Airmen in Exile: The Allied Air Forces in the Second World War

Britain's primary weapon of defence was her air force. The exploits of the RAF's bomber crews and fighter pilots featured almost nightly on the radio and in the cinema newsreels; the men themselves were the objects of great admiration and respect. Yet, how many of these brave airmen were not British nationals?During the Second World War, exiled airmen from six occupied countries in Europe flew from British soil, fighting in or alongside the squadrons of the RAF; each had a burning desire to strike back at the cruel regime that had so ruthlessly crushed his homeland.Airmen in Exile is the story of these courageous and often undervalued men who were caught up in the web of a larger political argument, pre-war allegiances and postwar alignments. Alan Brown looks closely at the organisation and deployment of these units, together with the myriad controversies and obstacles generated by their arrival. He also examines the circumstances surrounding their repatriation at the war's end. Through meticulous research, Brown has uncovered new evidence that highlights the hitherto secret and often hypocritical British attitude to their uninvited Allies during the Second World War.