Book Review of
Poles in the Battle of Britain
A Photographic Album of the Polish Few
Author: Peter Sikora
Pen & Sword Books
ISBN: 9781526782410
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $42.95
ISBN: 9781526782410
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $42.95
HISTORY:
The Polish Air Force, which was reborn in Britain in the summer of 1940 from flying and ground personnel evacuated from Poland, and then from France, proved to be one of the more successful formations to fight the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.
Overcoming the obstacles of language and operating in a foreign country, the Polish Air Force gained independent status, flying alongside the RAF – and for the first time the British Air Force became a separate air arm of the Polish Armed Forces.
It is stated that 145 Polish pilots fought in the Battle of Britain, many o them experienced and battle hardened. These men fought not only for freedom of their own homeland, but also for the British people, of whom they often knew very little.
The Poles were able to form four squadrons, two bomber and most importantly, two fighter squadrons, that were into operations during the Battle of Britain. Many other Polish flyers were dispersed across Fighter Command, joining various RAF squadrons.
They all made a decisive impact, when they were needed the most, gaining the respect of their British colleagues and the British public.
THE BOOK:
This book is hardcover, with a paper jacket that has fold-over locking tabs.
The cover art shows a color photo of 3 Polish pilots at the top, over a color photo of a group of 10 more Polish pilots standing in front of a Hurricane fighter.
The back cover shows a black and white photo of 10 Polish pilots standing in front of their barracks, with 2 men holding the tail fin off a German aircraft.
The book contains 252 pages. The last 2 pages are blank.
There are 317 black and white photos in the book.
These include 335 group shots of Polish pilots. 3 pages of the names of these pilots, 146 photos of aircraft.
The aircraft include: the P-11A, the PZL-P.37, 2 shots of a shot-down German Do-17, a PWS-33 prototype, a Bloch MB-121, many photos of the Hurricane & Spitfires, 1 Spitfire shown wrecked,
Three group shots are shown with pilot’s wives in them. There is a photo of Polish dog tags, 2 photos of a pilot in hospital bed, a victory score board, 6 photos of wrecked buildings, 89 photos of individual Polish Pilots and a few dignatories, a photo of a nurse, a photo of a wrecked German Ju-88, 6 photos of barracks, a Hurricane on a ship’s catapult launch rails, a illustration of the certificate of the Silver Cross award.
At the back of the book is a 4 page index.
THE AUTHOR:
Peter Sikora is an aviation researcher, historian and writer, who specializes in the history of the Polish Air Force between 1918 and 1946, with a particular interest in the achievements of the Polish airmen during WWII.
Based in Berkshire, England, 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 has also written historical articles for the leading British aviation magazines. In his private life, he is married to Maggie, and together they run a not-for-profit organization that helps to reduce unemployment.
Inserted into the book is a postcard to use to send to Pen & Sword to obtain more information about their books.
The black and white photos in this book are dark and grainy for the most part. The only color included is the cover art on the paper jacket.
This book will be of mild interest to modelers, more so to military aviation historians.
I want to sincerely thank the folks at Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books, for this review sample.
All Pen & Sword book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The Polish Air Force, which was reborn in Britain in the summer of 1940 from flying and ground personnel evacuated from Poland, and then from France, proved to be one of the more successful formations to fight the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.
Overcoming the obstacles of language and operating in a foreign country, the Polish Air Force gained independent status, flying alongside the RAF – and for the first time the British Air Force became a separate air arm of the Polish Armed Forces.
It is stated that 145 Polish pilots fought in the Battle of Britain, many o them experienced and battle hardened. These men fought not only for freedom of their own homeland, but also for the British people, of whom they often knew very little.
The Poles were able to form four squadrons, two bomber and most importantly, two fighter squadrons, that were into operations during the Battle of Britain. Many other Polish flyers were dispersed across Fighter Command, joining various RAF squadrons.
They all made a decisive impact, when they were needed the most, gaining the respect of their British colleagues and the British public.
THE BOOK:
This book is hardcover, with a paper jacket that has fold-over locking tabs.
The cover art shows a color photo of 3 Polish pilots at the top, over a color photo of a group of 10 more Polish pilots standing in front of a Hurricane fighter.
The back cover shows a black and white photo of 10 Polish pilots standing in front of their barracks, with 2 men holding the tail fin off a German aircraft.
The book contains 252 pages. The last 2 pages are blank.
There are 317 black and white photos in the book.
These include 335 group shots of Polish pilots. 3 pages of the names of these pilots, 146 photos of aircraft.
The aircraft include: the P-11A, the PZL-P.37, 2 shots of a shot-down German Do-17, a PWS-33 prototype, a Bloch MB-121, many photos of the Hurricane & Spitfires, 1 Spitfire shown wrecked,
Three group shots are shown with pilot’s wives in them. There is a photo of Polish dog tags, 2 photos of a pilot in hospital bed, a victory score board, 6 photos of wrecked buildings, 89 photos of individual Polish Pilots and a few dignatories, a photo of a nurse, a photo of a wrecked German Ju-88, 6 photos of barracks, a Hurricane on a ship’s catapult launch rails, a illustration of the certificate of the Silver Cross award.
At the back of the book is a 4 page index.
THE AUTHOR:
Peter Sikora is an aviation researcher, historian and writer, who specializes in the history of the Polish Air Force between 1918 and 1946, with a particular interest in the achievements of the Polish airmen during WWII.
Based in Berkshire, England, 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 has also written historical articles for the leading British aviation magazines. In his private life, he is married to Maggie, and together they run a not-for-profit organization that helps to reduce unemployment.
Inserted into the book is a postcard to use to send to Pen & Sword to obtain more information about their books.
The black and white photos in this book are dark and grainy for the most part. The only color included is the cover art on the paper jacket.
This book will be of mild interest to modelers, more so to military aviation historians.
I want to sincerely thank the folks at Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books, for this review sample.
All Pen & Sword book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Recommended.