With some notable exceptions, most of us who write military history don’t earn great financial windfalls for our work. However, there are other intangible benefits that come our way from time to time that make it all worthwhile. In the coming months I’d like to share with you one such once-in-a-lifetime experience. In 1983, my first book, Decision in Normandy was published in the United Kingdom and in the U.S.A. it was widely reviewed and reviews often produce letters and telephone calls (and these days, e-mails) from readers that praise, criticize, ask questions or some combination. Occasionally they bring surprises. In the spring of 1984 a letter arrived on my doorstep postmarked London. It was from a former Polish officer who served in the Free Polish 1st Armored Division during World War II, and it contained an interesting invitation that subsequently led to an unforgettable experience.

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However, before we come to that, some background about the exile Poles is in order. Not nearly enough has been written about the magnificent Polish contribution to the Allied cause in World War II or of their shameful postwar mistreatment by the British government. This month’s article and those that will follow are a step toward redressing this omission.

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After the Germans invaded and overran Poland in September 1939 a large number of Poles escaped to the West, most to France while others escaped through Romania to Syria, then under French mandate. Suddenly stateless and with families still in Poland, they had a burning desire to participate in some way in striking back at the Nazi occupiers who had hijacked their nation. The Poles were warmly welcomed by the French government and most joined the new 80,000-man army created by an exile Polish government. Part of the Allied force sent to Narvik, Norway in the spring 1940 was composed of a Polish brigade. Their days in France were numbered when the Germans invaded the West on May 10, 1940 and advanced to the English Channel. After Dunkirk, the bulk of the German Army methodically moved south to finish off a French Army that also contained of two Polish divisions. The exile Polish air force flew some eighty-six aircraft during the Battle of France and shot down fifty-five German planes.

After the fall of France in June 1940, those that were not killed or captured again fled, some to Switzerland where they were interned; but most were successfully evacuated to Britain where a Free Polish movement was formed under the exile prime minister and commander-in-chief, Gen. Wladyslaw Sikorski, who agreed to the formation of both a Polish Air Force and a Polish Army. In 1941, the Polish exile government cut a deal with Stalin to free a number of interned Poles who fled to the Middle East and formed an army of some 75,000 under the command of Gen. Wladyslaw Anders. During the war their numbers increased and by 1945 there were some 228,000 exile Poles in various military units in Britain, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

One of the Hurricanes flown by 303 Squadron during the
Battle of Britain

Polish exiles were scattered throughout the United Kingdom during World War II. Some were based in Scotland constructing coastal defenses and living in primitive conditions; others joined the new army, while Polish fighter pilots volunteered for the RAF or formed the all-Polish No. 302 and 303 Squadrons. Although their aircraft were antiquated compared to the far more modern Luftwaffe, the pilots of the Polish Air Force were well trained and combat-tested against the Germans in September 1939 — that training was put to good use in Britain and in other places where the Allies fought. Although commanded by RAF officers, these units were uniquely Polish. Flying Hawker Hurricane fighters during the Battle of Britain, the pilots of No. 303 Squadron had an amazing record of success. Between the time it became operational in early August 1940, until October 11, when it was withdrawn for a well-earned respite, No. 303 claimed 126 German aircraft, a record unequalled by any RAF squadron. Seven Polish pilots were killed and five others severely wounded, with a loss of eighteen aircraft. Overall, there were four Polish fighter squadrons and eighty-nine pilots involved in the Battle of Britain. Fifty other Polish pilots flew with RAF units. They were all fearless, patriotic and avid to retaliate against the Germans. As you will learn in a future article, the exile Poles’ hatred of the Nazi enemy was boundless.

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