Jan 21. Fighter sweep over the Abbeville–Le Touquet area. P/O Szymankiewicz and Sgt Gallus damaged one FW190 each.

  Mar 11. The squadron moved to RAF Northolt.

  Mar 12. Circus. Close escort of B-17s over to Rouen. F/O Jaworowski scored one FW190 destroyed and one damaged, while Sgt Kiedrzynski was credited with one Fw190 destroyed.

  Mar 13. Circus. Close escort of B-17s over to Amiens. P/O Zakrzewski scored one FW190 destroyed. The Flight “A” commander, F/Lt Kozlowski KIA was shot down.

  Apr 4. Circus. Close escort of B-17s over to Rouen. Sgt Geca MIA (evaded caputre).

  Apr 16. Ramrod over Trocqueville. Flying as a guest, S/Ldr Kolaczkowski scored one FW190 probable.

  May 4. Ramrod in the Antwerp area. P/O Legowski POW

  May 13. Rodeo in the Abbeville area. F/O Litak and P/O Gora destroyed one FW190 each.
Rodeo in the Labuisierre area. Circus. Escorting Forts. P/O Karnkowski destroyed one FW190 and F/O Jaworowski damaged another.

  May 14. Rodeo in the Gayeux area.  F/O Prochnicki gunned down one probable Bf109, while flying as guest on SZ aircraft F/Lt Zurakowski damaged another Messerschmitt.

  Jun 11.  Rodeo in the Le Treport area. P/O Maciejowski scored a kill over Bf109.

  Jun 17.  Rodeo in the St.Omer-Calais area. F/O Prochnicki damaged a FW190. F/O Stegman and Sgt Grzywacz both KIA.

  Jun 24. Ramrod in the Ostend -Brugen area. Sgt Bartlomiejczyk credited with one FW190 destroyed and Sgt Murkowski with one Focke-Wulf damaged.

  Jun 26. Circus. (B-17s) F/O Sobolewski damaged a FW190.

  Jul 4. Ramrod over Agentan. Flying with the squadron (SZ-G, Spitfire IX, EN526) was 2 Polish Wing commander Gabszewicz who added another score to his list, a FW190 destroyed. P/O Ciastula downed another one.

  Jul 6. Rodeo. 1 Polish Wing from Northolt in the Amiens area. W/Cdr Gabszewicz and Sgt Gallus a Bf109F destroyed each.

  Jul 9. Circus. B-17s escorted to the St. Omer area. Sgt Murkowski and F/O Sobolewski destroyed two FW190s.

  Jul 13. The 316 Squadron found its new base at RAF Tangmere.

  Jul 14. Ramrod. Bombed and strafed Le Bourget airfield.

  Aug 9. Ramrod. The St.Omer area. In the mid-air collision over France the squadron lost two pilots. F/O Maciejowski bailed out (Spitfire IX, BS302) and became a POW while P/O Kondrackiego KIA died in the crash. See photos.

  Aug 12. Circus. Escorting B17s over to Heinberg in Germany.

  Aug 19. Forward target support in the Amiens area. Squadron had a scrap with a formation of Fw190s. Scored: W/Cdr Gabszewicz 1-0-1, F/O Kaczmarek 2-0-0, F/O Jeka 1-1-0, F/O Jaworowski 1-0-0, F/O Wiza 0-0-1 and Prochnicki 1-0-0  KIA who was the squadron’s only loss.  

  Aug 22. Rodeo in the Sangatte area. F/O Kuryllowicz scored a Fw190 destroyed, F/O Wiza  and F/O Cholajda got one Fw190 destroyed and one damaged each. Kuryllowicz ended up in the drink and floated for 85 hours before being rescued. Read more.

  Sep 14. S/Ldr Niemiec became the squadron’s new commander.

  Sep 23. 316 “Warszawski” relocated for the rest at RAF Acklington.

  Oct 8. Sgt Boleslaw Geca returned to the squadron. After being shot down over France, he successfully evaded capture and through France and Spain found his way back to England.

The 316 Squadron ended the year 1943 with the score of 23 enemy’s a/c destroyed, 7 probable and 9 damaged.

> 1944 >