A Question of Honor: The Forgotten Polish Heroes of World War II

From Publishers Weekly
Following up the acclaimed The Murrow Boys: Pioneers on the Frontlines of Broadcast Journalism, the authors offer a solid addition to WWII aviation history. The first all-Polish squadron in the Royal Air Force, the Kosciuszko Squadron was formed from experienced Polish Air Force pilots who had fled their fallen country by way of Romania and France to England. Its members, according to the authors, needed little instruction in combat flying but some in the English language. When they took to the air, the squadron's pilots, along with Poles serving elsewhere in Fighter Command, made a large (possibly indispensable) contribution to victory in the Battle of Britain. That battle is the dramatic high point of the book, which from 1941 on shifts its focus to the sorry fate meted out to Poland as a nation and Poles in particular, especially in the infamous Katyn Massacre and the Warsaw Uprising. The authors document how this mistreatment took place with the acquiescence of the Western Allies, grossly misjudging Stalin's ambitions in Eastern Europe. Despite the same extraordinarily fluent writing and thorough research found in The Murrow Boys, readers might still be left wanting to know more about the fate of some of the Polish aviators after the Battle of Britain. Even so, the political balance they bring to telling the political story is noteworthy. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Poland's lot at the hands of Hitler and Stalin has been exhaustively examined by historians. But Olson and Cloud's book shows that the topic merits further consideration. Their sure lure is the Battle of Britain and the crucial role played by Polish fighter pilots. Without bogging down in aviation minutiae, the authors dramatize the seemingly reckless romantic dash of five Polish pilots, which transformed them into temporary celebrities and captivating figures. After tracking the fate of the pilots for the rest of the war, Olson and Cloud then ascend to a different plane, Big Three diplomacy, from which issued a Sovietized Poland. These sections are necessarily a synthesis, but a skillfully composed one for the warplane-oriented reader whom the authors have hooked with their opening cast. Libraries may expect the average interest exhibited in new WW II titles to double for the authors' good work. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“Exciting. . . . A tale of heroism, camaraderie and glory. The authors vividly re-create the airmen’s daily bouts with death and nights of partying, their lost lives and loves.” —The Washington Post Book World

“An impassioned, riveting account of Poland’s betrayal by Britain and the United States, which quickly forgot the Poles’ heroism in their rush to appease the Soviet Union.” —Newsweek

“Exciting and compelling, a fine story too rarely told, a tribute to the Polish fighting spirit, and a well-written war history about a distant but very good neighbor.” —Alan Furst


Review
?Olson and Cloud use the {Kosciuszko Squadron} pilots? story as the centerpiece of an impassioned, riveting account of Poland?s betrayal by Britain and the United States, which quickly forgot the Poles? heroism in their rush to appease Stalin?s Soviet Union.? ?Adam Nagorski, Newsweek

?A wonderful story, wonderfully told. Heroism and betrayal make for heady reading, and this book is long overdue.?
?Norman Davies

?An astonishing achievement! Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud give us a fascinating account of the extremely well documented heroic and daring struggle of a group of Polish military pilots and through it they present us a glimpse of the harrowing history of Poland and Europe during the Second World War.?
?Ryszard Kapuscinski

"A Question of Honor is exciting and compelling, a fine story too rarely told, a tribute to the Polish fighting spirit, and a well-written war history about a distant but very good neighbor."
?Alan Furst

?This book presents us with one of the most disgraceful ethical horrors of World War II?how, believing the need to support Stalin at all costs, we discredited, and later neglected, our oldest, bravest, and most trustworthy ally in order to conceal the truth of a revolting crime.?
?Robert Conquest

?The Polish airmen who had escaped their savaged country in 1939 made a major contribution to the Royal Air Force?s victory in the Battle of Britain in 1940. 303 Squadron, which they formed, was the most successful of all RAF units in shooting down German aircraft, attempting to bomb Britain into surrender. Their subsequent treatment by the British government including its refusal to let the survivors march in the Victory Parade of 1946, in craven deference to Stalin, was one of the most shameful episodes of the Cold War.?
?Sir John Keegan

?A gripping account of personal gallantry and of political treachery. On a par with the recent best-sellers about the fighting men of World War II.?
?Zbigniew Brzezinski



A QUESTION OF HONOR
By Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud
Alfred A. Knopf
On-sale: September 21, 2003
ISBN: 0-375-41197-6
U.S. Price: $27.50







Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

One of the lesser-known tales of the Second World War concerns the young Polish pilots who managed to escape their ravaged country after Hitler's invasion. Some had been in the outclassed Polish air force, others were civilians, but all were determined to fight against the Nazis, anytime and anywhere. Most of them ended up in England, where the British initially were slow to recognize their fighting ability. However, none doubted their zeal—bordering on hatred—to punish Germany for what it did to their families and their nation. Fortunately, the skeptical Brits gave a few of them permission to show their skill in slow training planes. That was all that the expatriates needed. They proceeded to fly the pokey craft as if they were Spitfires, and in a very short time they found themselves organized into squadrons, equipped with the latest fighters, and thrown into the Battle of Britain. This book is about one of these fighting units, Royal Air Force 303 Squadron, named for one of the Polish heroes of the American Revolutionary War, Tadeusz Kosciuszko. The stunning exploits of those "Polish Eagles" alone would have been enough to justify a book—the refugees shot down 40 German planes during their first eight days of combat, and went on from there. Brave to the point of recklessness, their casualties were as high as their accomplishments. This title, however, is a great deal more than simply another undemanding tale of combat derring-do. Instead, co-authors Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud go behind the scenes to unearth a more significant story, a seamier account of military and political mistreatment that ranged from casual ingratitude to near-betrayal at the highest levels. Asthe end of the war neared, the Polish warriors gradually became something of a hot potato. They became a diplomatic embarrassment to President Roosevelt and to their British hosts after Stalin annexed their battered country. The squadron that ended the war as the highest-scoring unit in the RAF suddenly had no place in the post-war air force, or even in the victory parades that followed V-E Day. Being professional journalists, Olson and Cloud tell the Kosciuszko squadron's saga in a gripping style, through the eyes and exploits of five of its young pilots. Exciting aerial action is deftly interspersed with enough solid political and military history to make the book a valuable one for high schoolers as well as satisfying to the average adult reader. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2003, Random House, Vintage, 495p. illus. notes. bibliog. index., Ages 15 to adult.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices