303 Squadron Ep. 4: Brothers in Arms

Airspace of Dover, 2nd September 1940. Watch out! Krauts behind us! The squadron had been ambushed by 10 Messerschmitts attacking from the rear. Sergeant Jan Rogowski, flying as Green 3, spotted the enemies just before their attack. He yelled over the radio and turned sharply, flying his plane towards the enemy fighters. His lone attack spread their formation and gave the other pilots time to react and avoid the ambush. Rogowski followed one Bf 109, and opened fire. After a short time the Messerschmitt was falling and burning profusely. Its pilot - Leutnant Rohwer - made a successful crash landing in the middle of the English Channel. His life had been saved by the Seenotdienst - the Luftwaffe sea rescue service. Meanwhile, the air battle intensified. Flying Officer Henneberg was following another Bf 109, but he didn't see another German following him! The last link in that chain of aircraft was sergeant Frantiszek but he only fired short bursts - trying not to hit his friend. The Germans lost the advantage and decided to retreat. Some of the pilots chased their prey across the Strait of Dover. One of them was Pilot Officer Mirosław Ferić. Mirosław Ferić, 2nd of September 1940. The retreating Me 109s have spread out. I've chosen one and decided to wreck him. I switched on emergency boost and somehow started getting closer, probably because he began flinging around nervously. He turned around, and to my surprise performed a full barrel-roll. Everything was happening during a steep dive. I opened fire from 250 meters - three times - just to let him know his end was coming. I copied all acrobatics after the German, and as I came out better - managed to approach by another 50 meters. I fired again from 200 meters. He should have set afire, but somehow managed to resist the damage, likely had strong armor. I started shooting straight. We found ourselves over the French coast, and had dropped from 20 000 feet to 10 000 feet. Then Kraut pointed his nose to the ground. I followed him and fired a burst. Suddenly everything went dark. To be exact - something covered my windshield. Obviously the oil was leaking and causing the problem. I stopped chasing. Made a turn, and headed towards England. I had my heart in my mouth, hoping no one gets on my tail. The exhaust pipes were blowing out thick smoke, which was what terrified me and compelled me to stretch the emergency belt. If my crate started burning, I'd have to bail out fast, on the other hand the La Manche channel didn't look too friendly. The engine began vibrating hard. I turned off the electric power and closed the fuel valve. The plane was gliding. What good luck that over the French coast I was still at 10 000 feet. The English coast was closing fast. Two Hurricanes flown by F/O Paszkiewicz and P/O Łokuciewski covered my return. Near Dover I was covered by sgt Rogowski. I Decided to perform emergency landing. And once again fasten my belt. After choosing the most suitable field, I landed with retracted gear and flaps, without any problems. -Ox, what's your situation? -Ox, come in! -Ox! -Halo! Halo! Thank you! -Ha! Get lost! Are you offering whisky? -Not one, but two! -No way! Three! On that day Rogowski and Frantiszek scored 2 confirmed kills, and Ferić - 1 probable. The 303rd Squadron had destroyed 3 aircraft with the loss of only one plane. To honor his bravery in saving the squadron from the German ambush, Squadron Leader John Kent requested decoration of Sergeant Rogowski with the Distinguished Flying Medal. It was soon rejected by the RAF Command...