303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron
The summer of 1940 and the Battle of Britain—the darkest days of World War II. France, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Norway had all been crushed by the powerful Nazi German war machine. Great Britain stood alone, fighting for its life. 303 Squadron is the thrilling story of the celebrated squadron of Polish fighter pilots whose superb skill in the air helped save England during its most desperate hours. They were the highest-scoring Allied fighter squadron in the Battle of Britain, downing three times the average RAF score while incurring only one-third the average casualties. Dashing and gallant 303 Squadron was lionized by the British press, congratulated by the King, and adored by the British public. With an immediacy that vividly brings to life those harrowing days, Fiedler paints the bravery, the poignancy, the breathtaking gambles with death risked daily by this exceptional group of young men far from home, who fought to preserve freedom for all. “Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of the battle would have been the same.” — British Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding Translated from the Polish; identifies the pilots by their real names for the first time in English. Nearly 200 black & white photos, maps and illustrations; contextualizing historical material; nine appendices. Selection of the History Book Club and the Military Book Club. Winner: GOLD Award for History, 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards SILVER Award for Interior Design, 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE
1100087901
303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron
The summer of 1940 and the Battle of Britain—the darkest days of World War II. France, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Norway had all been crushed by the powerful Nazi German war machine. Great Britain stood alone, fighting for its life. 303 Squadron is the thrilling story of the celebrated squadron of Polish fighter pilots whose superb skill in the air helped save England during its most desperate hours. They were the highest-scoring Allied fighter squadron in the Battle of Britain, downing three times the average RAF score while incurring only one-third the average casualties. Dashing and gallant 303 Squadron was lionized by the British press, congratulated by the King, and adored by the British public. With an immediacy that vividly brings to life those harrowing days, Fiedler paints the bravery, the poignancy, the breathtaking gambles with death risked daily by this exceptional group of young men far from home, who fought to preserve freedom for all. “Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of the battle would have been the same.” — British Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding Translated from the Polish; identifies the pilots by their real names for the first time in English. Nearly 200 black & white photos, maps and illustrations; contextualizing historical material; nine appendices. Selection of the History Book Club and the Military Book Club. Winner: GOLD Award for History, 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards SILVER Award for Interior Design, 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE
21.95 In Stock
303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron

303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron

303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron

303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron

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Overview

The summer of 1940 and the Battle of Britain—the darkest days of World War II. France, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Norway had all been crushed by the powerful Nazi German war machine. Great Britain stood alone, fighting for its life. 303 Squadron is the thrilling story of the celebrated squadron of Polish fighter pilots whose superb skill in the air helped save England during its most desperate hours. They were the highest-scoring Allied fighter squadron in the Battle of Britain, downing three times the average RAF score while incurring only one-third the average casualties. Dashing and gallant 303 Squadron was lionized by the British press, congratulated by the King, and adored by the British public. With an immediacy that vividly brings to life those harrowing days, Fiedler paints the bravery, the poignancy, the breathtaking gambles with death risked daily by this exceptional group of young men far from home, who fought to preserve freedom for all. “Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of the battle would have been the same.” — British Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding Translated from the Polish; identifies the pilots by their real names for the first time in English. Nearly 200 black & white photos, maps and illustrations; contextualizing historical material; nine appendices. Selection of the History Book Club and the Military Book Club. Winner: GOLD Award for History, 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards SILVER Award for Interior Design, 2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781607720058
Publisher: Aquila Polonica
Publication date: 11/16/2010
Pages: 304
Sales rank: 492,555
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Author ARKADY FIEDLER (1894-1985), was born in Poznan, Poland, educated at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, in Poznan and at the University of Leipzig. A best-selling travel writer researching in Tahiti when WWII began, Fiedler made his way back to Europe and joined the Polish Army in France after Poland had fallen to the Germans. His 32 books have been translated into 23 languages selling over 10 million copies. 303 Squadron is his most famous and popular book. Translator JAREK GARLINSKI, born in London, England, grew up bilingual in English and Polish. His father, noted historian and author Jozef Garlinski, and his mother Eileen Short-Garlinska, one of only a few Britons who spent WWII in Warsaw, both served in the Polish Underground Army during the war. Educated at the University of Nottingham, the University of Grenoble, and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at the University of London, Garlinski is fluent in French, Russian, English and Polish, with a distinguished career in education. He has translated numerous books of Polish literature and history, specializing in the WWII era.

Table of Contents

Introduction xxi

A Note About… xxv

Translator's Note xxix

Author's Preface xxxiii

1 The Battle of Britain 1940 l

2 The Fighter Pilot 14

3 31st August: The First Battle 21

4 2nd September: Comradeship 32

5 When the Ammunition Ran Out 41

6 5th-6th September: You Win Some, You Lose Some 49

7 7th September: A Tasty Morsel-Dorniers 64

8 Pain 77

9 A Smile Through the Blood 84

10 The Cloud 93

11 11th September: The Greatest Victory 100

12 The Enemy's Dance of Death 113

13 A Brave Czech 119

14 The Colorless Roots of Brilliant Flowers 128

15 A Fearless, Flawless Airman 141

16 The Myth of the Messerschmitt 110 152

17 Tricks 164

18 15th September: Fate in the Balance 172

19 15th September: Fate Decided 183

20 'We Are Beginning to Understand the Poles' 191

Historical Horizon

The Road to Britain for the Polish Air Force A Brief Overview 203

Appendices

1 Glossary of English, Polish, German and French Terms and Acronyms 221

2 Polish Air Force Ranks and their Royal Air Force Equivalents During World War II 227

3 303 Squadron Personnel in the Battle of Britain 231

4 Pilot Biographies 237

Tadeusz Andruszków 239

Michal Brzezowski 241

Arsen Cebrzynski 243

Jan Daszewski 245

Miroslaw Feric 247

Athol Forbes 249

Josef František 251

Zdzislaw Henneberg 254

Stanislaw Karubin 257

Ronald Kellett 259

John Kent 261

Zdzislaw Krasnodebski 264

Witold Lokuciewski 266

Ludwik Paszkiewicz 269

Marian Pisarek 271

Eugeniusz Szaposznikow 274

Witold Urbanowicz 276

Stefan Wójtowicz 280

Kazimierz Wünsche 282

Jan Zumbach 285

5 303 Squadron Claimed Victories During the Battle of Britain 289

6 Brothers In Arms: The 303 Squadron Badge and the Original Kosciuszko Squadron 297

7 The Song of 303 Squadron 313

8 Against All Odds: The Creation of the Polish Air Force Colour 319

9 Operational Units of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain during World War II 327

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