Wydawnicto Stratus

Polish Air Force 1939
Through German Eyes
Vol. 1

by Andrzej Glass and Tomasz J. Kopansnski

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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For the uninitiated, Wydawnictwo Stratus is a publishing house based in Poland that produces some really superb books dealing with Polish military subjects.

This new release from Stratus is essentially a picture album of images taken by members of the German forces following their invasion of Poland in the September of 1939.

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This volume consists of ten chapters and three short indexes.

The contents are as follows:

Chapter 1 - Polish Air Force in September 1939

• The Polish Air Force in September 1939
• German Bombing of Polish Airfields

Chapter 2 - Naval Air Squadron

• Naval Air Squadron
• Rumia

Chapter 3 – Pomerania

• Airfield of the 4th Air Regiment
• Air Component of the ‘Pomorze’ Army

Chapter 4 – Wielkopolska

• Pozna? ?awica Airfield (Base of trhe 3rd Air Regiment)

Air component of the ‘Pozna?’ Army

Chapter 5 – ?od? Region

• ?ódz-Lublinek Airfield
• Of the ‘?od?’ Army
• Air Component

Chapter 6 – Mazowsze

• Warsaw – Ok?cie
• Warsaw – WP1
• Warszawa – WS 1, ITL, DWL, LOT
• Warszawa – Base of the 1st Air Regiment
• Warszawa – Mokotów and Warsaw-Bielany

Chapter 7 – Pursuit Brigade

Chapter 8 – Bomber Brigade

Chapter 9 – No 1 Air Force Training Centre (CWL-1)

• D?blin-Irena
• U??z
• Borowina
• Sprl – Radom

Chapter 10 – ?wi?tokrzyskie Region

• Kielce- Mas?ów, Polichno

The three short appendices are:

• Photo Credits
• Name Index
• Aircraft Index

Whilst the book is essentially a photo documentation of the aftermath of the invasion, the opening page of each chapter provides information of the raid(s) that occurred at each location.  Chapter 1 also informs you on the make up and status of the Polish Air Force in the September of 1939 as well as the bombing of Polish airfields by the Luftwaffe from 4 September to 17 September.

The book is a weighty tome indeed.  It is A4 in size and comprises 264 pages in all between soft cardboard covers.  Binding is soft back.  A bonus is that it is printed in the English language rather than the cumbersome English/Polish format adopted by some of the other Eastern European publishers.

The images contained between the covers are a mixture of what looks to be those taken by professional photographers as well as those taken by humble soldiers recording their conquests all however appear to have been chosen by the publisher for their clarity and sharpness.

Images of Polish military aircraft are thin on the ground to say the least.  However, this book (which is only volume 1!) goes a long way in redressing this shortage and it will appeal to both the historian and the modeller.

Thanks to Mushroom Model Publictions  for the sample.

All Mushroom Model Publications books are available direct from the publishers, who now accept credit cards (Visa, MC, Amex, Switch)  

North American distributors are MMD, Australian distributors are Platypus Publications. In Europe, the books are available from any good bookshop (via our UK distributors, Orca). Contact MMP direct in case of difficulties. 

Thanks to Roger at Mushroom Model Magazine  for the sample.

Review Copyright 2010 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 4 July, 2010
Last updated 6 July, 2010

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