Sikora, Peter The Polish "Few". Polish Airmen in the Battle of Britain

They came to fight for freedom and their country, they came to fight Germans. Men of the Polish Air Force, who had escaped first to France and then to Britain, to fly alongside the Royal Air Force just as Fighter Command faced its greatest challenge - the Battle of Britain. Many of the Polish airmen joined existing RAF squadrons. The Poles also formed their own squadrons, but only four became operational during the Battle of Britain: Nos. 300 and 301, were bomber squadrons, with another two, Nos. 302 and 303, being fighter squadrons. Flying Hawker Hurricanes, both 302 and 303 squadrons were active by the middle of August 1940, just when they were most needed, at the height of the Battle of Britain, with Fighter Command stretched to its limit. The Polish squadrons, battle-hardened from their encounters with the Luftwaffe during the invasion of Poland and Battle of France, soon made their mark. In particular, 303 Squadron become the highest-scoring unit of Fighter Command.In total, 145 Polish pilots, the largest non-British contingent in Fighter Command at the time, fought in the Battle of Britain. While Winston Churchill praised the contribution of the "Few", the pilots of many nationalities who had defended Britain, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding was more specific: "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".

Equipped with Hawker "Hurricanes", Squadrons 302 and 303 were deployed from mid-August 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, just as the RAF's Fighter Command was reaching its limits. The Polish pilots and squadrons were experienced in combat from their missions during the defence of their homeland and in the course of the Battle of France, which quickly became apparent. This was particularly evident in Squadron 303, which scored the most aerial victories of all RAF fighter squadrons during the Battle of Britain. A total of 145 Polish pilots fought in the Battle of Britain, the largest non-British contingent of the entire Fighter Command at the time. While Winston Churchill praised the contribution of the "few", the pilots of many nationalities who had defended Britain, Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding was more specific: "I hesitate to say that the result of the battle would have been the same without the contribution and unrivalled bravery of the Poles". The first 300 pages of the book are a description of the exiled Polish pilots' efforts during the Battle of Britain. The rest of the book contains short biographies of all 149 Polish fighter pilots who took part in the Battle of Britain, including lists of their aerial victories.