A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II - Softcover

Olson, Lynne; Cloud, Stanley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 037572625X ISBN 13: 9780375726255

Publisher: Vintage, 2004

Synopsis

A Question of Honor is the gripping, little-known story of the refugee Polish pilots who joined the RAF and played an essential role in saving Britain from the Nazis, only to be betrayed by the Allies after the war.

After Poland fell to the Nazis, thousands of Polish pilots, soldiers, and sailors escaped to England. Devoted to liberating their homeland, some would form the RAF’s 303 squadron, known as the Kosciuszko Squadron, after the elite unit in which many had flown back home. Their thrilling exploits and fearless flying made them celebrities in Britain, where they were “adopted” by socialites and seduced by countless women, even as they yearned for news from home. During the Battle of Britain, they downed more German aircraft than any other squadron, but in a stunning twist at the war’s end, the Allies rewarded their valor by abandoning Poland to Joseph Stalin. This moving, fascinating book uncovers a crucial forgotten chapter in World War II–and Polish–history.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

“Olson and Cloud use the {Kosciuszko Squadron} pilots’ story as the centerpiece of an impassioned, riveting account of Poland’s betrayal by Britain and the United States, which quickly forgot the Poles’ heroism in their rush to appease Stalin’s Soviet Union.” –Adam Nagorski, Newsweek

“A wonderful story, wonderfully told. Heroism and betrayal make for heady reading, and this book is long overdue.”
–Norman Davies

“An astonishing achievement! Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud give us a fascinating account of the extremely well documented heroic and daring struggle of a group of Polish military pilots and through it they present us a glimpse of the harrowing history of Poland and Europe during the Second World War.”
–Ryszard Kapuscinski

"A Question of Honor is exciting and compelling, a fine story too rarely told, a tribute to the Polish fighting spirit, and a well-written war history about a distant but very good neighbor."
–Alan Furst

“This book presents us with one of the most disgraceful ethical horrors of World War II–how, believing the need to support Stalin at all costs, we discredited, and later neglected, our oldest, bravest, and most trustworthy ally in order to conceal the truth of a revolting crime.”
–Robert Conquest

“The Polish airmen who had escaped their savaged country in 1939 made a major contribution to the Royal Air Force’s victory in the Battle of Britain in 1940. 303 Squadron, which they formed, was the most successful of all RAF units in shooting down German aircraft, attempting to bomb Britain into surrender. Their subsequent treatment by the British government including its refusal to let the survivors march in the Victory Parade of 1946, in craven deference to Stalin, was one of the most shameful episodes of the Cold War.”
–Sir John Keegan

“A gripping account of personal gallantry and of political treachery. On a par with the recent best-sellers about the fighting men of World War II.”
–Zbigniew Brzezinski
A QUESTION OF HONOR
By Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud
Alfred A. Knopf
On-sale: September 21, 2003
ISBN: 0-375-41197-6
U.S. Price: $27.50

About the Author:

Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud are coauthors of The Murrow Boys, a biography of the correspondents whom Edward R. Murrow hired before and during World War II to create CBS News. Olson is the author of Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970. Cloud, a former Washington bureau chief for Time, was also a national political correspondent, White House correspondent, Saigon bureau chief, and Moscow correspondent for Time. Olson was a Moscow correspondent for the Associated Press and White House correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. She and Cloud are married and live in Washington, D.C.

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 037572625X
• ISBN 13: 9780375726255
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512