Polish Spitfire Aces

Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #127

by Wojtek Matusiak, Robert Grudzień (Illustrator)

Of all Allied airmen, Polish pilots had had the most experience of fighting the Luftwaffe by the time the war came to Britain. As the Battle of Britain raged, they quickly proved themselves as highly aggressive and skilful interceptors, especially when flying the famous Spitfire. The Polish Air Force eventually became the largest non-Commonwealth Spitfire operator, using some 1,500 Mks I, II, V, IX and XVI to devastating effect. Top scoring USAAF ace of the ETO, Francis "Gabby" Gabreski and a whole host of other Allied and Commonwealth aces flew with Polish squadrons, adding even more to their fighting quality. Conversely, several Polish pilots were attached to other Allied squadrons throughout the war, demonstrating their prowess alongside airmen from a whole host of nations. From an expert on Polish fighter aviation, this is a peerless account of the fiery, talented Polish "Spit" pilots, whose country had been overrun and whose aggression and determination to shoot down Axis aircraft was unmatched.

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2015

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I haven't read any of Wojtek Matusiak's other works, it appears that he is "Mr. Spitfire" when it comes to Polish military aviation, so this is probably a perfectly acceptable operational history of Polish pilots serving alongside the Royal Air Force. From previous experience with other works by MMP/Stratus, if you mostly want pictures and drawings you might be happier with the relevant numbers of the "Polish Wings" series, or "Polish Fighter Colours;" though the first volume of the later is rapidly turning into an expensive collector's item (with no sign of a second edition forthcoming). My one small complaint is that enlarged "scrap views" of the squadron and personal insignias are not provided.