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

by Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud

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Listen to an interview with the authors on writtenvoices.com

A Question of Honor is the gripping, little-known, and brilliantly told story of the scores of Polish fighter pilots who helped save England during the Battle of Britain and of their stunning betrayal by the United States and England at the end of World War II.

Centering on five pilots of the renowned Kościuszko Squadron, the authors show how the fliers, driven by their passionate desire to liberate their homeland, came to be counted among the most heroic and successful fighter pilots of World War II. Drawing on the Kościuszko Squadron’s unofficial diary -- filled with the fliers' personal experiences in combat -- and on letters, interviews, memoirs, histories, and photographs, the authors bring the men and battles of the squadron vividly to life. We follow the principal characters from their training before the war, through their hair-raising escape from Poland to France and then, after the fall of France, to Britain. We see how, first treated with disdain by the RAF, the Polish pilots played a crucial role during the Battle of Britain, where their daredevil skill in engaging German Messerschmitts in close and deadly combat while protecting the planes in their own groups soon made them legendary. And we learn what happened to them after the war, when their country was abandoned and handed over to the Soviet Union.

A Question of Honor also gives us a revelatory history of Poland during World War II and of the many thousands in the Polish armed forces who fought with the Allies. It tells of the country's unending struggle against both Hitler and Stalin, its long battle for independence, and the tragic collapse of that dream in the "peace" that followed.

Powerful, moving, deeply involving, A Question of Honor is an important addition to the literature of World War II.

Reviews
"In A Question of Honor ... veteran journalists and authors Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud use the [Polish] pilots’ story as the centerpiece of an impassioned, riveting account of Poland’s betrayal by Britain and the United States. The basic story line: abandonment and tragedy, hope and heroism—followed by abandonment and tragedy again. The book’s title refers to Winston Churchill’s vow that Poland’s allies would honor their commitment to restoring the country’s independence; it was a vow that evaporated at war’s end."
--Newsweek International

"Olson and Cloud’s book is both a tribute to the Polish pilots and, more broadly, an eloquent indictment of the realpolitik that led Britain and America to turn their backs on Poland later in the war in a craven attempt to appease Stalin. Beginning as a compelling account of the individual Poles who fled their country in 1939 to fight for the Allies, this account ends as a grim tale of political treachery and backstabbing."
--The Times of London

"This is indeed a tale of heroism, camaraderie and glory. The dashing, gallant, impetuous Poles became the darlings of British high society and were lionized by the press in Britain and America. The authors vividly recreate the airmen's daily bouts with death and nights of partying, their lost lives and loves, and their frustrations with English fastidiousness and idiosyncrasies...."
--Washington Post

"A wonderful story, wonderfully told. Heroism and betrayal make for heady reading, and this book is long overdue."
--Norman Davies, author of God's Playground and Europe: A History

"Olson and Cloud use the [Kosciuszko] pilots' story as the centerpiece of an impassioned, riveting account of Poland's betrayal by Britain and the United States..."
--Andrew Nagorski, Newsweek

"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, author of Imperium and The Emperor

"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, author of Blood of Victory, Dark Star, and Night Soldiers

"The Polish airmen who 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, author of The Face of Battle, A History of Warfare and The Second World War

"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, National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter

"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, author of Stalin and The Great Terror

"Following up the acclaimed The Murrow Boys: Pioneers on the Frontlines of Broadcast Journalism, the authors offer a solid addition to WWII aviation history . . . the political balance they bring to telling the political story is noteworthy."
--Publishers Weekly

"Olson and Cloud (coauthors, The Murrow Boys) tell the fascinating story of the Polish fighter pilots who helped defend England during World War II's Battle of Britain and the Allies' shameful ignoring of the Poles at war's end. This powerful history belongs in World War II collections . . ."
--Library Journal

A lively tale of Poland’s famed WWII fighter wing . . . A fine portrait, and a well-placed condemnation of a shameful episode in history: the betrayal of Poland.
--Kirkus Reviews

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Published by Alfred A Knopf
Pub Date: September 21, 2003
Hardcover
$27.95US/$39.95CAN
6 1/4 x 9 1/4; 448 pages
With 55 Photographs and two maps in text
ISBN: 0-375-41197-6