The Struggle.
Biography of a Fighter Pilot
Online & printed reviews
AIR Modeler 18
JP4 - Italian aviation magazine (printed)
MiniReplika No 57 - Polish modellers' magazine (printed)
ModelingMadness.com
Reviewer: Scott Van Aken
It is not
often in these days, that one gets to read a biography about the
experiences of a WWII pilot. Men of this generation are leaving us in
the thousands each week and the opportunity to read about their lives is
one that we should all take. These are the people who helped to shape
the world the way it is.
This particular book is the story of Franciszek Kornicki from his birth
until the present day.
Of most interest to most of us is the bulk of the book which covers his
days at the Polish Air College in Deblin, through his flight training,
posting to a PZL fighter squadron, his experiences in the opening part
of WWII and subsequent escape to Romania and from there to France.
Chosen to fly the Caudron C.714, his experiences with that aircraft are
quite enlightening, but the war was moving quickly and as France was
overrun, he managed to get to Britain where he spent the war flying with
the RAF, along with a rather substantial number of other Polish airmen.
After the war, he stayed in the UK working at various jobs until
rejoining the RAF in 1951, using his immediate post war experiences of
running pubs and restaurants to good use as well as keeping his hand in
flying. This RAF experience kept him in good stead after retiring from
the RAF as he went right back into the business with the RAF, but this
time as a civilian.
It is a fascinating book full of good humor and candor. It is a look
into a part of history that few people have experienced. A book that I
found immensely entertaining and I'm positive that you will as well. It
is a book that I can most highly recommend to you.
May 2008
www.aerostories.org
by Phil Listemann
If
Franciszek Kornicki is not the most known Polish fighter pilot of World
War II, his name must be recorded as being one of the youngest Polish
fighter pilot to have led a fighter Polish unit in the RAF when he
became the commanding officer of No.308 Squadron and later No.317
Squadron in 1943.
This biography narrates the typical fate of so many Polish airmen during
WW2, who began to fight in September 1939 (he was a regular Air Force
officer) and continued their struggle until May 1945. During those
critical years, those men worn three uniforms, the Polish, the French
and eventually the British one.
If the War is the biggest event for many men of that time, as it is for
him, Frantiszek Kornicki is also giving what kind of life he had during
between missions and the delicate cohabitation with other European
people (Romania, France and United Kingdom) not always keen on being
friendly with Poles. In reading the book, we can see how much Europe has
changed since those dark years !
The political side is not forgotten either, and as a Pole, he wonders
why the UK and France acted or not acted when Poland was invaded by
German then by Soviets troops while in April 1939, the French and
British officially became the protectors of Poland, whatever the enemy.
He also painfully remembers what fate the Polish soldiers had to face at
the end of war when Britain had to deal with the new reality in the East,
surely something the United Kingdom cannot be proud of. For many Poles
who still have family in Poland the return became problematical if not
impossible. At the end of the book, Frantiszek gives the fate of his
Entry, the last to have completed the course in full, it was just before
the war begun. Of the 173 names, 86 were killed in Poland, France or
with the RAF (but also at Katyn), but the most dramatic for all the
survivors has yet to come when they had to find a new country to live in,
an exile they were not really prepared to live and something they never
fought for. For Frantiszek, the new country will be United Kingdom, and
the last part of the book narrates his integration into the post-war
British society.
The war is seen from a different angle and I spent a nice time in
reading it. The book is written with simplicity and recalls to anyone
how war can change things in many unexpected ways.
To be recommended without hesitation.
InternetModeler.com
Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl
With so
many general history books out there on aviation, sometimes the
individual gets lost in the big picture. Every now and then, though, a
book like this one comes out which counters those big picture books.
This book, although subtitled “Biography of a Fighter Pilot,” is
actually an autobiography. Franciszek Korniki found himself in Poland,
Rumania, France, and Great Britain during the Second World War,
including three years of operational flying. After the war, Korniki
continued his life in aviation, serving in the RAF for twenty years.
As an autobiography, this book covers more than just Korniki’s wartime
record. Divided into three main sections, the first part covers his
early years. This includes his memories of growing up in Wereszyn, his
family, and attending the Polish Air Force College. The second section
covers the wartime years, and this section is further divided by the
nations in which Korniki moved through. The story of his passage from
Poland through Rumania is quite interesting, for example, culminating
with a boat trip to France. The remaining section covers the post-war
years of exile in England, where Korniki spent most of his working years
in the RAF. As this is an autobiography, the photo content is light,
though not completely absent. These make up the last several pages of
the book, and they show a nice cross section of Korniki’s life.
After reading book after book detailing the broad strokes by fighter and
bomber groups, going through this book was a refreshing change of pace.
The author tells his life story in a smooth, flowing manner that is easy
to follow and interesting to read. I can recommend this book to anyone
who wants a different perspective on flying in the middle of the 20th
Century.
CyberModeler.com
By Ray Mehlberger
This new
book from Mushroom Model Publication’s (MMP) associate company STRATUS,
is the autobiography of Franciszek Kornicki. He was a fighter pilot in
pre-war Poland and then with the RAF during WWII and post war. He
describes in detail his upbringing in rural Poland in the 1920’s and
30’s, then his training and service with the Polish Air Force until
Poland’s defeat in 1939.
Like so many Polish airmen, he escaped to France and then to Britain,
and flew with the RAF during the rest of the war. In post war years, he
worked in the pub and restaurant trade before rejoining the RAF,
ultimately ending up as a senior catering manager at RAF bases both at
home and abroad.
Kornicki writes with candour and humour, and his Polish perspective of
life in Britain during and after WWII is revealing. This book is a good
addition to the literature about service and civilian life in the UK
during the 1940’s and 50’s, as well as giving a rare and poignant view
of Poland in pre-war years and also after the fall of the Iron Curtain.
It is a good reference source for anyone interested in these times.
The book is in soft-cover 6 ¼” x 9” page format and is 224 pages long.
194 pages of it are all text. There is a one page bibliography, a 6 page
appendix and a photo album at the back of the book. The album contains
71 black and white photos, spanning the pre-war, wartime and post-war
years. Most of these pictures are of Kornicki with other people. There
are a very few shots of aircraft. So, I must say that this book will not
be that interesting to aircraft modelers. It is more of a book for WWII
armchair aviation historians.