Thanks to the fine folks at Stratus, we now have yet another book on a subject that has yet to see much written about it. After WWII, the Polish government, like many around the world, was in the market for new aircraft. Thanks to the vast number of surplus types sitting in depots around Germany, they were able to purchase a number of non-combat types to fill the needs of their growing air force.

This book looks at those ex-USAAF aircraft that were purchased, refurbished and flown in Poland during the post war years. These aircraft had all been sitting in outside storage for a few years so were generally not in fly-away condition. This was particularly true of the light aircraft such as the Piper L-4 and Cessna UC-78 types. The C-47s were generally flyable though needed overhaul before being issued.

The majority of these planes were not for the military, but for the Polish National Airline, LOT, and various flying clubs. The PAF did take some C-47 transports into service for VIP use and general military operations, but most of the C-47s went to LOT as did the UC-78s. The Pipers, Taylorcraft and Stinson went to flying clubs. It is interesting to read that the PAF and LOT got rid of the C-47s as the useful airframe time had run out, yet it is now acknowledged that the C-47 is one of those planes that has pretty much an unlimited airframe fatigue life as long as it is well maintained. Truth is that the Soviets didn't want American aircraft flying in Polish skies.

The authors have done a superlative job tracking down images and information on these planes. The book is simply chock full of photograph, color profiles and color three views of the aircraft, making this an excellent reference book and a great resource for modelers. It is another superb read from Stratus and I know you will find this one as interesting and informative as did I. I can easily recommend this one to you.

February 2011

Review book courtesy of MMP Books, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb aviation and modeling books. The book is also available through Casemate Publishing in the US and Platypus Publications in Australia.

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