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39the workings of radar. There were other issues to address. Conflict surfaced between the relatively relaxed discipline of the RAF and the harsher disciplinary codes of their allies. In theory, the Anglo8Polish and Anglo8Czechoslovak agreements left the British with the last word when dealing with serious offences committed by Slav personnel, but the exiles sometimes took matters into their own hands.17 Indeed, RAF officers at Duxford were at one point forced to intervene to prevent the execution by firing squad of a Czech pilot whose %u2018crime%u2019 had been to damage his Hurricane in a clumsy landing.18 There were also occasions when discipline broke down altogether; such as the night Northolt witnessed a full8blown fire8fight between drunken Polish airmen and a detachment of the Irish Guards in which, by some miracle, no one was killed.19 While these and other episodes were smoothed over by the RAF, they seemed to confirm the stereotype of the Slavs as difficult and a little wild. The greatest cause for concern, however, was the state of the morale of the Polish and Czechoslovak airmen; many of whom had been twice defeated by the Luftwaffe. Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, AOC8in8C Fighter Command, was described as %u2018extremely apprehensive about the infiltration of foreign pilots into British fighter squadrons%u2019 because, aside from the language difficulty, he doubted their commitment and feared that their presence would have a damaging effect on the morale of his men. Instead, Dowding strongly supported the creation of separate %u2018national%u2019 squadrons for the Slavs, seeing in them a cordon sanitaire to isolate the contagion of defeatism he suspected they carried. He also preferred that these squadrons be deployed to the west where they could make up numbers and do no harm.20 It is worthy of note that he was perfectly content for pilots from France and Belgium to serve in his command.21 Yet, for all the problems the Poles and Czechoslovaks faced, they were grateful to be here and they were impressed by the fortitude of the British people and the efficiency of their air force. They were, moreover, quick to contrast this with the inept organisation and widespread defeatism they had encountered while serving with the Arm%u00e9e de l'Air in France. One Czech airman, Pilot Officer Tom%u00e1s Vybiral, recorded his immediate impressions of Britain:
