LEADER 02708cam a2200397 a 4500003 hubpceuo 005 20200811150356.0 007 ta 008 021213s2003 nyuab b 001 0deng 010 2002044826 020 0375411976 040 DLC |cDLC |dDLC |dhubpceuo |bEnglish 041 eng 043 e-uk---e-pl--- 050 00 D786 |b.O57 2003 082 00 940.54/1241/0899185 |221 100 1 Olson, Lynne, |d1949- 245 12 A question of honor : |bthe Kościuszko Squadron : forgotten heroes of World War II / |cLynne Olson & Stanley Cloud. 250 1st ed. 260 New York : |bKnopf, |c2003. 300 xii, 495 p. : |bill., maps ; |c25 cm. 504 Includes bibliographical references (p. 467-475) and index. 520 Centering on five pilots of the renowned Kosciuszko Squadron, the authors show how the fliers, driven by their passionate desire to liberate their homeland, came to be counted among the most heroic and successful fighter pilots of World War II. Drawing on the Kosciuszko Squadron’s unofficial diary–filled with the fliers’ personal experiences in combat–and on letters, interviews, memoirs, histories, and photographs, the authors bring the men and battles of the squadron vividly to life. We follow the principal characters from their training before the war, through their hair-raising escape from Poland to France and then, after the fall of France, to Britain. We see how, first treated with disdain by the RAF, the Polish pilots played a crucial role during the Battle of Britain, where their daredevil skill in engaging German Messerschmitts in close and deadly combat while protecting the planes in their own groups soon made them legendary. And we learn what happened to them after the war, when their country was abandoned and handed over to the Soviet Union. 610 10 Great Britain. |bRoyal Air Force. |bSquadron (Polish), 303rd |xHistory. 650 0 Air pilots, Military |zPoland |xHistory |y20th century. 650 0 World War, 1939-1945 |xRegimental histories |zGreat Britain. 650 0 World War, 1939-1945 |xAerial operations, Polish. 650 0 World War, 1939-1945 |xAerial operations, British. 650 0 World War, 1939-1945 |xForced repatriation. 700 1 Cloud, Stanley, |d1936- 942 |2ddc |cBK 952 |00 |10 |2ddc |40 |6940_540000000000000_1241_0899185_OLS |70 |8REF |9129644OSA |bOSA |d2020-08-11 |eOSA |l0 |o940.54/1241/0899185 OLS |r2020-08-11 |w2020-08-11 |yBK |zDonation of School of Public Policy. |cReference 920 01 WokMVaYr 992 01 940_540000000000000_1241_0899185_OLS |bQVZ_UVZZZZZZZZZZZZZ_YXVY_ZRQQYRU_BE7 966 |cIn the Research Room