
The Polish 'Few'
Polish Airmen in the Battle of Britain
Peter Sikora(Autor*in)
Frontline Books (Verlag)
Erschienen am 25. März 2025
Buch
Softcover
592 Seiten
978-1-3990-7826-9 (ISBN)
Beschreibung
They came to fight for freedom and their country. They came to fight Germans. They were men of the Polish Air Force who had escaped first to France and then to Britain to fly alongside the Royal Air Force just as Fighter Command faced its greatest challenge - the Battle of Britain.
Many of the Polish airmen joined existing RAF squadrons. The Poles also formed their own squadrons, but only four were operational during the Battle of Britain. Two, Nos. 300 and 301, were bomber squadrons, with the remaining pair, Nos. 302 and 303, were fighter squadrons. Flying Hawker Hurricanes, both 302 and 303 squadrons were active by the middle of August 1940, just when they were needed most with Fighter Command stretched to its limit at the height of the Battle of Britain.
The Polish squadrons, many of the pilots battle-hardened from their encounters with the Luftwaffe during the invasion of Poland and Battle of France, soon made their mark. In particular, 303 Squadron become the highest-scoring unit of Fighter Command.
In total, 145 Polish pilots, the largest non-British contingent in Fighter Command at the time, fought in the Battle of Britain. While Winston Churchill praised the contribution of the 'Few', the pilots of many nationalities who had defended Britain, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding was more specific: 'Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of the Battle would have been the same.'
Many of the Polish airmen joined existing RAF squadrons. The Poles also formed their own squadrons, but only four were operational during the Battle of Britain. Two, Nos. 300 and 301, were bomber squadrons, with the remaining pair, Nos. 302 and 303, were fighter squadrons. Flying Hawker Hurricanes, both 302 and 303 squadrons were active by the middle of August 1940, just when they were needed most with Fighter Command stretched to its limit at the height of the Battle of Britain.
The Polish squadrons, many of the pilots battle-hardened from their encounters with the Luftwaffe during the invasion of Poland and Battle of France, soon made their mark. In particular, 303 Squadron become the highest-scoring unit of Fighter Command.
In total, 145 Polish pilots, the largest non-British contingent in Fighter Command at the time, fought in the Battle of Britain. While Winston Churchill praised the contribution of the 'Few', the pilots of many nationalities who had defended Britain, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding was more specific: 'Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of the Battle would have been the same.'
Weitere Details
Sprache
Englisch
Verlagsort
Barnsley
Großbritannien
Verlagsgruppe
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Produkt-Hinweis
Broschur/Paperback
Klebebindung
Illustrationen
170 illustrations
Maße
Höhe: 155 mm
Breite: 234 mm
Dicke: 41 mm
Gewicht
1361 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3990-7826-9 (9781399078269)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Person
PETER SIKORA is an aviation researcher, historian and writer who specialises in the history of the Polish Air Force between 1918 and 1946, with a particular interest in the achievements of the Polish airmen during Second World War. Peter has already had a number of books published in Poland, including Aces of the Polish Air Force, Battles of the Polish Air Force 1918-1945 and Polish Wings Over Ireland. He also writes historical articles for the leading Polish aviation magazines.