We are approaching the celebrations of the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which united British and Polish pilots in the common struggle against the ominous Nazi threat. On the 15th of September, the organisation Hurricane of Hearts (HoH) has ensured that at Polish stores, service establishments and institutions across London – you will be able to find stickers with a white and red chequered pattern.
Browsing: Polish pilots
Nearly seventy years ago Capitan Witold Aleksander Herbst stood on the sidewalk of the Oxford Street with notably absent Polish troops at the London Victory Celebrations, marking the end of World War II. As a result of shifting political alliances, the contributions of Polish forces, which so valiantly fought under British command during the war, were sadly forgotten. For one man among those wronged in 1946, the long-awaited recognition arrived on a warm October evening at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, with a premiere of documentary film, “Spitfire Liberator: The Alex Herbst Story”. Dedicated to one of the last living pilots of the legendary 303 and 308 Polish Squadrons, Captain Alex Herbst, who was shot down three times but even mistakenly thought to have been killed in action, the film is the result of several years of work.
Historic and contemporary aircraft of the Polish Air Force took part in The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford.
To commemorate the Polish contribution to the Battle of Britain, the Polish Embassy in London has launched #BoBPoles, a project devoted to the lives and exploits of Poles who fought in the 1940 campaign. The project envisages events on the ground, in the air and on the internet.