The 19mm-long, nine-carat gold Caterpillar Club Irvin pin, with red amethyst eyes was awarded to Captain Stanisław Król before he was executed by the Gestapo.
The fragments of the Lützow warship settled at the bottom of the channel in April 1945 when the ship was the target of an air raid by the RAF 617 ‘Dambusters’ squadron. The haul that has now been raised includes the nine-tonne rear wall of the ship’s powerful 280mm gun tower, a copper range finder, screws and bolts and personal items such as lifejackets and belts.
Prince Michael of Kent, Winston Churchill's great grandson, the director of the RAF Museum and historian Roger Moorhouse were among the British figures highlighting the role of Poles in the war effort during WWII, on the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Friday.
The 302nd was the first Polish squadron to be declared operational and entered battle on 15 August. Meanwhile, the pilots of the 303 Squadron were awaiting action with growing desperation. Finally given the chance to fight, the Poles were devastatingly effective. Indeed, according to historian Andy Saunders, "Poles and their unbelievable contribution to the RAF's air operations saved Europe.”
The Polish Air Force and Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) in Żagań, west Poland, will mark the March 24-falling 75th anniversary of the World War II mass escape of Allied pilots from a German POW camp in the area.
Within days of debuting, the company reported that it had already covered its production costs.
Thousands of members of the Polish Air Force lived in Hillingdon, now a borough of Greater London, during WWII. The trail encompasses four locations that were significant to the Polish pilots.
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