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Did Polish pilots win the Battle of Britain?
See link:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-untold-batt...
The battle between the Luftwaffe and the British Air Force was very closely fought. Hitler was attempting to subdue Britain to prepare the way for a ground invasion.
I think two key factors were to result in our victory:
1) The heroism of the Polish 303 squadron - the most efficient squadron in the British Air Force, hardened pilots who flew closer than others and brought down more Nazi aircraft.
2) Radar.
Has the contribution of Polish pilots during the Second World War gone unrecognised?
What do you think?
8 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
The Polish pilots played a major part and this has been recognised in the film, Battle of Britain, released in 1969.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXf1bhEEXd0
Polish squadron aircraft have also been preserved for posterity.
Compared to the majority of British pilots they had an average of 2-300 flying hours and combat experience. The average British pilot had 10 hours and was literally thrown in at the deep end.
Edit: the ending of that documentary was very sad.
- 1 decade ago
No, Polish pilots did NOT "win" the Battle of Britain. They helped.
South African, Australian, Czech, Polish, Canadian, and UK pilots ALL, collectively, won the Battle of Britain. Hell, even a very few Americans were in the RAF--not, not the Eagle Squadron, yet.
There were even smatterings of Norwegian pilots in the fighting.
And if you watch the great film from 1967, the Poles are given LOTS of credit.
Radar, of course, was a vital factor, and so was the German's generous supply of messages, duly decoded at the highest levels.
No, it has not gone unrecognized at all.
- Comrade BolshevLv 71 decade ago
I think it would be more accurate to say that without them, it's questionable whether we would have won, and without them and the other nations, both Commonwealth and European, who fought alongside the RAF, we would certainly have lost.
If you're in London, it's worth looking at the Battle of Britain memorial, which shows how many nations' pilots actually fought the Nazis.
And do you know, there were even a few Americans, doing as individuals what their government should have done.
Source(s): Family involvement - my father, an Irishman, one of some 50,000 from the then Free State, who also did as individuals what their government should have done, even if it meant serving in the armed forces of a recent enemy. He was a great admirer of the Poles' courage, too. - How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
- Anonymous5 years ago
The state of Isreal was formed in 1948 but there were the King's Jewish Palenstinian Soldiers.
- candy gLv 71 decade ago
the polish as well as the canadian fighter pilots did them selves very proud during that time of war, there are several memorials to both countries for there brave men that came in to help out when Britain was losing men faster than they could train them.
- SpitfireLv 51 decade ago
In my opinion we should have stayed out of it when Hitler invaded Poland and sat back and done nothing just like the Yanks did.
