Lotnicza Historia Ziemi Pilskiej 1910-1945

Polish text

Meticulous research, during which previously unpublished accounts and archival documents were uncovered, has resulted in the creation of a fascinating book devoted to aviation in the Greater Poland city of Piła between 1910 and 1945. The authors present with remarkable precision the activities of the world-renowned Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke GmbH (O.A.W.) aircraft works, the use of German fighters against the Greater Poland insurgents, selected reconnaissance missions carried out by squadrons of the “Pomerania” and “Poznań” Armies in September 1939, as well as the bombing raids conducted by American B-17s and RAF Lancasters.

Also noteworthy are the sections describing the desperate Luftwaffe attempts to resupply fortress Piła, and the operations of the Polish 4th Mixed Air Division in mid-February 1945. The book also addresses the question of what secrets the Piła airfield concealed during the Second World War.

The text is supplemented with tables, maps, and more than 230 unique photographs – including nearly 40 images of O.A.W.-built aircraft that later served in the newly formed Polish Air Force.