The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War [Hardcover]

Adam Zamoyski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

This is the story of the few who are rarely remembered today. Some 17,000 men and women passed through the ranks of the Polish Air Force while it was stationed on British soil in World War II. They not only played a crucial role in the Battle of Britian in 1940, but they also contributed significantly to the Allied war effort. They received 342 British gallantry awards.

Winston Churchill speaking about the Battle of Britain in 1940 said, "Never was so much owed by so many to so few."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fleeing to Britain after the Germans captured their homeland, the pilots of the Polish Air Force played an important role in the Battle of Britain and the air war in the European theater. Flying RAF planes, they shot down 745 enemy aircraft, with another 175 unconfirmed, and 190 flying bombs targeted at London. The British government was at first reluctant to utilize these military refugees, Zamoyski notes in his recap of familiar history, until heavy RAF losses in the defense of France and the evacuation at Dunkirk left Fighter Command no choice. Zamoyski (The Polish Way) chronicles the pilots' exploits in the skies over Europe and their warm relationship on the ground with the British people-especially the women-until the betrayal of their homeland by the Allies at the 1945 Yalta Conference. The story concludes sadly with an account of the development of anti-Polish feelings in Britain at war's end. Photos.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Fleeing to Britain after the Germans captured their homeland, the pilots of the Polish Air Force played an important role in the Battle of Britain and the air war in the European theater. Flying RAF planes, they shot down 745 enemy aircraft, with another 175 unconfirmed, and 190 flying bombs targeted at London. The British government was at first reluctant to utilize these military refugees, Zamoyski notes in his recap of familiar history, until heavy RAF losses in the defense of France and the evacuation at Dunkirk left Fighter Command no choice. Zamoyski (The Polish Way) chronicles the pilots' exploits in the skies over Europe and their warm relationship on the ground with the British people-especially the women-until the betrayal of their homeland by the Allies at the 1945 Yalta Conference. The story concludes sadly with an account of the development of anti-Polish feelings in Britain at war's end. Photos.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Publisher's Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books; North American edition (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781804213
• ISBN-13: 978-0781804219
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #756,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very informative book about Polish Aces., November 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War (Hardcover)

This is fascinating history. Polish aces made a significant contribution to the RAF's efforts to fight the Germans. This book gives those significant details. Aviation enthusiast will find out why Polish pilots had one of the highest kill-loss ratios in the ETO. They will find that the Polish Air Forde was not detroyed on the ground in September, 1939 but went on to combat the Germans to the end of the war. The Battle of Britain information is especially informative.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Polish Heroism and Allied Ingratitude, September 2, 2003

By 

Jan Peczkis "Scholar and Thinker" (Chicago IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War (Hardcover)

This book recounts the role of Polish pilots in the Allied war effort. It discusses how the Poles accounted for a disproportionate share of German planes downed over England. It also discusses the personal lives of the pilots, including the homesickness felt every Christmas. The all-but-forgotten sufferings of the Poles under both German Nazis and Soviet Communists is recounted in some detail. There is discussion of the heartbreak and outrage experienced by the pilots once they learned that the western Allies betrayed Poland to Soviet control after the war, ruling out a return home for most of the pilots. The postwar lives of some of the pilots are also recounted. The ingratitude of the British shown in politics was duplicated by much of the civilian population soon after the war. The short memory of the British, who forgot that Poles were fighting for the very survival of Britain a few short years earlier, were now clamoring for the Poles to go home. Other details are also provided. There is even mention of a Polish pilot, decades after the war, locating, in Bavaria, the German pilot he had shot down back in September 1939.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fitting history & tribute to a group of unsung WWII heroes, December 8, 2000

By 

M. Warzecha "Mom of twins" (Placerville,CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book about an ignored group of heroes from the Battle of Briton. It is well written and documented. It gives a gripping and true account of the gallant Polish airmen who helped save England from Nazism. It also sadly shows how they were mistreated after the war. I would highly recommend this book for anybody studying World War II history and / or Polish history. It is rich with details but not boring. I could not put this book down and began reading large segments to my wife. She previously had minimal interest in history and found the book very facinating!