerschmitt off his tail.
20:55Henneberg just grinned and said, not one, six.
21:00When you think about it, it all adds up.
21:04In the case of 303 squadron, it added up to 126.
21:09Welcome to the Military University of Aviation in Denver, the legendary school of Eaglets.
21:15I'm sending you warm greetings and best wishes.
21:19Sadly, this year we have not been privileged with the opportunity to meet in person to
21:26celebrate the memory of the heroes of the Battle of Britain together in this place,
21:32which figures prominently in our history and hearts.
21:36Eighty years ago, the graduates of the School of Aviation in Denver, courageous, steadfast
21:44young men, full of combat prowess, were sent to Great Britain, the island of last hope.
21:52Their passion, fighting zeal and fresh energy, but above all, professionalism and excellent
22:00training quickly resulted in victories in the air.
22:06It turned out that never was so much owed by so many to so few.
22:13As I said in the last year's anniversary speech, the Polish guys not only did break
22:19many German aggressors' necks, but also were quite successful in breaking ladies' hearts.
22:28Their temperament, but beyond everything, their heroism and commitment to the fight
22:36earned them the fondness, recognition and respect among the local citizens, which has
22:43been maintained up to the present time.
22:47The Polish spirit is still omnipresent in the Norhold Air Base.
22:53For the cadets of the Military University of Aviation in Dublin, a visit there is a
22:59vivid lesson in living history.
23:03It's a meeting with real relics of the Polish aviation.
23:08The memory of the heroism of our great predecessors, the heroes of the Battle of Britain, is the
23:15cornerstone of the current training system at the School of Yggdrasil.
23:20There would be no contemporary modern Military University of Aviation without this attainment,
23:27without the sacrifice of the blood shed in the sky of Great Britain in 1940.
23:35We are proud of this heritage.
23:39The memory of these heroes will be kept forever in the hearts of cadets of the School of Yggdrasil.
23:46We will remember them.
24:05Squadrons 229 and 303 to intercept raid 4 Johnny.
24:12Squadrons 229 and 303 to intercept raid 4 Johnny.
24:18Correct.
24:22Hello, that will be DART recording, vector 115, angels 17, intercept bomber raid, over.
24:35Hello, that will be DART recording, your bandit near Ashford, 20 plus, minion 1-6, heading west towards you, over.
24:57Hello, that will be DART recording, sniper 3-4 to the bubble, near on him.
25:05Over.
25:16Of the 6,000 or so members of the Polish Air Force who had made it to Britain by the start of the battle, the majority were ground crew.
25:24Their skills and determination matched that of the pilots.
25:30On the 15th of September, all 303 squadrons aircraft that returned to Northolt were so damaged in combat that they would have to be returned to the factories for repair.
25:40As the pilots made their way to the mess, 303 had ceased to exist as a fighting unit until replacement aircraft arrived.
25:49But the engineering officer, Jurkiewicz, had other ideas.
25:54He got his men to wheel the aircraft into Northolt's hangars.
25:59He trained them all night, improvised impossible repairs, and by dawn, all those Hurricanes were airworthy and awaiting their pilots at dispersal.
26:08303 could continue its battle without missing a beat.
26:13Jurkiewicz certainly earned his place at the party at the Dorchester Hotel given for the squadron by society hostess Mrs. Smith-Bingham and her friends.
26:24Eight years ago, the world witnessed the biggest air battle during the World War II.
26:30Polish pilots contributed significantly to the victory of the Battle of Britain.
26:34The history and traditions of the units flying together eight years ago are not only cultivated but also promoted the unarmed soldiers of the Polish society.
26:43The 23rd Tactical Air Base pays homage to the violent pilots of the 303 squadron.
26:49In the base's hall of fame, there is a separate installation dedicated to the 303 squadron,
26:55while the images of some of its pilots are painted on the red dolphins of the aircraft.
27:00Until now, the whole Polish air forces cherishes the memory of the joint fights which took place eight years ago.
27:09It's our responsibility, especially given the fact that our colleagues from the British Isles still now remember our pilots,
27:18who were high-ranking soldiers of the Dorchester, for which we are and shall always be grateful.
27:26Pochanie, któryś jest na niebie,
27:33Wyciągnij sprawiedliwą tłoń,
27:38Wołamy z cudzych stron do siebie.
27:44This year, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain,
27:48which was the first decisive battle in history fought entirely in the air.
27:54It's difficult to do justice to what happened in late 1940 in the skies above us.
28:00The Battle of Britain was a key moment in British history and a turning point of the Second World War.
28:07And it wasn't just British pilots who defended these skies.
28:11People from around the world fought and died for freedom in the Battle of Britain, many of them from Poland.
28:18In those desperate days of 1940, 145 Polish fighter pilots fought in the Battle of Britain,
28:25and they were backed by many more Polish men and women working as ground crew and support staff.
28:3129 Polish pilots perished in the Battle of Britain, but their record is glorious.
28:38My predecessor in 1940, the Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Lord Portal,
28:45proved that the Poles proved themselves splendid airmen, adaptable, resourceful,
28:50and highly skilled as air crews and ground staff.
28:54The bonds formed between our two air forces in 1940 remain to this day.
29:00We are proud to fly alongside the Polish Air Force as NATO partners,
29:06as ready to defend our freedoms today as we once did in these skies.
29:12They inspire us all. This is their memorial.
29:43We are proud to fly alongside the Polish Air Force as NATO partners,
29:48as ready to defend our freedoms today as we once did in these skies.
30:02Let Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command,
30:07and the architect of victory in the Battle of Britain, have the last word.
30:13Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish squadrons,
30:17and their unsurpassed gallantry,
30:20I hesitate to say the outcome of the battle would have been the same.
30:42The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
30:45The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
30:48The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
30:51The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
30:54The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
30:57The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:00The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:03The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:06The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:09The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:12The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:15The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:18The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:21The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:24The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:27The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:30The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:33The Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
31:36I will give you a rose, the most beautiful flower
31:44Come back, kiss me like in the old days
31:51I will give you a rose, the most beautiful flower
31:59You don't need anything anymore
32:07Because the buds of white roses are blooming
32:15There, under the yard, where the Lord was in the war
32:23A rose grew on the grave of a white rose
32:31There, under the yard, where the Lord was in the war
32:38A rose grew on the grave of a white rose
32:53© BF-WATCH TV 2021