Being born in 1950, though not really aware of it at the time, I was brought up in post-war Britain. That was a time when anyone from Poland attracted a great deal of respect. It was Hitler's invasion of that country which had precipitated WW2 and, the general perception was, any Polish person living in the UK at that time was there because they had made some sort of contribution towards the final victory.

One of the most vital contributions during 1939-1945, was made by Polish pilots who, not only manned a Polish Air Force (PAF), which ran alongside the RAF, but were also integrated into the wider RAF. Before that, however, one of the most remarkable aspects of this compelling story is that the PAF itself had been equipped with a mere 159 A P-11 fighter aircraft (something which resembles an old bi-plane but with the lower wing missing!) with which they attempted to defend Poland from the 2,000 plus German aircraft with pilots fresh from the "training" grounds of the Spanish civil war. It was an impossible task and Poland was quickly overrun. Nevertheless, many trained people managed to escape and were evacuated from France in 1940 after which they continued the fight from the UK.

Fully operational as a separate air force based in the UK by 1941, the PAF had no fewer than 14 operational squadrons through which over 17,000 personnel passed during those war years. As part of Fighter and Bomber Commands they completed 102,486 sorties and over 290,000 flying hours accounting for 745 enemy aircraft shot down and a further 175 unconfirmed. In addition they dropped many thousands of bombs and mines. The cost was 1,973 killed and 1,388 wounded in return for 342 gallantry awards and their country dominated by Communist Russia.

And this is their story. As such it is well researched with the list of sources and bibliography running to 10 pages. A selection of 30 wide-ranging black and white photographs are found between pages 112 and 113. Author Adam Zamoyski has produced a readable account in which the dedication becomes all the more poignant when one considers what became of post-war Poland.

Altogether, this is an excellent product and one which will be regarded as an important addition to the histories of Poland, The Polish Air Force, WW2 and the RAF.

NM

As with all his previous books, Adam Zamoyski's "The Forgotten Few..." is not only a gem of writer's art but also, despite author's own claims to the contrary, a book well researched, full of factual information, and offering insights largely omitted in both the official histories of the Polish Air Force operations in Britain during WW2 and in the "patriotically" slanted eulogies. Zamoyski pays full tribute to the matchless professionalism of Polish pilots and ground crews, their heroism, and the consequent contribution to victory. Yet, he writes with equal directness about problems of discipline and various degrees of demoralization among Polish Air Force units, the resultant and quite frequent frictions with RAF personnel that could have been readily avoided, and even the occasional conflicts with law.

The approach to the British attitudes toward Polish airmen is equally objective and unsparing. The reader learns of the initial reluctance of RAF command to accept combat-experienced and often extraordinarily talented Polish pilots as worthy contributors to the war effort, the subsequent "Polish euphoria" of Britons jubilant at success of Polish fighter squadrons during the Battle of Britain, soon to be followed by "Polophobia" growing among politicians, media, and the rest of the British society, and culminating in the singular insult of eliminating representatives of the Polish Armed Forces from participating in the victory parade in London. The ultimately dishonorable treatment the Poles received from their comrades at arms, where the British attitude converted from the "most heroic few" to the "most unwanted burden" is presented in the context of large-scale political realities of dealing with Stalin, his intense dislike of Poles, and the need to maintain the unity of anti-Nazi coalition. Those unfamiliar with the period receive a lucid explanation, others marvel again at the one of the most dishonorable moments in the Allied past.

While the book centers on the exploits of Polish fighter squadrons, the significant role played by the bomber units is adequately represented as well. The reader unfamiliar with the subject learns about the massive contribution by the Polish bomber squadrons to the overall effort, and also about the fact that the casualty rate of these squadrons was the highest among all RAF bomber units. Largely unsuccessful but extremely costly operations aimed at relieving Warsaw Raising in 1944 are described in sufficient detail to show the indisputable heroism of all USAF, RAF and Polish crews participating in these near-suicidal flights across the entire continent.

The often sobering facts notwithstanding, the book is filled with amusing anecdotes and wry comments on purely personal interactions between Polish aviators, their RAF counterparts, Britons in general, and British women in particular. The judicious mix of personal and official history makes the book delightful to read, yet informative and full of thoughtful comments. For those interested in pursuing the topic further, a wide range of sources is provided in the bibliographic section of the volume.

In summary, this is an important contribution to the subject of Polish Armed Forces role in WW2 operations, and a very important addition to the subject of Polish Air Force in Great Britain. Significantly, the author provides a balanced view of the entire period during which Poles flew alongside RAF (and also the period following disbandment of their squadrons and the subsequent dilemmas of the British Government about the dealing with the suddenly "illegal military"). Thus, while the heady days of the summer of 1940 occupy their well deserved place, the origins of the Polish Air Force that were the source of its subsequent success are analyzed, and the post- Battle of Britain operations , by no means less dangerous or physically and mentally taxing, are studied with equal aplomb.

A highly recommended book for all, not only those interested in Polish affairs or in one of the truly fascinating periods of the history of military aviation, but for all those who like reading a good history book written by an expert author. Worth noting is the fact that the new edition of the book is about to be published by Pen & Sword and will soon be available through Amazon.FORGOTTEN FEW, THE: The Polish Air Force in World War II

When I was growing up, I never was able to read much about Poland's role in WW2, except that it was conquered in less than a month by the German army. The only documentary I saw on the subject was Frank Capra's "The Nazis Strike", part 2 of his famous "Why We Fight" series on the war. Unfortunately, the documentary gets the facts completely wrong concerning the Polish Air Force. Believing the German propaganda version of the invasion of Poland, it claimed the Polish Air Force was caught on the ground and quickly wiped out by the German Luftwaffe.

It is true that many airfields were damaged and many planes were destroyed on the ground, but those planes were either training or sporting planes. The Polish Air Force were equipped with old-fashioned fighter planes and each fighter had only two machine-guns, compared with four machine-guns and two cannon on the Me-109. Even the German bombers were faster than the polish fighter planes, but many were still brought down in daring ariel attacks.

During the German invasion of Poland, the Polish pilots had to suffer many hardships. There was virtually no coordination with Polish army forces, and indeed quite a few Polish planes were mistakenly shot down by Polish troops! Also, as the Polish army retreated, the lack of gasoline as well as suitable airfields became a big problem for the brave airmen who were trying desperately to save their country.

After the surrender of Poland, much of the air force (without their planes, though) found their way to France where they continued the fight against Hitler's Third Reich. But France was quickly captured by the bold "Blitzkrieg" tactics of the German army, and so the Polish Air Force left for England. It was in England where the Polish Air Force became legendary, making a huge contribution to the British victory against the Luftwaffe. There were even movies made about Polish airmen, but their popularity in England was eventually poisoned by Stalin and the Soviet Union, who weren't about to help Poland win back its country.

Although the Polish army and air force constantly made big contributions to the Allied effort, Poland was betrayed by the Allies following the end of WW2. Many refused to return to their once beloved country that was now controlled by a communist dictator in Russia. This is a tragic, compelling, and very important story from WW2 that all history buffs should read. For the very best on the Polish Air Force, you can't do better than Jerzy B. Cynk's massive 2-volume official history of the Polish Air Force, packed with hundreds of photos. As an introduction to the subject, this awesome book is highly recommended.