Two days before the war, on 30 August 1939, Błyskawica withdrew, along with the destroyers and , from the Baltic Sea to Britain in accordance with the Peking Plan to avoid open conflict with Germany and possible destruction. The three destroyers were sighted by German warships, including the cruiser on 30 and 31 August, but hostilities had not yet started, and the Polish destroyers passed by unhindered, reaching Leith in Scotland at 17:30 on 1 September 1939.Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, p. 1.Kolesnik 1977, pp. 3–4. From then on they acted in tandem with the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. On 7 September 1939, Błyskawica made contact with and attacked a U-boat.
