The Road to Britain

On 1 September 1939 the German Army, supported by the Air Force (Luftwaffe) and Navy (Kriegsmarine) invaded Poland from three sides. Polish defences, already strained under a powerful and innovative German assault, collapsed shortly after the Soviets launched their own invasion from the east on 17 September. Polish forces fought with distinction, but Poland was crushed by the two invaders in five weeks.

After their defeat, tens of thousands of Polish servicemen made their way to France to continue the struggle against a common enemy. The Polish Air Force (PAF) was recreated and established on French soil following a number of agreements between the French government and the Polish government-in-exile. Despite suffering a crushing defeat, Polish airmen maintained excellent morale and relished the opportunity to fight the Germans again.

In April 1940 the PAF was comprised of three fighter wings and one close reconnaissance wing, each with two squadrons. The combat experience and fighting ability of the Polish pilots was largely ignored by the French. Training was generally inadequate and conducted on obsolete equipment. Polish pilots were rarely deployed to combat units. During the German invasion of France in May and June 1940, only 174 Polish airmen, or 10% of the available strength, were used in combat. Despite these difficulties, the Polish airmen distinguished themselves during the French campaign, scoring 52 confirmed, 3 probables and 6 damaged enemy aircraft.