Red Stars – Black Cross’s Ally over Poland. Soviet, A New Book in August 2008

There will be edited a new book in Poland concerning Soviet-Polish air war in 1939. It should be released in August or September 2008. Just now I have done some author’s and editorial’s corrections. The end of editorial works is seen, :-)

The title: Red Stars – Black Cross’s Ally over Poland. Soviet Aviation over East Part of Poland in September, October 1939.

The book has about 200 pages (size A-5), about 51.400 words. There are 16 color drawings of Soviet and Polish planes, plus about 50 black and white photos. Some used photos are known but other are not.

For Rumanian readers it is not good information - the whole book is done only in Polish. There are no any English text, summary etc. I do not suppose, that this material could be done in English in the future (it is quite small market for such “strange” stories). Maybe I am wrong?


This is the first book focused about this quite less know small air war on the beginning of WW II. The Soviet during invasion on Poland (17 IX 1939) had also used quite large air forces (about 3.300 combat, land military planes). During this very short war there were used in fact less aviation forces - about 1.000 combat planes. There were in fact not so many air combats between Soviet invasion air forces and Polish Lotnictwo Wojskowe.

During this air war Soviet had used additional (beside to VVS RKKA) aviation forces like: a few NKVD air units, plus tens of civil planes taken from GVF - Aeroflot. The last, large, air force, which was also used against Poland was maritime aviation (Baltic and Black See aviation units).

The book conatins aslo some information about evacuation of Poles (otnictwo wojskowe) to Romania in IX 1939. It is quite deeply written a story about fate Polish PZL.46 Sum, which was evacuated after 17 IX, landed in romania, and was hijacked by Poles to flight to Warsaw and later landed in Kovno - Lithuania.

The Soviet planes had done the last combat flights about 7 October 1939. Soviet air units had done the last flights later, then Luftwaffe against Poles.

This is the third material, which I have written about this particular topic. First was printed in 2003, next in 2005, and just now it will be a book, :-)

The whole material has been written with the support of many sources: Soviet archive document, Polish documents, many book printed in Russian, Poland and other countries and last but not least – support of friends.

Other my texts about this “small Russian-Poles air war”:

2005: Ratas over Eastern Part of Poland. I-16 During Soviet Aggression on Poland. „Szczury” nad Kresami. Myśliwce I-16 podczas sowieckiej agresji na Polskę IX-X 1939 r., p. 7, 18 b&w photos, [in:] Militaria XX wieku 5 (8)/2005.
2003: Soviet Aviation in War over Poland, September 1939, Vol. 2. Lotnictwo sowieckie w wojnie nad Polską wrzesień 1939 roku, cz.1; p. 6, 7 b&w photos, [in:] Militaria i Fakty 5-6/2003.
2003: Soviet Aviation in War over Poland, September 1939, Vol. I. Lotnictwo sowieckie w wojnie nad Polską wrzesień 1939 r., cz. 1; p. 5, 7 b&w photos, [in:] Militaria i Fakty 4/2003.

Regards,
Mirek Wawrzyński

Thanks for sharing, Mirek!

What about the Russians ?! Are they not interested in this book ?!
A Polish/Russian edition could have buyers also in the ex CCCP.

Nice and good tip, :-)
But it make the whole project duble or more expensive, :-(.
So the costs are higher then in one language.

Second they have (Russian) very strange, just now, book market. It existed in the big cites and mostly there. So the nice book prionted in Russia have quite small copies, then such big potentional market could buy. Very interesting, good done books, sometimes are printed in 200-300 copies. Bestsellers about aviation has 3000-5000 copies, which for such market are very small indeed.

The information about this book is also hanged on Russian side to inform them about such thing.

Book has also contain some information about escaping from Poland to Romania Polish planes and a few stories about this too. Most of the text is focused on Soviet VVS RKKA over Poland.

Regards
Mirek W

The book at last is edited in Poland (since 5 IX 08 on the Polish market in Warsaw)

Better late then never, :-)

Last days, some pages taken from my book are hanged on Jacek Jackiewcz web side:

http://www.kecay.info/

There are some pages of text, and a few photos, color drawings. You may see them:

http://www.kecay.com/mirek.htm

Regards,

Mirek Wawrzyński