Grupa Myśliwska Montpellier

Polish text

Grupa Myśliwska Montpellier is the Polish, revised and expanded edition of the book Montpellier Squadron (2008), published by MMP/Stratus. The author, Bartłomiej Belcarz, used the time between the two editions to verify the state of research and to uncover several dozen new photographs.

The publication presents in detail the history of the first Polish air unit created after the defeat of September 1939. Formed by outstanding pilots, it became a symbol of the Poles’ unyielding spirit. The pilots of the Montpellier Group went to the front on 27 March 1940 and remained in action until the last days of France. Two of them paid the ultimate price.

Each chapter is richly illustrated with archival photographs showing both the pilots and their aircraft – Morane-Saulnier MS.406, Bloch MB.152, and Dewoitine D.520. The book includes numerous appendices, fully documenting the effort of the Polish fighter pilots. In addition, it features specially commissioned colour aircraft profiles, revised and improved compared to the previous edition, depicting the machines flown by the Poles.

This volume is a publication that deserves a place in the canon of Polish aviation historiography.