The name Kościuszko's Squadron or Kościuszko's , is taken from the Polish hero Tadeusz Kościuszko. The name has been borne by several units of the Polish Air Force throughout its history. The unit insignia was designed by Eliott Chess, an American pilot serving with the Polish Army during the Polish-Soviet War. In order to encourage the recruitment of Americans of Polish descent, the Polish military set up a unit called the Polish-American Air Group. It was hoped they could get enough pilots to have two groups The Pulaski Squadron and Kościuszko's Squadron.
Formation
First formed after Poland regained independence following World War I, it consisted of a small group of American volunteers independent of the U.S. State Department or the American Expeditionary Force in Europe. The fliers came from a number of militaries. Members included Ludomi Rayski, 1st Lt. Jerzy Weber, First Lt Wladyslaw Konopka, 2nd Lt Aleksander Senkowski, 2nd Lt Ludwik Idzikowski. One of the most famous pilots was Merian C. Cooper, producer of the 1933 movieKing Kong, who was decorated for valor by Polish commander-in-chief Józef Piłsudski with the highest Polish military decoration, the Virtuti Militari. During WW II the Kościuszko Squadron was formed by refugee Polish pilots who joined the RAF and played an essential role during the Battle of Britain. The Kościuszko Squadron emblem depicts the distinctive four-cornered rogatywka set against a field of seven red vertical stripes on a white background from the Flag of the United States, red and white also being two colors contained in both the Polish and American flags. Behind the red cap is a pair of crossed scythes. Thirteen blue stars encircle the badge, representing the thirteen original American states. The rogatywka cap and scythes commemorate the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794: ten years after General Tadeusz Kościuszko returned to Poland from America, and led the Polish people, many armed only with scythes, in an attempt to liberate Poland from Russia and Prussia.
