1940年6月,WWII的至暗时刻,法国沦陷,30,000名波兰士兵通过海峡再次逃亡,到达坚持苦战的英国,其中,包括8,500名飞行员。Churchill对流亡的波兰总理表态,We shall conquer together or wes hall die together。二人达成协议,成立波兰飞行中队,Squadron 302 (Poznan)和Squadron 303 (Kosciuszko)。
当然,波兰飞行员的超强飞行技术和作战经验先开始并没有被得到承认。除了被德国人的propaganda迷惑之外,语言障碍是另外一个重要因素。据说,波兰人几乎说不上一句完整的英文,而英国人,怎么可能会波兰语。与法国同行所犯的错误一样,骄傲的英国人认为波兰空军如此之快被摧毁完全是因为超级差的技术,以至于飞行中尉John Kent在回忆录中写到,All I knew about the Polish Air Force was that it had only lasted about three days against the Luftwaffe, and I had no reason to suppose that they would shine any more brightly operating from England。由于英国皇家空军(RAF)对新到的波兰同行不信任到极点,波兰飞行员甚至被要求用配备雷达罗盘装置的三轮车进行骑行训练。
战后统计,共有145名有经验的波兰飞行员参与了同RAF的并肩作战,其中,79名被直接编入RAF,编入squadron 302和303的分别是32和33名。按比例来说,波兰飞行员的损失只有英军的1/3。波兰飞行中队和波兰飞行员,被称为the secret to winning the battle of Britain。
英军飞行总指挥Hugh Downing在总结报告中写道,Had it not been fort he magnificent work oft he Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of battle would have been the same。