Page 47 - Demo

47worth making the point that this strikingly %u2018progressive%u2019 approach was adopted by a military arm, in the 1940s and in time of war.44Tragically, whereas the airmen from Western Europe returned to their homelands as liberators, the Poles, and later the Czechoslovaks, watched helplessly as their countries were taken over by the communists. Since, those that returned home risked death or imprisonment, most opted to remain in this country or to begin new lives abroad. A few hundred of the Slavs were readmitted to the peacetime RAF where some continued to serve into the 1970s. The contribution of Polish and Czechoslovak airmen to victory in the Battle of Britain was far greater than their numbers and it is reasonable to ask why this was so. Three main factors may be identified: their training; their experience; and their motivation. Though small and poorly8equipped, the pre8war Polish Air Force boasted some of the best trained pilots in the world. Its small size meant it could be selective and, in 1935, 6,000 young men competed for 100 places at the air force%u2019s academy at Deblin.45 The selection process was genuinely meritocratic and candidates, drawn from all classes of society, underwent a rigorous medical which eliminated all but the very best. After three months in the infantry, designed to toughen them up physically and mentally, cadets were sent to Deblin.46 Flying training was demanding and conditions austere but, as one veteran later wrote, %u2018Those years%u2026gave me a lifetime%u2019s armour plating.%u201947 The cadets were, above all, taught to use their eyes so that in combat they were usually the first to see the enemy and the first to respond. During the Battle of Britain a Polish pilot explained the phenomenon: %u2018The British have efficient radio telephony. We had not. Therefore we had to make eyes do the work of ears.%u201948 The marksmanship of PAF fighter pilots was exceptional and, for maximum effect, they were trained to fly very close to the enemy before opening fire. They also practiced flying straight at one another, only breaking at the last possible moment, as a way of gauging distance and developing nerve. Though traditionally individualistic, the Poles placed emphasis on team fighting and on the importance of going to the aid of a comrade in danger. Incidentally, Sergeant Frantisek%u2019s notorious lack of discipline was not appreciated by his