Ebook: The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in World War II

'A rich and delightful book.' The Sunday Telegraph

By the beginning of 1941 there was a fully fledged Polish Air Force operating alongside the RAF.

With 14 Squadrons it was larger than any other of the Air Force from Nazi-occupied Europe that had joined the Allies. Over 17,000 men and women passed through the ranks of the Polish Air Force while it was stationed in the UK. They shot down 745 enemy aircraft, with a further 175 unconfirmed.

They dropped thousands of bombs and laid hundreds of mines, flying 102,486 sorties notching up a total of 290,895 operation flying hours. They achieved this at a cost of 1,973 killed and 1,388 wounded. They won 342 British gallantry awards.

The Forgotten Few is a story of heroism and sacrifice, about a group of soldiers seeking vengeance and victory.

Adam Zamoyski, the acclaimed author of 1812 and Warsaw, 1912, gets under the skin of the pilots and recounts their achievements with his usual style and insight.

Recommended for fans of Patrick Bishop, Max Hastings and Antony Beevor.

Adam Zamoyski was born in New York but has spent most of his life in England. He was educated at Downside and Queen's College, Oxford. A freelance historian with a singular command of languages, he has written a bestselling history of Poland, as well as three books of military history and three biographies.