White Eagles: The Aircraft, Men and Operations of the Polish Air Force 1918-1939 [Hardcover]

Bartlomiej Belcarz (Author), Robert Peczkowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001 | ISBN-10: 1902109732 | ISBN-13: 978-1902109732 | Edition: 1st

Polish fliers had to fight for their existence from the chaotic beginnings in the aftermath of World War I, through the Nazi and Soviet juggernauts in September 1939. In White Eagles the authors describe, squadron by squadron in enormous detail, exactly how the well trained but isolated Poles fought bitterly against their invaders. Using outdated tactics and old equipment, they proved to be the most successful and courageous airmen to defend England during the summer of 1940.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Peczkowki and Bartlomeij Belcarz have collaborated on several aviation books and are regular contributors to Polish aviation magazines. In their research, Peczkowki and Belcarz had access to previously unpublished archival material, including original wartime documents, unit war diaries, personal accounts and pictures. The result is, to date, the most comprehensive account of the birth and tragic death of the first Polish air force.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hikoki Publications; 1st edition (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902109732
• ISBN-13: 978-1902109732
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,408,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars White Eagles reach the heights, July 20, 2001

By 

PROF ANTHONY P PAYNE (Glasgow United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Eagles: The Aircraft, Men and Operations of the Polish Air Force 1918-1939 (Hardcover)

If you are interested in aviation history, a fan of vintage aircraft, a modelling enthusiast or a student of middle European affairs in the twentieth century, this book is - quite simply - a gem. The publishers, Hikoki, have an enviable reputation for high quality books which tackle unusual subjects (the air war in Biafra, the Coronation fly-past, photo-reconnaissance in south-east Asia in WWII are recent examples) and make them seem indispensable. This book on the Polish Air Force (1918-39) is one of their VERY best. A hardback of 302 pages, it contains nearly 470 black and white photos and 131 colour profile side-views to accompany the text which is split into three main sections. The first deals with the short period 1918-20 which saw the reconstitution of Poland after 120 years of divided serfdom to Russia, Germany and Austria, only to find itself in an immediate shooting war against Russian Bolsheviks. The fledgling Polish Air Force was equipped with an assortment of ex-German, French and White Russian planes and the authors deal with the overall progress of the conflict plus individual unit histories. The second section covers the inter-war period of 1920-38. For a newly-emerged nation with no WWI aircraft industry, Poland developed some extremely attractive aircraft, of which the most famous - the PZL parasol gull-winged fighter series - get pride of place. The suppression of coups-d'etat and sabre-rattling against Lithuania and Czechoslovakia are minor punctuations of the years of peace that precede section three - 1939. Some seventy pages are devoted to the annihilation of Polish forces by Germany in just over two weeks, the disbanding of air force units and the exodus of flyers and ground crew to join other air forces. There are further short sections on Polish Naval Aviation and Balloon Units, together with numerous maps, tables of aircraft and aero engine production, armaments, losses, personnel, Orders of Battle, glossaries of Polish terms and pronunciation and more. The text is very readable, but it is serious, factual and dense and may not suit those who like their history "chatty". Some colour profiles are accompanied by planform views, most are not. These points aside, the overall verdict is EXCELLENT. You get an awful lot for your money and five stars hardly seems enough.