This is the history of those Poles who were able to escape after Germany's occupation and continue the fight. Poland had developed a sophisticated aeronautical training program and the young country had a wealth of capable pilots. Outmanned and outgunned, they made a show of it during the brief conquest of their homeland. Tens of thousands escaped, many through Romania, and would fight for the Allies. Some fought in France, and then escaped to Britain. They were welcomed by Churchill, but were skeptically assessed by the RAF, which was painfully unaware of their skills. The Battle of Britain, perhaps the most famous aerial conflict ever, began on August 8, 1940. Very quickly, it was apparent the Poles could fly and fight, and thus were allowed to fly as members of the Polish Air Force, albeit under RAF command and in RAF uniforms with Polish insignia. There were two all-Polish squads: the Poznan and the Kosciuszko. The Kosciuszko Squadron's first action was on August 18 and all seven of the Hurricanes that sighted Germans had a confirmed kill. Shooting planes down at the rate of 40 per week, the Poles were soon heroes of the realm, recognized by the public and the chain-of-command all the way up to the King. They were more successful than their British counterparts because they were older, had more total flying hours, had fought in Poland and France, had learned to fly without radio or radar and thus were more instinctive and used to scanning the skies visually. On the climactic day of the Battle of Britain, September 15, fully 20% of the RAF pilots in the air were Poles. The Kosciuszko Squadron shot down 126 planes during the six-week battle, twice as many as any RAF squadron. The British high command, as well as later historians, agree that the Battle could not have been won without the Poles.
The second half of the book veers away from the squadron and attempts to discuss Poland's plight in the war. Both signators to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact wreaked unspeakable horrors upon the Poles. Both countries simply killed anyone perceived to be a threat to their dictatorship. Throughout the war, the Poles continued to fight and to fight very well. Indeed, they were the preferred escort for all of the bombers. However, after Yalta, they realized they had fought in vain. The country was occupied by the Red Army, which wasn't leaving anytime soon. When the UN met for the first time in April 1945, "Poland - the first country to resist Hitler; the only country to fight the Nazis from the first day to the last; the one country defeated by Germany that neither surrendered nor collaborated - was not on the list of invitees." A year later, the British government told the thousands of Poles who had fought for Great Britain that they were being demobilized and should return to Poland. Most refused, and many were eventually resettled in the UK. They had to move on from the stress of combat in a foreign land. Few survived until Poland was free. One who did was Witold Urbanowicz, who had suffered through a series of inconsequential jobs raising his children in Queens, NY. The 'ace' of the Polish Air Force returned to Warsaw, where he was mobbed as a national hero and made a general.
This fabulous book was written with a deep admiration of the Poles, that I now fully subscribe to. I'm truly impressed. The Poles were from a country that had existed for only two decades, after 120 years of Partition. They fought bravely and effectively, forgotten by their allies. In 1984, when the world celebrated the 40th anniversary of D-Day, Poland, whose men were cited for their courage that day, was not invited. Sadly for them, their families and countrymen, the German occupation would be succeeded by a forty-five year Soviet one. Freedom for the Poles has been scarce.
The second half of the book veers away from the squadron and attempts to discuss Poland's plight in the war. Both signators to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact wreaked unspeakable horrors upon the Poles. Both countries simply killed anyone perceived to be a threat to their dictatorship. Throughout the war, the Poles continued to fight and to fight very well. Indeed, they were the preferred escort for all of the bombers. However, after Yalta, they realized they had fought in vain. The country was occupied by the Red Army, which wasn't leaving anytime soon. When the UN met for the first time in April 1945, "Poland - the first country to resist Hitler; the only country to fight the Nazis from the first day to the last; the one country defeated by Germany that neither surrendered nor collaborated - was not on the list of invitees." A year later, the British government told the thousands of Poles who had fought for Great Britain that they were being demobilized and should return to Poland. Most refused, and many were eventually resettled in the UK. They had to move on from the stress of combat in a foreign land. Few survived until Poland was free. One who did was Witold Urbanowicz, who had suffered through a series of inconsequential jobs raising his children in Queens, NY. The 'ace' of the Polish Air Force returned to Warsaw, where he was mobbed as a national hero and made a general.
This fabulous book was written with a deep admiration of the Poles, that I now fully subscribe to. I'm truly impressed. The Poles were from a country that had existed for only two decades, after 120 years of Partition. They fought bravely and effectively, forgotten by their allies. In 1984, when the world celebrated the 40th anniversary of D-Day, Poland, whose men were cited for their courage that day, was not invited. Sadly for them, their families and countrymen, the German occupation would be succeeded by a forty-five year Soviet one. Freedom for the Poles has been scarce.
No comments:
Post a Comment