Continuing with their RAF unit histories, this one covers 310 (Czech) squadron. Following the taking of Czechoslovakia by Hitler, many air force units were either disbanded or drawn down to very small levels. The pilots of these units did not have to be mind readers to realize what was coming. Many of them left for Poland or France, where their expertise was most welcome. This was especially true after the fall of Poland as France had a dire need for qualified pilots.

As with many other countries in western Europe, France also fell to the Germans and so many of these men made their way to the UK. There they formed into Hurricane units. In fact, there were enough crews to make up three fighter and one bomber squadron. The fighter pilots were soon thrown into the fray of the Battle of Britain and did a remarkable job.

However, the Hurricane was obviously reaching obsolescence as an air combat fighter so 310 squadron switched to Spitfire Vs when those became available and flew them for two years before switching to the Spit IX in 1944. When the war ended, the unit flew their Spitfires home to help reform Czechoslovakia's air force.

One thing that few readers probably realize is that many of these units formed with allied pilots wanted some sort of autonomy. By that, I mean that they wanted their unit leadership to be from their home country as well as most of the pilots and ground crew. Pilots were not a problem for the Czech units, but few mechanics escaped, and some units had as many as half their ground staff made from standard RAF ratings.

In common with other editions, this one has a full unit history with lists of known aircraft/serials, a war diary of missions flown, list of aces, aircraft shot down, aircraft lost, maps of where the unit was based and a listing of all known pilots with a small biography of each.

Overall, it is a superbly researched and presented book. It is also chock full of photographs of 310's aircraft and the men who flew them. A book I found fascinating and one that is bound to be a valuable reference resource in the years to come. Most highly recommended.

December 2007

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