IX
Afterword

        After the war, together with the 131 Polish Fighter Wing, the 308 became part of the British Air Force of Occupation (BAFO), created from the units of the 2 TAF. In this service, the unit remained for the next seventeen months.
    After that time, the unit returned to England to be disbanded. The squadron’s personnel were given a free choice as what to do with its nearest future. As victorious Allies, the unit took active role in organizing help to Polish citizens not willing to go back to their country occupied by a foreign power and ruled by its agents. After six years of fighting alongside the Allies, the squadron’s members had to witness a tragedy unveiling over their brothers in arms from the Polish campaign, soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising, thousands of their compatriots suffering in concentration camps or force laboring for their resistance against the occupant.
    Decision not to come back to Poland taken by vast majority of the members, after the unit was disbanded, is a symbol of a won war and lost peace; unfulfilled dreams, for which so many lost their lives believing in a better future.

    A fighter squadron in the RAF was not a big unit considering a number of aircraft taking part in action. Normally, this number never exceeded twelve planes. The OC had under his command a roster of 20 to 30 pilots, while a number of assign aircraft varied between 18 and 21. The ground personnel number around 150 people. In a tactical organization, as a part of a Wing, this number accrued to 250. And if considering the supplies, depots, headquarters, radio sections and so on, the number of people working for one operational aircraft increases even more.

        To recapitulate the effort of No. 308 Polish Squadron between 12 December 1940 and 28 April 1945, following numbers are to weighed:
            8.812 operational flights; in 13,250 hrs and 10 min; 69 and ½ enemy aircraft destroyed, 13 probably destroyed and 21 damaged for a total of 103 and ½ aerial victories; 3770 bombs with total weigh of 1,175,750 lbs dropped on missions; 660 enemy’s motor vehicles destroyed or damaged; undetermined number of casualties inflicted on the enemy.
            During its service in UK and at the continent, the 308 was relocated 34 times. Altogether, 210 pilots served in the unit, which was commanded by 14 different officers. 
The losses among the flying personnel amounted to 24 killed in combat and 13 killed in flying accidents. Enemy’s bombs killed three ground crews. 13 pilots became POWs after bailing out or force landing over the enemy held territory. No less than 6 more pilots, evaded capture and returned to the unit.

During these five years of war, the “Krakowski” squadron added to the glory of the Polish Air Force. In their efforts, its members were always fully aware of their goal of final victory for the Allies and Poland free of Nazi occupation. Today when our homeland is totally under the control of a foreign, hostile power, many soldiers of the 308 decided to stay in exile and not to give up their goals. Thus, the fight for the free Poland continues…..

Stanislaw Wandzilak
                            kpt.pil.
 London. September 1945.