Supplies to Warsaw

I’m trying to track down any good articles/books covering the RAF supply effort to Warsaw during the 1944 uprising.

Stan,
try:
Airlift to Warsaw: The Rising of 1944 by Neil Orpen,
The men who went to Warsaw by Lawrence Isemonger – about 31 and 34 Sqn SAAF,
for a wider image – Rising ’44 by Norman Davies,
and finally an excellent website about Warsaw Uprising – http://www.warsawuprising.com/ – there is few stories by the airmen themselves in “witnesses” chapter.

/p.

…although Churchill showed plenty of public support and was sympathetic to them…

But when the chips were down, thanks to pressure from Stalin, Churchill prevented the Poles from marching in the UK VE parades. They were thus the only appropriate nation not represented; which indicates how far Churchill’s real intent extended. Not far at all.

‘Flames in the Sky’ by Clousterman has a chapter on this sorry episode in W.W.II; here, as all too often, Stalin was able to dictate western Allied efforts to suit his long-term plans.

If you read the story as told in my link above, the Soviet actions were totally reprehensible and designed to achieve subsequent political control of Poland, without regard to the brave efforts of the Poles, whom the Russians could virtually watch being destroyed on the other side of the Vistula river.

“For your Freedom & Ours – The Kosciuszko Squadron” backs up Papa Limas post. This book, by Lynne Olsen & Stanley Cloud, while focussing on Polish fighter pilots in the RAF, brilliantly details how the Poles were sold down the river by the US and British governments (although Churchill showed plenty of public support and was sympathetic to them), and betrayed outright by the Russians (twice).

The Warsaw Uprising, including the attempts to supply by air, is described over about 40 pages. Recommended.

If you read the story as told in my link above, the Soviet actions were totally reprehensible and designed to achieve subsequent political control of Poland, without regard to the brave efforts of the Poles, whom the Russians could virtually watch being destroyed on the other side of the Vistula river. No wonder the Polish people hate the Russians, after the Molotov pact which divided their country at the start of the war and this absolute failure to help them near the end of the war. As we all know, the result was the total destruction of Warsaw and the end of Polish self-government for the next 40 years.

There was a Timewatch BBC 2 programme on tv last night about the Warsaw uprising . . .it reported also that the Soviets made drops but without parachutes, thus destroying all supplies. The resistance fighters were in such small pockets in the city that more often than not the supplies went to the German army instead. A devastating story if it was accurate, beaten by the Germans, imprisoned by the Soviets, and Warsaw raised to the ground.

War sucks.

Here is a bit more, from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/warsaw_uprising.htm

Flying out of Brindisi in Italy, 186 flights were made to supply ‘Bor’ Komorowski’s Home Army. The flight was 1,400 miles there and back and full of danger. Only 83 planes successfully delivered their load and 33 were lost with their crew, including 13 planes with a Polish crew. Such a rate of attrition was too high.

Stalin was asked that Allied air crews be allowed to use Russian air bases. On September 10th, against all indications, Stalin gave permission for Russian airfields to be used by Allied planes. On September 18th, 110 planes of the US 8th Air Force made a daylight drop on Warsaw and flew on to Russian air bases. Only nine planes were lost. Ironically, it was a strong wind that ruined this flight as only 30% of the equipment dropped got to Komorowski’s forces – other equipment dropped into the hands of the Germans.

I believe certain South African squadrons were very much involved, flying from Italy, I think.