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Subject: English language - discussions
Over here it's a common excercise. Even for classes Dutch. I daresay it might not be all that rubbish.
Well it depends on what do one try to teach and test. If the aim is to t&t the vocabulary + text understanding + thinking, reasoning, etc. then it is a good exercise. But if the aim is to check and assess the linguistic abilities in chosen language, then it's a terrible exercise, because the student might know the word, might know its meaning, connotations etc. but might not deduce that this particular word is what the teacher expects him to use. It's a bit different story when you have a list of words to match with such 'blanks' but still...
but arrive makes little sense! What are they teaching you fellows!?
It seems to be correct though. Googling it gives me plenty of hits which at the very least indicates it is used like this. Whether or not is correct is something I can't say with certainty. Sense in language is a subject I wouldn't touch with a bargepole.
If it is used like that it is not used in proper English but some bizarre form of it I think they call American English perhaps...
Hi guys! Would you mind checking a bit of my writing? It's quite long, but you could do it in parts, when you will simply have some free time...I would be grateful. There shouldn't[he he] be a lot of mistakes, but I had problems from time with the syntax or chosing the appropriate word. I will post it later on...
...and here it is.
Polish pilots in RAF during the Second World War
The Second World War was a horrible episode in the history of mankind. Since its commencing on 1st September 1939, people witnessed all bad characteristics of human dark side. Murders, genocides, betrayals, rapes and many other shameful events were happening on daily basis back then. During such hard times it is easy to become one of the bad guys. That is why we should admire them and pay tribute to those, who decided to fight the overwhelming evil, until death liberated them from what they perceived as their duty.
Poland, possibly the most maltreated country from all participants during the Second World War, had its heroes. The history of Warsaw Uprising and its insurgents is vastly known, as well as the heroic acts of Polish soldiers during the Battle for Monte Cassino. Then again, the significance of Polish Air Forces, incorporated into Royal Air Forces during World War II, is widely underestimated, even in Poland. It is true, that after the collapse of Polish defence they were fighting abroad, but their objective remained the same as before – they were fighting for Poland and its freedom, because if Britain failed to force the enemy back, the whole Europe would probably become conquered by the German Nazis.
1.1 Polish Air Forces – the new Husaria
During XVI-XVII centuries Poland had one of the most envied military units in Europe, called Husaria. Even such powers as powers as Turkey or Sweden were frightened of it. One can say that Husaria was the Middle-Ages version of World War II’s German Panzer units. In the 20th century, pilots became the new Husaria, new heroes of Poland. It was the most popular and demanding military service in Poland. The Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin had 6’000 young men competing for 90 places in one year. The Dęblin Academy cadets were taught to be chivalrous, with reference to the Husaria traditions. The training was difficult and challenging, especially when we take into consideration the fact, that the cadets had to train on primitive, old fighters, which demanded from them constant concentration and relying upon their own skills. It eventually turned out better for them, British and American fliers claimed that their Polish allies seemed to scan the sky better than other pilots.
1.2 The beginning of the war
Even though Polish fighter pilots were possibly the best trained fliers of all those who took part in the Second World War, it did not matter during the German Blitzkrieg. PAF had only archaic, obsolete planes and were vastly outnumbered by the German Luftwaffe. Germans had about 1’500 bombers and 1’100 technologically advanced fighters, including world’s fastest plane at that time, the Me-109. PAF, on the other hand, owned only 390 planes, of which only 150 were fighters. When we take these numbers into consideration, it is obvious that Polish Air Forces had scarcely any chance against their Western opponents. The sole thing that they were able to do, was to weaken the raids of Luftwaffe, but anything more than that was out of reach for them. Frustrated and infuriated, the Polish fighter pilots had to reconcile themselves with their fate. While they were able to consider themselves beaten, it was beyond their capabilities to accept the German approach to the war. PAF pilots were taught to behave in a chivalrous way, but their Luftwaffe counterparts had a different idea about the war. On Hitler’s demand, they attacked civilians – including women and children. What is more, they attacked the pilots who already bailed out of their planes, once they have even attacked the mourners at the funeral of previously killed Polish pilot.
The whole situation was partially caused by Great Britain and France, Poland’s biggest allies. One can even dare to say, that Poland was betrayed by those countries. It took British government 53 hours to declare war on Germany; France needed even 6 more hours. Furthermore, the only action of Polish allies was to send planes over Germany, but not in order to attack them – the idea was to throw down fliers, in which Britain tried to persuade the Third Reich to stop the war. Each day, Poland hoped to hear about the Allied attack on barely guarded West Germany boarders. Unfortunately, instead of France or Great Britain, the next country to literally join the war, was Soviet Union. It was the nail to Poland’s coffin. It looks as if Great Britain really believed that they will make the Germans surrender without shooting any British bullet. The British Foreign Office revealed a comment, that albeit RAD failed to start the promised bombing of Germany, the sole threat of it should demoralize the Germans and make them end the war.
Polish resistance lasted for 35 long, brutal days. The German offensive was so vicious, that even Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the chief of counterintelligence service of Third Reich, had a nervous breakdown when he saw his comrades’ behaviour. Conquered by German Blitzkrieg offensive, Polish soldiers had no other option than to abandon their beloved country. Their last hope was Romania, therefore relying on its government’s loyalty, they left Poland. Unfortunately Polish soldiers were betrayed once again. The government situated in Bucharest made a secret deal with Germans to arrest and put Polish people to internment camps, as Romania declared itself to be neutral, which was evidently caused by fear of Hitler and his associates. Double-crossed by their allies and defeated in combat, soldiers of Poland still had enough inner strength to maintain the fight for their country. Polish government-in-exile was formed in France and started an evacuation plan for the soldier incarcerated in Romania. Provided with false identifications and small amounts of money, Polish army men, including pilots, started their departure, via planes and ships, to welcoming, or so they thought it was, France.
1.3 The struggle for freedom continues
Although the evacuation plan worked well, all things did not go as Polish soldiers hoped for. At the beginning, the French government insisted on the arrival of Polish fliers. Eventually, it turned out that pilots from Poland were not too pleasant for the French, because they reminded them about the war. The attitude of French soldiers was also a bit tainted by the work of German propaganda. Part of France’s airmen really believed that Poland was the country to have started the Second World War. They were a tad hostile towards their Polish brothers in arms and slightly suspicious. What is more, it was a common belief in France that the Maginot Line was a barrier that no army was able to breach through; therefore there was no need to be afraid of German army. The French continued to live their lives at their best, ignoring warnings and entreaties. Future has proven how flawed was the French reasoning and belief of the Maginot’s Line impassability back then. Their attitude towards the ongoing war was tragic, as General Brooke, who was responsible for commanding one of British Expeditionary Force corps in France, described:
"Never have I seen anything more slovenly and badly turned out. Men unshaven, horses ungroomed, clothes and sadlery that did not fit, vehicles dirty, and a complete lack of pride in themselves and their units. What shook me most...was the look in the men’s faces, disgruntled and insubordinate looks, and although ordered to give ‘Eyes left’, hardly a man bothered to do so." (Olson, Cloud, 83)
As for Great Britain, at the beginning they were rather ambivalent on what to do with Polish fighter pilots. They decided to give accommodation only to 300 fliers and proposed them a bomber pilot job. Although it was a slander for Polish heroes to be, many pilots decided that it is better to fly bombers in Britain than to keep on doing literally nothing in France. In 1940 the French have finally got an idea to start training Polish fliers in their planes, and to use them in fights with Germans later on. The whole training was supposed to last for three months, but most of the pilots managed to finish it in one month. Unfortunately, at the beginning only eighteen fliers were assigned to frontline flying units. Only about 150 Polish pilots took an active part in the battle of France, while 1’600 were available and ready for combat. After the German Blitzkrieg has conquered yet another country, the French officers started to celebrate, because for them, unlike the Poles, the war was over and it was a reason for happiness. Unlike France, Great Britain was still urging to fight against the Nazi offence. Winston Churchill, at this point already chosen as the Prime Minister of Great Britain, sounded much more belligerent than his French counterpart. In his conversation with General Władysław Sikorski, he said: “Tell your army in France that we are their comrades in life and in death. We shall conquer together or we shall die together.” Polish Air Force pilots had to change their place of combat yet again, and once more were double-crossed. Their former ally, France, took an example from Romania and decided to hamper the Polish retreat. French officials did everything they could to make the evacuation harder. They confiscated planes of Polish fliers, sometimes even bulleted the fuel tanks. Still, over 75% of Polish Air Force pilots, at that time consisting of over 8’000 men, managed to move to Britain. As for the infantry, most of its members got killed or incarcerated. Scarcely about 20’000 got through the Channel and joined the British forces. At that time Joseph Goebbels gave Polish army men a new, utterly disgraceful, nickname – he called them ‘Sikorski’s tourists’.
1.4 Sikorski’s tourists arrive in Britain
Finally the Poles had arrived in Britain, their last loyal ally. As the France got beaten, the Nazi’s evil eyes turned upon Britain, their last fighting opponent on the West side of Europe. During that time Great Britain was already led by charismatic Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Churchill himself was decently similar to the Polish soldiers when we take into account his romanticism and strong belief in such values as honour, patriotism, pride or loyalty. When he was still a member of the English Parliament, Winston was one of the not so many members aware of what actually happened in Poland and well conscious of what was going to happen with France after the invasion of Nazi’s. He perceived every aspect of politics as black or white, never as grey, unlike the other members of British Parliament. But the most pivotal characteristic of Churchill was that he was passionate and fully determined to fight for the country’s independence, which, as we saw on France’s example, was not that obvious. The fate of France has finally opened eyes of all British politics and citizens; it finally came to their minds that their country might be in serious jeopardy. Britain was capable of mustering only twenty army divisions, while Third Reich army was ten times more powerful. Churchill described his country’s military position as naked; still, he managed to convince his fellow Brits at the Parliament that Britain should have only one aim in this war – victory, victory at all costs.
Britain’s Prime Minister made his decision. Britain will win, or will die trying to achieve the victory, just like Poland did few months earlier, when German’s started their offensive. To Churchill war was more than just a temporary political situation. He perceived it as a heroic struggle for maintaining the independence, a crusade for defeating the monster called Germany. Winston, a man well known for his rhetorical skills, convinced Britain. There was no longer a possibility to surrender. Britain was going to fight and was ready for any sacrifice that was needed. After the fall of France, Great Britain became some sort of refugee camp for those soldiers, whose countries were occupied by the oppressor, but still had the fire in their hearts to fight for them. For Churchill it was a real blessing – new soldiers, not only willing to join the combat, but also already well-experienced in their fights against the German devil. Britain’s Prime Minister was particularly hoping for income of Polish soldiers, whose bravery, courage and determination he admired. And Poles worked up to their reputation, showing up an amount bigger than 30’000, creating the biggest foreign military group in Britain, with an astounding number of 8’500 airmen. During the later stages of the Second World War the total number of Polish army men fighting for the Allied Cause in Britain has risen up to over 200’000 soldiers. They were considered as the best ally that Britain had so far, especially compared to France, whose Marshall Petain was so eager to give up on fighting for his country and capitulate, therefore presenting his motherland to Nazi’s.
Churchill used to portray Polish army men as one of the finest during the Second World War, underlining their spirit and courageous performance in defending Poland against the Germans, even if they did not have modern military equipment and were not really prepared for the war. Even though the British citizens scarcely had any knowledge concerning Poland and its soldiers’ heroic actions, they welcomed Polish fighters with much friendliness and sympathy. Polish soldiers on the other hand were quite suspicious and sceptical towards their new brothers in arms. Well, it is hard to blame them for it, considering their fresh experiences with the Frenchmen. Yet, concerning the military aspect, Brits were not too fond of Poles’ skills; it was partially caused by the influence of German propaganda. The British Air Ministry decided that Polish pilots needed to learn some English and the British way of fighting in the sky. Sikorski’s tourists were also supposed to become bomber pilots, which was not really what they hoped for – they were fighter pilots, and as such they wanted to go into the combat. Royal Air Forces officers were also a bit concerned by the egotism and individualism shown by Poles. They thought that Polish Air Force members had to learn how to act as a team and should always be accompanied by British fliers. Needless to say, this kind of attitude made Polish pilots furious; they thought that if there was anyone who could talk about fighting the Germans, then it was them, not their British counterparts. While they agreed to the idea to fly the bombers, they found it as a kind of insult. Many of them were postgraduates of the Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin, one of the best and most demanding air force training academies in the whole wide world. Furthermore, they were not only well educated, but also highly experienced; and yet, there they were, treated by the RAF officials as amateurs.
1.5 PAF joins RAF
While it was obvious that Polish Air Force members stationing in Britain expect to form an all-Polish units, the reality turned out to be different. The Air Ministry of Britain had an idea to turn Polish aviators in Volunteer Reserves, an air force, which was consisting solely of citizens. It was an extremely humiliating suggestion, which is well explained in Question of Honour:
"It was said that a Regular was an officer trying to be a gentleman, an Auxiliary was a gentleman trying to be an officer, and a Volunteer Reserve was some poor sod trying to be both. The Poles, who could be quite touchy on matters of personal dignity, already considered themselves officers and gentlemen and resented the implication that they were neither. (Olson, Cloud, 99)"
Another problematic issue was the fact that the Air ministry demanded from Polish pilots to pledge an oath to British King, they were also instructed to wear the uniforms of Royal Air Forces. Furthermore, Poles were informed that they will start with the lowest British military ranks, as pilot officers, warrant officers, flight sergeants or sergeants, except for those who were designated to lead the squadrons – squadron leaders, or lead the flight – flight lieutenants. As for the war crimes, till 23rd March 1944 Polish soldiers were in the custody of the British military tribunal.[Król, 12-13]
All in all, it seemed that the reason for such humiliating proposals was that the British officers had not even a faintest idea on what to do with the flier from Poland. While the leaving conditions turned out to be much better than in France, the attitude towards PAF members remained unchanged – they were vastly underestimated. Meanwhile, as the time moved on, “Sikorski’s tourists” started to become as anxious and nervous as one can be. They were doing their best to infuriate their British supervisors in any way they found suitable, for example by doing high risk manoeuvres during their training flights. To show the scale of their insubordination it is enough to mention, that they have started acting in such a bad manner, that the complaints were made not only by their British superiors, but also from Polish Air Force command. In the PAF newsletter they were reminded, that they are the representatives of Poland in Great Britain and their behaviour will have great influence on the general, common image of Polish citizens and army men.
No sooner than in June 1940, the British command has finally realised that they actually badly needed Polish pilots. Faced with the full power of German Luftwaffe, it became obvious to them that they will have to use Polish forces, willingly or not, ass fighter pilots. The main cause for the lack of pilots in British Army were the huge losses that Britain had suffered in the Battle of France. During only three weeks, the total number of RAF pilots was reduced by about three hundred men, while over a hundred more were imprisoned. By the end of the fights in France, Britain lost about 1’000 aircraft, which was nearly a half of their front line’s strength. Considering, that Luftwaffe was capable of using about 1’400 bombers and 1’000 fighters, the fate of Britain was not really far from being decided. Due to these circumstances, Polish fighter pilots have started to be attached to the undermanned squadrons of RAF and finally got the occasion to pay their debts with the Germans.
1.6 The infernal war moves to Britain
August the 8th was the day, when the famous Battle of Britain commenced. The Germans new that they have to attack through the air, otherwise their attempts will be vain. British navy fleet, Royal Navy, was far too powerful and big for German Kriegsmarine. Their aim was to overcome the RAF and then defeat the Royal Navy with joined efforts of Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. The next step would have been a sea landing and that was something that would have meant the end of Britain, therefore the sky clashes were crucial in the defence against Germany. While most of the RAF fliers were freshmen, many of them still during their basic pilot training, RAF had an urgent need for experienced well-skilled fighter pilots. This was the time, when the Air Ministry of Britain finally agreed to accept most of Polish demands and eventually removed Polish pilots from the Volunteer Reserve and acknowledged them as members of the Polish Air Forces. They no longer had to swear their oath to the British King, although they still had to wear the uniforms of RAF and persisted under the command of RAF. Yet, it was nothing compared to the succeeding announcement, which proclaimed the formation of two entirely new Polish squadrons. One of the was the most famous Polish squadron during the Battle of Britain, called 303 “Warsaw” Kosciuszko Squadron; the other one was 302 “Poznan”. The squadron leader who was put into command of Kosciuszko Squadron was Ronald Kellett, who, at first, was very doubtful about the potential that was dreaming, or not,[?] in the 303. His opinion was based solely on the fact, that PAF defence of Poland lasted scarce three days and there was no reason to believe that Polish fliers will do any better this time. He could not be more wrong, and soon he was about to find out, how far away from truth was his judgement.
The Kosciuszko Squadron was assigned to station at Northolt, which was placed in a very important sector, the one responsible for defending London. It was no secret that the performance of squadrons stationing a Northolt will be pivotal for[?] the fate of Britain. John Kent was chosen to be the second flight commander of the “ 303” and, alike Kellett, was not too happy because of it, to say the least. At the beginning, the squadron consisted of no less than 34 Polish pilots. The “303” was the name designated by the Royal Air Forces, while pilots themselves preferred the name “Kosciuszko Squadron”. According to the agreement between the Polish and the British air forces, each Polish squadron was ought to have both an English and a Polish officer. Therefore, Zdzisław Krasnodębski, nicknamed “The King”, was chosen to be Kellet’s Polish counterpart. The Polish opposite numbers[?] of flight leaders, Kent and Forbes, were Witold Urbanowicz and Ludwik Paszkiewicz. Many pilots of the Kosciuszko Squadron turned out to become[?] the living legends during the Battle of Britain, to name such individuals as Jan Zumbach, Witold Łokuciewski or Mirosław Ferić, who formed a trio known as “The Three Musketeers”. Together, they managed to shoot down 30 certain and 9 probable German planes; they also damaged a total of 2 other aircrafts[Wacław Król, 157]. The final requirement for the Poles stationing at Northolt was to acquire British tactics and basic English language, a condition that was totally understandable, because they were going to be commanded by English speaking superiors and it was not really possible to take an interpreter on board of each Spitfire and Hurricane; although in the beginning of 1941 a Polish navigator was brought into the Operations Room. Despite being, at first, more than doubtful over the Polish pilots, when he saw them in action, Kent admitted that his doubts were totally uncalled for.[?] He turned into a keen admirer of Poles and started to defend them in conversations with other officers and officials.
13th August was chosen by Herman Goring as the “Eagle Day”, the commencement of the German aerial discrepancy[?] of Blitzkrieg, which meant attacking British airfields, aircraft factories and radar stations. It was one of the decisive points in the Second World War. The aim, at the beginning, was not to attack the civilians, nor destroy the cities, but to obliterate/annihilate/raze the enemy fighters and military devices, therefore gaining an advantage in the sky over Britain. It was a series of regular raids of Luftwaffe’s fighters and bombers; it caused massive losses on both sides, including aircraft and their crew. While replacement of planes was not that problematic/perplexing, it was exactly the otherwise with the pilots. At one point, RAF had an urgent need of 200 more men. Owing to[?] these circumstances, the duration of the pilot training was truncated[?] to no more, than 2 weeks. The situation was well depicted by Air Marshal Christopher Foxley-Norris:
“You took an ignorant young man, stuck him in an aeroplane, and told him “Go and fight the Germans”. Most people who went into II Group didn’t last. They couldn’t last. They had no chance at all. But there was no means of stopping it. You had to fill the cockpits.”[Olsen, Cloud. 123]
Another pilot of RAF described it this way: “Some I couldn’t remember. They passed through and had been shot down before I could get to know them.” [20 minuters]. During the majority of confrontations, the Germans were outnumbering the defenders. Nevertheless, it was no sooner than on August 14th when the “302” squadron was put into usage[?]; the “Kosciuszko Squadron” had to wait for till 19th August. While the “Poznan Squadron” was ordered to focus on protecting the airspace over the Midlands, the “303” was usually, at the beginning, assigned to even more futile missions, such as performing gunnery practice, or protecting the airfields whilst the other squadrons, which[?] were taking part in the real combat, were currently refuelling on the ground. The “303” was finally unleashed at 31st August 1940, when a group of 200 Luftwaffe aeroplanes invaded the airspace of Britain. RAF command decided to repel the German offensive by using 13 squadrons, including the “Kosciuszko Squadron”. The Poles did extremely well, they that they deserved appraisals[?] from Sir Cyril Newall, chief of the Air Staff: “Magnificent fighting 303 Squadron. I am delighted. The enemy is shown that Polish pilots definitely on top.”
Polish squadrons were located at numerous RAF stations, such as Northolt, Swinderby, Syerston, Lindholme, Norwich, Andrews Field, Newton. They have, after some time, deserved to take part in much more severe actions, concentrated on defending Britain itself. Since 1st January 1941 they were carrying out such actions as:
a) “Circus” – defending from 6 to 24 bombers
b) “Mosquito” – attack the ground targets in groups from 6 to 12 fighters
c) “Sweep” – ‘cleaning’ the air from Luftwaffe by fighters before arrival of bombers
d) “Sphere” – small groups of fighters flying above the clouds in order to spot and fight German planes
e) “Intruder” – seeking and pursuing Luftwaffe planes over the German airports located in Germany, Belgium and France
f) “Ranger” – attacking the opposing army from the rear, searching for targets during night and day and taking them down with bombs and guns[84, 151 Król]
Polish pilots also took part in an operation called “Jubilee”. The aim of this manoeuvre was to make a sea landing in Dieppe, France, in order to make a reconnaissance about the strength of the German shore defence. The operation involved Polish squadrons: “302”, “306”, “308”, “317” and safeguarding “303”. The whole mission was a total disaster, only aerial participants did their job properly, including Polish squadrons. They conveyed 224 flights, shoot down at least 16 German planes, out of 87 took down in total during this operation. [96 Król]
/that's all for now...I know it's a lot, but it's really important and I will be extremely grateful...as I've mentioned, you can do it part by part, there's no need to check it out all at once...thanks
Polish pilots in RAF during the Second World War
The Second World War was a horrible episode in the history of mankind. Since its commencing on 1st September 1939, people witnessed all bad characteristics of human dark side. Murders, genocides, betrayals, rapes and many other shameful events were happening on daily basis back then. During such hard times it is easy to become one of the bad guys. That is why we should admire them and pay tribute to those, who decided to fight the overwhelming evil, until death liberated them from what they perceived as their duty.
Poland, possibly the most maltreated country from all participants during the Second World War, had its heroes. The history of Warsaw Uprising and its insurgents is vastly known, as well as the heroic acts of Polish soldiers during the Battle for Monte Cassino. Then again, the significance of Polish Air Forces, incorporated into Royal Air Forces during World War II, is widely underestimated, even in Poland. It is true, that after the collapse of Polish defence they were fighting abroad, but their objective remained the same as before – they were fighting for Poland and its freedom, because if Britain failed to force the enemy back, the whole Europe would probably become conquered by the German Nazis.
1.1 Polish Air Forces – the new Husaria
During XVI-XVII centuries Poland had one of the most envied military units in Europe, called Husaria. Even such powers as powers as Turkey or Sweden were frightened of it. One can say that Husaria was the Middle-Ages version of World War II’s German Panzer units. In the 20th century, pilots became the new Husaria, new heroes of Poland. It was the most popular and demanding military service in Poland. The Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin had 6’000 young men competing for 90 places in one year. The Dęblin Academy cadets were taught to be chivalrous, with reference to the Husaria traditions. The training was difficult and challenging, especially when we take into consideration the fact, that the cadets had to train on primitive, old fighters, which demanded from them constant concentration and relying upon their own skills. It eventually turned out better for them, British and American fliers claimed that their Polish allies seemed to scan the sky better than other pilots.
1.2 The beginning of the war
Even though Polish fighter pilots were possibly the best trained fliers of all those who took part in the Second World War, it did not matter during the German Blitzkrieg. PAF had only archaic, obsolete planes and were vastly outnumbered by the German Luftwaffe. Germans had about 1’500 bombers and 1’100 technologically advanced fighters, including world’s fastest plane at that time, the Me-109. PAF, on the other hand, owned only 390 planes, of which only 150 were fighters. When we take these numbers into consideration, it is obvious that Polish Air Forces had scarcely any chance against their Western opponents. The sole thing that they were able to do, was to weaken the raids of Luftwaffe, but anything more than that was out of reach for them. Frustrated and infuriated, the Polish fighter pilots had to reconcile themselves with their fate. While they were able to consider themselves beaten, it was beyond their capabilities to accept the German approach to the war. PAF pilots were taught to behave in a chivalrous way, but their Luftwaffe counterparts had a different idea about the war. On Hitler’s demand, they attacked civilians – including women and children. What is more, they attacked the pilots who already bailed out of their planes, once they have even attacked the mourners at the funeral of previously killed Polish pilot.
The whole situation was partially caused by Great Britain and France, Poland’s biggest allies. One can even dare to say, that Poland was betrayed by those countries. It took British government 53 hours to declare war on Germany; France needed even 6 more hours. Furthermore, the only action of Polish allies was to send planes over Germany, but not in order to attack them – the idea was to throw down fliers, in which Britain tried to persuade the Third Reich to stop the war. Each day, Poland hoped to hear about the Allied attack on barely guarded West Germany boarders. Unfortunately, instead of France or Great Britain, the next country to literally join the war, was Soviet Union. It was the nail to Poland’s coffin. It looks as if Great Britain really believed that they will make the Germans surrender without shooting any British bullet. The British Foreign Office revealed a comment, that albeit RAD failed to start the promised bombing of Germany, the sole threat of it should demoralize the Germans and make them end the war.
Polish resistance lasted for 35 long, brutal days. The German offensive was so vicious, that even Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the chief of counterintelligence service of Third Reich, had a nervous breakdown when he saw his comrades’ behaviour. Conquered by German Blitzkrieg offensive, Polish soldiers had no other option than to abandon their beloved country. Their last hope was Romania, therefore relying on its government’s loyalty, they left Poland. Unfortunately Polish soldiers were betrayed once again. The government situated in Bucharest made a secret deal with Germans to arrest and put Polish people to internment camps, as Romania declared itself to be neutral, which was evidently caused by fear of Hitler and his associates. Double-crossed by their allies and defeated in combat, soldiers of Poland still had enough inner strength to maintain the fight for their country. Polish government-in-exile was formed in France and started an evacuation plan for the soldier incarcerated in Romania. Provided with false identifications and small amounts of money, Polish army men, including pilots, started their departure, via planes and ships, to welcoming, or so they thought it was, France.
1.3 The struggle for freedom continues
Although the evacuation plan worked well, all things did not go as Polish soldiers hoped for. At the beginning, the French government insisted on the arrival of Polish fliers. Eventually, it turned out that pilots from Poland were not too pleasant for the French, because they reminded them about the war. The attitude of French soldiers was also a bit tainted by the work of German propaganda. Part of France’s airmen really believed that Poland was the country to have started the Second World War. They were a tad hostile towards their Polish brothers in arms and slightly suspicious. What is more, it was a common belief in France that the Maginot Line was a barrier that no army was able to breach through; therefore there was no need to be afraid of German army. The French continued to live their lives at their best, ignoring warnings and entreaties. Future has proven how flawed was the French reasoning and belief of the Maginot’s Line impassability back then. Their attitude towards the ongoing war was tragic, as General Brooke, who was responsible for commanding one of British Expeditionary Force corps in France, described:
"Never have I seen anything more slovenly and badly turned out. Men unshaven, horses ungroomed, clothes and sadlery that did not fit, vehicles dirty, and a complete lack of pride in themselves and their units. What shook me most...was the look in the men’s faces, disgruntled and insubordinate looks, and although ordered to give ‘Eyes left’, hardly a man bothered to do so." (Olson, Cloud, 83)
As for Great Britain, at the beginning they were rather ambivalent on what to do with Polish fighter pilots. They decided to give accommodation only to 300 fliers and proposed them a bomber pilot job. Although it was a slander for Polish heroes to be, many pilots decided that it is better to fly bombers in Britain than to keep on doing literally nothing in France. In 1940 the French have finally got an idea to start training Polish fliers in their planes, and to use them in fights with Germans later on. The whole training was supposed to last for three months, but most of the pilots managed to finish it in one month. Unfortunately, at the beginning only eighteen fliers were assigned to frontline flying units. Only about 150 Polish pilots took an active part in the battle of France, while 1’600 were available and ready for combat. After the German Blitzkrieg has conquered yet another country, the French officers started to celebrate, because for them, unlike the Poles, the war was over and it was a reason for happiness. Unlike France, Great Britain was still urging to fight against the Nazi offence. Winston Churchill, at this point already chosen as the Prime Minister of Great Britain, sounded much more belligerent than his French counterpart. In his conversation with General Władysław Sikorski, he said: “Tell your army in France that we are their comrades in life and in death. We shall conquer together or we shall die together.” Polish Air Force pilots had to change their place of combat yet again, and once more were double-crossed. Their former ally, France, took an example from Romania and decided to hamper the Polish retreat. French officials did everything they could to make the evacuation harder. They confiscated planes of Polish fliers, sometimes even bulleted the fuel tanks. Still, over 75% of Polish Air Force pilots, at that time consisting of over 8’000 men, managed to move to Britain. As for the infantry, most of its members got killed or incarcerated. Scarcely about 20’000 got through the Channel and joined the British forces. At that time Joseph Goebbels gave Polish army men a new, utterly disgraceful, nickname – he called them ‘Sikorski’s tourists’.
1.4 Sikorski’s tourists arrive in Britain
Finally the Poles had arrived in Britain, their last loyal ally. As the France got beaten, the Nazi’s evil eyes turned upon Britain, their last fighting opponent on the West side of Europe. During that time Great Britain was already led by charismatic Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Churchill himself was decently similar to the Polish soldiers when we take into account his romanticism and strong belief in such values as honour, patriotism, pride or loyalty. When he was still a member of the English Parliament, Winston was one of the not so many members aware of what actually happened in Poland and well conscious of what was going to happen with France after the invasion of Nazi’s. He perceived every aspect of politics as black or white, never as grey, unlike the other members of British Parliament. But the most pivotal characteristic of Churchill was that he was passionate and fully determined to fight for the country’s independence, which, as we saw on France’s example, was not that obvious. The fate of France has finally opened eyes of all British politics and citizens; it finally came to their minds that their country might be in serious jeopardy. Britain was capable of mustering only twenty army divisions, while Third Reich army was ten times more powerful. Churchill described his country’s military position as naked; still, he managed to convince his fellow Brits at the Parliament that Britain should have only one aim in this war – victory, victory at all costs.
Britain’s Prime Minister made his decision. Britain will win, or will die trying to achieve the victory, just like Poland did few months earlier, when German’s started their offensive. To Churchill war was more than just a temporary political situation. He perceived it as a heroic struggle for maintaining the independence, a crusade for defeating the monster called Germany. Winston, a man well known for his rhetorical skills, convinced Britain. There was no longer a possibility to surrender. Britain was going to fight and was ready for any sacrifice that was needed. After the fall of France, Great Britain became some sort of refugee camp for those soldiers, whose countries were occupied by the oppressor, but still had the fire in their hearts to fight for them. For Churchill it was a real blessing – new soldiers, not only willing to join the combat, but also already well-experienced in their fights against the German devil. Britain’s Prime Minister was particularly hoping for income of Polish soldiers, whose bravery, courage and determination he admired. And Poles worked up to their reputation, showing up an amount bigger than 30’000, creating the biggest foreign military group in Britain, with an astounding number of 8’500 airmen. During the later stages of the Second World War the total number of Polish army men fighting for the Allied Cause in Britain has risen up to over 200’000 soldiers. They were considered as the best ally that Britain had so far, especially compared to France, whose Marshall Petain was so eager to give up on fighting for his country and capitulate, therefore presenting his motherland to Nazi’s.
Churchill used to portray Polish army men as one of the finest during the Second World War, underlining their spirit and courageous performance in defending Poland against the Germans, even if they did not have modern military equipment and were not really prepared for the war. Even though the British citizens scarcely had any knowledge concerning Poland and its soldiers’ heroic actions, they welcomed Polish fighters with much friendliness and sympathy. Polish soldiers on the other hand were quite suspicious and sceptical towards their new brothers in arms. Well, it is hard to blame them for it, considering their fresh experiences with the Frenchmen. Yet, concerning the military aspect, Brits were not too fond of Poles’ skills; it was partially caused by the influence of German propaganda. The British Air Ministry decided that Polish pilots needed to learn some English and the British way of fighting in the sky. Sikorski’s tourists were also supposed to become bomber pilots, which was not really what they hoped for – they were fighter pilots, and as such they wanted to go into the combat. Royal Air Forces officers were also a bit concerned by the egotism and individualism shown by Poles. They thought that Polish Air Force members had to learn how to act as a team and should always be accompanied by British fliers. Needless to say, this kind of attitude made Polish pilots furious; they thought that if there was anyone who could talk about fighting the Germans, then it was them, not their British counterparts. While they agreed to the idea to fly the bombers, they found it as a kind of insult. Many of them were postgraduates of the Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin, one of the best and most demanding air force training academies in the whole wide world. Furthermore, they were not only well educated, but also highly experienced; and yet, there they were, treated by the RAF officials as amateurs.
1.5 PAF joins RAF
While it was obvious that Polish Air Force members stationing in Britain expect to form an all-Polish units, the reality turned out to be different. The Air Ministry of Britain had an idea to turn Polish aviators in Volunteer Reserves, an air force, which was consisting solely of citizens. It was an extremely humiliating suggestion, which is well explained in Question of Honour:
"It was said that a Regular was an officer trying to be a gentleman, an Auxiliary was a gentleman trying to be an officer, and a Volunteer Reserve was some poor sod trying to be both. The Poles, who could be quite touchy on matters of personal dignity, already considered themselves officers and gentlemen and resented the implication that they were neither. (Olson, Cloud, 99)"
Another problematic issue was the fact that the Air ministry demanded from Polish pilots to pledge an oath to British King, they were also instructed to wear the uniforms of Royal Air Forces. Furthermore, Poles were informed that they will start with the lowest British military ranks, as pilot officers, warrant officers, flight sergeants or sergeants, except for those who were designated to lead the squadrons – squadron leaders, or lead the flight – flight lieutenants. As for the war crimes, till 23rd March 1944 Polish soldiers were in the custody of the British military tribunal.[Król, 12-13]
All in all, it seemed that the reason for such humiliating proposals was that the British officers had not even a faintest idea on what to do with the flier from Poland. While the leaving conditions turned out to be much better than in France, the attitude towards PAF members remained unchanged – they were vastly underestimated. Meanwhile, as the time moved on, “Sikorski’s tourists” started to become as anxious and nervous as one can be. They were doing their best to infuriate their British supervisors in any way they found suitable, for example by doing high risk manoeuvres during their training flights. To show the scale of their insubordination it is enough to mention, that they have started acting in such a bad manner, that the complaints were made not only by their British superiors, but also from Polish Air Force command. In the PAF newsletter they were reminded, that they are the representatives of Poland in Great Britain and their behaviour will have great influence on the general, common image of Polish citizens and army men.
No sooner than in June 1940, the British command has finally realised that they actually badly needed Polish pilots. Faced with the full power of German Luftwaffe, it became obvious to them that they will have to use Polish forces, willingly or not, ass fighter pilots. The main cause for the lack of pilots in British Army were the huge losses that Britain had suffered in the Battle of France. During only three weeks, the total number of RAF pilots was reduced by about three hundred men, while over a hundred more were imprisoned. By the end of the fights in France, Britain lost about 1’000 aircraft, which was nearly a half of their front line’s strength. Considering, that Luftwaffe was capable of using about 1’400 bombers and 1’000 fighters, the fate of Britain was not really far from being decided. Due to these circumstances, Polish fighter pilots have started to be attached to the undermanned squadrons of RAF and finally got the occasion to pay their debts with the Germans.
1.6 The infernal war moves to Britain
August the 8th was the day, when the famous Battle of Britain commenced. The Germans new that they have to attack through the air, otherwise their attempts will be vain. British navy fleet, Royal Navy, was far too powerful and big for German Kriegsmarine. Their aim was to overcome the RAF and then defeat the Royal Navy with joined efforts of Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. The next step would have been a sea landing and that was something that would have meant the end of Britain, therefore the sky clashes were crucial in the defence against Germany. While most of the RAF fliers were freshmen, many of them still during their basic pilot training, RAF had an urgent need for experienced well-skilled fighter pilots. This was the time, when the Air Ministry of Britain finally agreed to accept most of Polish demands and eventually removed Polish pilots from the Volunteer Reserve and acknowledged them as members of the Polish Air Forces. They no longer had to swear their oath to the British King, although they still had to wear the uniforms of RAF and persisted under the command of RAF. Yet, it was nothing compared to the succeeding announcement, which proclaimed the formation of two entirely new Polish squadrons. One of the was the most famous Polish squadron during the Battle of Britain, called 303 “Warsaw” Kosciuszko Squadron; the other one was 302 “Poznan”. The squadron leader who was put into command of Kosciuszko Squadron was Ronald Kellett, who, at first, was very doubtful about the potential that was dreaming, or not,[?] in the 303. His opinion was based solely on the fact, that PAF defence of Poland lasted scarce three days and there was no reason to believe that Polish fliers will do any better this time. He could not be more wrong, and soon he was about to find out, how far away from truth was his judgement.
The Kosciuszko Squadron was assigned to station at Northolt, which was placed in a very important sector, the one responsible for defending London. It was no secret that the performance of squadrons stationing a Northolt will be pivotal for[?] the fate of Britain. John Kent was chosen to be the second flight commander of the “ 303” and, alike Kellett, was not too happy because of it, to say the least. At the beginning, the squadron consisted of no less than 34 Polish pilots. The “303” was the name designated by the Royal Air Forces, while pilots themselves preferred the name “Kosciuszko Squadron”. According to the agreement between the Polish and the British air forces, each Polish squadron was ought to have both an English and a Polish officer. Therefore, Zdzisław Krasnodębski, nicknamed “The King”, was chosen to be Kellet’s Polish counterpart. The Polish opposite numbers[?] of flight leaders, Kent and Forbes, were Witold Urbanowicz and Ludwik Paszkiewicz. Many pilots of the Kosciuszko Squadron turned out to become[?] the living legends during the Battle of Britain, to name such individuals as Jan Zumbach, Witold Łokuciewski or Mirosław Ferić, who formed a trio known as “The Three Musketeers”. Together, they managed to shoot down 30 certain and 9 probable German planes; they also damaged a total of 2 other aircrafts[Wacław Król, 157]. The final requirement for the Poles stationing at Northolt was to acquire British tactics and basic English language, a condition that was totally understandable, because they were going to be commanded by English speaking superiors and it was not really possible to take an interpreter on board of each Spitfire and Hurricane; although in the beginning of 1941 a Polish navigator was brought into the Operations Room. Despite being, at first, more than doubtful over the Polish pilots, when he saw them in action, Kent admitted that his doubts were totally uncalled for.[?] He turned into a keen admirer of Poles and started to defend them in conversations with other officers and officials.
13th August was chosen by Herman Goring as the “Eagle Day”, the commencement of the German aerial discrepancy[?] of Blitzkrieg, which meant attacking British airfields, aircraft factories and radar stations. It was one of the decisive points in the Second World War. The aim, at the beginning, was not to attack the civilians, nor destroy the cities, but to obliterate/annihilate/raze the enemy fighters and military devices, therefore gaining an advantage in the sky over Britain. It was a series of regular raids of Luftwaffe’s fighters and bombers; it caused massive losses on both sides, including aircraft and their crew. While replacement of planes was not that problematic/perplexing, it was exactly the otherwise with the pilots. At one point, RAF had an urgent need of 200 more men. Owing to[?] these circumstances, the duration of the pilot training was truncated[?] to no more, than 2 weeks. The situation was well depicted by Air Marshal Christopher Foxley-Norris:
“You took an ignorant young man, stuck him in an aeroplane, and told him “Go and fight the Germans”. Most people who went into II Group didn’t last. They couldn’t last. They had no chance at all. But there was no means of stopping it. You had to fill the cockpits.”[Olsen, Cloud. 123]
Another pilot of RAF described it this way: “Some I couldn’t remember. They passed through and had been shot down before I could get to know them.” [20 minuters]. During the majority of confrontations, the Germans were outnumbering the defenders. Nevertheless, it was no sooner than on August 14th when the “302” squadron was put into usage[?]; the “Kosciuszko Squadron” had to wait for till 19th August. While the “Poznan Squadron” was ordered to focus on protecting the airspace over the Midlands, the “303” was usually, at the beginning, assigned to even more futile missions, such as performing gunnery practice, or protecting the airfields whilst the other squadrons, which[?] were taking part in the real combat, were currently refuelling on the ground. The “303” was finally unleashed at 31st August 1940, when a group of 200 Luftwaffe aeroplanes invaded the airspace of Britain. RAF command decided to repel the German offensive by using 13 squadrons, including the “Kosciuszko Squadron”. The Poles did extremely well, they that they deserved appraisals[?] from Sir Cyril Newall, chief of the Air Staff: “Magnificent fighting 303 Squadron. I am delighted. The enemy is shown that Polish pilots definitely on top.”
Polish squadrons were located at numerous RAF stations, such as Northolt, Swinderby, Syerston, Lindholme, Norwich, Andrews Field, Newton. They have, after some time, deserved to take part in much more severe actions, concentrated on defending Britain itself. Since 1st January 1941 they were carrying out such actions as:
a) “Circus” – defending from 6 to 24 bombers
b) “Mosquito” – attack the ground targets in groups from 6 to 12 fighters
c) “Sweep” – ‘cleaning’ the air from Luftwaffe by fighters before arrival of bombers
d) “Sphere” – small groups of fighters flying above the clouds in order to spot and fight German planes
e) “Intruder” – seeking and pursuing Luftwaffe planes over the German airports located in Germany, Belgium and France
f) “Ranger” – attacking the opposing army from the rear, searching for targets during night and day and taking them down with bombs and guns[84, 151 Król]
Polish pilots also took part in an operation called “Jubilee”. The aim of this manoeuvre was to make a sea landing in Dieppe, France, in order to make a reconnaissance about the strength of the German shore defence. The operation involved Polish squadrons: “302”, “306”, “308”, “317” and safeguarding “303”. The whole mission was a total disaster, only aerial participants did their job properly, including Polish squadrons. They conveyed 224 flights, shoot down at least 16 German planes, out of 87 took down in total during this operation. [96 Król]
/that's all for now...I know it's a lot, but it's really important and I will be extremely grateful...as I've mentioned, you can do it part by part, there's no need to check it out all at once...thanks
Took me 2 minutes to scroll down the page on my phone!
Its not a particularly flattering view of Britains involvement imo. I will concentrate on the text though, a few mistakes in grammar and spelling but not many considering the size of the article.
First bit :
The Second World War was a horrible episode in the history of mankind. From its commencement on 1st September 1939, people witnessed all bad characteristics of the human dark side. Murders, genocides, betrayals, rapes and many other shameful events were happening on daily basis back then. During such hard times it was easy to become one of the bad guys. That is why we should admire and pay tribute to those, who decided to fight overwhelming evil, until death liberated them from what they perceived as their duty.
Poland, possibly the most maltreated country from all participants during the Second World War, had its heroes. The history of the Warsaw Uprising and its insurgents is vastly known, as well as the heroic acts of Polish soldiers during the Battle for Monte Cassino. Then again, the significance of Polish Air Forces, incorporated into Royal Air Forces during World War II, is widely underestimated, even in Poland. It is true, that after the collapse of Polish defence they were fighting abroad, but their objective remained the same as before – they were fighting for Poland and its freedom, because if Britain failed to force the enemy back, the whole of Europe would probably have been conquered by the Nazis (they were not just German)
(edited)
The Second World War was a horrible episode in the history of mankind. From its commencement on 1st September 1939, people witnessed all bad characteristics of the human dark side. Murders, genocides, betrayals, rapes and many other shameful events were happening on daily basis back then. During such hard times it was easy to become one of the bad guys. That is why we should admire and pay tribute to those, who decided to fight overwhelming evil, until death liberated them from what they perceived as their duty.
Poland, possibly the most maltreated country from all participants during the Second World War, had its heroes. The history of the Warsaw Uprising and its insurgents is vastly known, as well as the heroic acts of Polish soldiers during the Battle for Monte Cassino. Then again, the significance of Polish Air Forces, incorporated into Royal Air Forces during World War II, is widely underestimated, even in Poland. It is true, that after the collapse of Polish defence they were fighting abroad, but their objective remained the same as before – they were fighting for Poland and its freedom, because if Britain failed to force the enemy back, the whole of Europe would probably have been conquered by the Nazis (they were not just German)
(edited)
1.1 Polish Air Forces – the new Husaria
During XVI-XVII centuries Poland had one of the most envied military units in Europe, called Husaria. Even such powers as Turkey or Sweden were frightened of it. One can say that Husaria was the Middle-Ages version of World War II’s German Panzer units. In the 20th century, pilots became the new Husaria, new heroes of Poland. It was the most popular and demanding military service in Poland. The Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin had 6’000 young men competing for 90 places in one year. The Dęblin Academy cadets were taught to be chivalrous, with reference to the Husaria traditions. The training was difficult and challenging, especially when we take into consideration that the cadets had to train on primitive, old fighters, which demanded from them constant concentration and relying upon their piloting skills. Flying in the old fighters proved to be to their advantage, as British and American fliers claimed that their Polish allies seemed to scan the sky better than other pilots.
I've got some work to do - anyone else want to take 1.2 ?
During XVI-XVII centuries Poland had one of the most envied military units in Europe, called Husaria. Even such powers as Turkey or Sweden were frightened of it. One can say that Husaria was the Middle-Ages version of World War II’s German Panzer units. In the 20th century, pilots became the new Husaria, new heroes of Poland. It was the most popular and demanding military service in Poland. The Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin had 6’000 young men competing for 90 places in one year. The Dęblin Academy cadets were taught to be chivalrous, with reference to the Husaria traditions. The training was difficult and challenging, especially when we take into consideration that the cadets had to train on primitive, old fighters, which demanded from them constant concentration and relying upon their piloting skills. Flying in the old fighters proved to be to their advantage, as British and American fliers claimed that their Polish allies seemed to scan the sky better than other pilots.
I've got some work to do - anyone else want to take 1.2 ?
Thanks! :)
@turricantg
hehe not really ;)
@wdp74
Well I hope that the text is not biased too much, I was doing my best to keep it objective :p
This part is not that bad, imagine what I wrote when I was dealing with the Yalta and Tehran conferences :p
@turricantg
hehe not really ;)
@wdp74
Well I hope that the text is not biased too much, I was doing my best to keep it objective :p
This part is not that bad, imagine what I wrote when I was dealing with the Yalta and Tehran conferences :p
I watched a long documentary lately on this, we tried political means to avoid going to war. The Germans moved swiftly through Europe with hardly any resistance. I believe the French were building a wall to stop an invasion and the Germans drove around it. lol
I think many countries tried to avoid the situation - but then once the situation occupied their countries it became too late.
Had it not been for our vey small country I fear Europe would be one large country right now full of blondes only. Bad news for me with Brown hair.....what I have left anyway. :/
The World Wars are scary things, my nan who is 92 now told me of the day a German Bomber went above their heads and her dad literally threw who into their shelter. I cannot imagine what it was like. She loved in the East End near the docks which were the most bombed area due to supply ships etc.
(edited)
I think many countries tried to avoid the situation - but then once the situation occupied their countries it became too late.
Had it not been for our vey small country I fear Europe would be one large country right now full of blondes only. Bad news for me with Brown hair.....what I have left anyway. :/
The World Wars are scary things, my nan who is 92 now told me of the day a German Bomber went above their heads and her dad literally threw who into their shelter. I cannot imagine what it was like. She loved in the East End near the docks which were the most bombed area due to supply ships etc.
(edited)