The MS.406 was France's first large production modern fighter and was the fighter that was used in the greatest numbers at the start of WWII. It would be appropriate to compare it with the Hawker Hurricane. Both were steel tube construction mostly covered with fabric. Both used liquid cooled engines of similar horsepower. Both were the first modern fighter used by the two services with enclosed canopy, retractable landing gear and low wing monoplane design. However, the MS.406 was armed differently using a motor cannon along with a pair of wing machine guns.

Though France did field some more modern types like the Dewoitine D.520, those were not built in great numbers and many were still awaiting parts to fully complete the airframes by the time the Germans invaded in May 1940. So how is this aircraft part of the Polish Wings series, you may ask. Well, after Poland was defeated by the Germans and Soviets, many of their pilots and other military personnel fled to France, where it was hoped they would be able to reestablish a government in exile. This included getting the weapons with which to fight and one of those was the MS.406.

The Poles did not want their pilots and ground crew disseminated into French units and wanted to remain somewhat autonomous within the French military structure. As such, the MS.406s were purchased for use, with the French providing training support. While many were able to see combat and some has some success, the majority were still undergoing training on the type when the French signed the armistice.

This book covers as much as it can, every aircraft flown by Polish pilots. Those bought sported Polish insignia on the fuselage. Others were with French units and so had standard insignia. A few things I learned from this book were that there were several general patterns for the camouflage. Now while all the schemes were very individualistic, some were more compact than others depending on where the plane was built or overhauled. I also found that a fair number of aircraft had a thin red stripe along the leading edge of the wing as shown in the cover art. As with others in this series, the research is first rate. Also in line with previous volumes is that most of the book consists of large full color profiles based on photos of the actual aircraft, making this an exceptionally image intensive volume. This particular edition is entirely in English, which is important for most readers. Another excellent book in the series and one that I know you will like.  

May 2024

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