World War II created a prodigious number of aces both in the air and on the ground. We will never see another time like it. Among the many, many men who were successful in aerial combat, some were lucky and survived the war. Others were very successful in a very short time and then were gone.

Such is the case of Josef František, a pilot in the pre-war Czech air force who had fate intervene and he spent the rest of his too-short flying career with the men of the Polish Air Force. During the Battle of Britain, Josef František, became one of the highest scoring Czech pilots with a score of 17 victories in less than 30 days before he died under rather mysterious circumstances.

Over the years, there have been many stories and suppositions about František. As often happens, the stories, if told often enough, are eventually taken as fact. In this book, the author has decided to track down the trail of clues and information to provide the real story of this famous pilot. This starts with his youth and desire to fly. It takes us into his service with the Czech air force, eventually flying Avia B.534s before the country is overrun by Germany and he flees to Poland. There he joins their air force and participates in the German invasion of 1939. The then stays with the PAF and goes to France along with hundreds of other Polish pilots and crew.

There was much mystery about his time in France as that is not well documented, however, the author  is able to piece together what probably occurred and it is not as many had thought. Then there is his time with 303 Squadron RAF. This is well documented as each of his combats and victims are very well researched.

Included in the book are listings of all his victories as well as all his combat missions. Superbly illustrated with period photos from a variety of sources as well as some color profiles of the planes he flew, it is a fascinating look at this 'shooting star' and a book that I found quite engrossing. It is one I know you will like and can be highly recommended to you. 

June 2010

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