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
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.