Group Captain John Alexander Kent,, nicknamed "Kentski" by his Polish comrades, was a Canadian fighter ace flying in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Considered one of the best young squadron leaders of the war, he went on to a distinguished postwar career before entering the aviation industry.
"Johnny" Kent posing in front of a Hurricane, October 1940
(Left to right) Pilot Officer Mirosław Ferić, Flying Officers Bogdan Grzeszczak, Jan Zumbach and Zdzisław Henneberg and Flight Lieutenant Kent, who commanded "A" Flight of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF, October 1940.
No. 92 Squadron pilots celebrating their 130th victory; Squadron Leader Kent in centre.
(Left to right) Wing Commander Kent talking to Wing Commander Zimmerman, 1942
No. 303 Squadron RAF, also known as the 303rd "Tadeusz Kościuszko Warsaw" Fighter Squadron, was one of two Polish squadrons that fought during the Battle of Britain along with No. 302 Squadron, of 16 total Polish squadrons during the Second World War. Flying Hawker Hurricanes, the squadron claimed the largest number of aircraft shot down of the 66 Allied fighter squadrons engaged in the Battle of Britain, even though it joined the fray two months after the battle had begun.
126 German aircraft or "Adolfs" were claimed as shot down by No. 303 Squadron pilots during the Battle of Britain. This is the score of "Adolfs" chalked onto a Hurricane.
Zygmunt Bieńkowski and Jan Zumbach present the "trophy" of Squadron 303
303 squadron pilots. L-R: F/O Ferić, F/Lt Lt Kent, F/O Grzeszczak, P/O Radomski, P/O Zumbach, P/O Łokuciewski, F/O Henneberg, Sgt Rogowski, Sgt Szaposznikow (in 1940).
