No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland’s Forces in World War II (General Military)

This book fills a monumental gap in WW2 history, dispelling the long he'd myth that Poland was a pushover in the war. Barely on its feet after more than a century out of national existence, the Poles put up a better fight than France, which had what was considered the largest and most war ready military of the time, several months to prepare, and were steamrolled in less time despite rthe support of the British troops. And after the initial invasion, the Poles continued fighting, either inside Poland against incredible odds or as foreign attachments to other Allied forces. Poland was the only occupied nation to never establish a Nazi-collaborative government and no country faced harsher retribution from the Nazis for acts of resistance. The book is incredibly well-researched, covering the contributions of every branch of service and the underground resistance in exacting detail, as well as political obstacles and chauvinism they had to overcome: the frustrations of ex-pat warriors sweating out the phony war in France, the triumphs of Polish pilots in the Battle of Britain, the Polish navy at Dunkirk and attacking the vaunted Bismarck, armored units, paratroopers, units fighting under Soviet command, distinguished service on three continents all throughout the war. A must read for fans of military lit and WW2 completists.

In reading many histories of World War II, Poland is often passingly mentioned as being conquered by Germany and not much else. This book does a good job of changing that, and puts names and faces to a country that I feel may have suffered the worst of any combatant nation. This is not an easy book to read, but an important one, because Poland fought hard but was oppressed and vilified after the war by the Soviet Union. It is a sad book. However, Polish soldiers fought and dies on some of the most important battlefields in the European campaign, and it is only fitting that their efforts are remembered and respected for their contribution to the war effort. The author did a marvelous job of detailing when and where Polish forces fought, and how they contributed to the war. In fact, I feel the author was able to adequately document the viewpoint of Poland and it's people both politically and militarily from the beginning to the end of the war. This book will help with educating the reader on some of the most brave but unsung heroes of World War II

Excellent account of Poland's role in WWII and the bravery of their men and women. So much here that never gets told in accounts of famous battles in history books and the like. Also reveals how poorly the allies treated Poland not only during the war, but after also when the Soviets were allowed to take control of Poland without any input from them. The "underground" Poland ran during the war was amazing, not only in scope, but also in results of damage inflicted upon the enemy. Countless deaths of Poles happened during the war, more percentage wise than any other country. Six million Poles were killed in World War II which is about one fifth of the pre-war population. Most of those were civilian victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity during occupation by Germany and the Soviet Union. I was somewhat ashamed after reading this and seeing how the U.S. not only neglected Poland after the war, but almost handed it to Soviets with our blessings. Interesting and amazing reading. Many, many battles involving the Poles are recounted in this book, but for me at least it was never boring and was well written.

There is some Polish pride in the writing of Kenneth Koskodan, such as with Scottish girls and British girls becoming infatuated with paratroopers and fighter pilots, etc, just as there is an often-repeated story of the Blitzkrieg. Most American readers of this book are likely to compare it with their understanding of the Nazi steamroller, which while representing just one country flattened another in a matter of days by a matter of course and with a steely glance made every other European country cower in acquiescence. How much will their impression change? Regarding the Battle for Britain and to quote Arthur Miller, "Attention must be paid!" Polish fighter pilots, apart from charming foreign girls in countries with cucked men, spend much of the opening chapters of this book becoming disappointed by the French, who after failing to attack Germany on their behalf, going Vichy, and proving lackluster in the skies, become a non-factor for the rest of the story. The French countryside, somewhat like the Romanian one, becomes Nazi-sympathized before it becomes Nazi-occupied. Page 56 is especially cringe-worthy for celebrators of Bastille Day, for example. On page 96, Koskodan writes that Poland's "Squadron 303 became the highest-scoring squadron of the entire Battle of Britain," overcoming the perception that they were, to the English, just another version of the worthless French. Koskodan even explains how Poles in slower planes could outmaneuver the Luftwaffe. And: "The British kill-to-loss ratio was about half that of the Polish fliers." Norman Davies has a book on this topic, and it's ranked lower here on Amazon, I just noticed. Koskodan references Davies on page 221: "the death and destruction of Warsaw during August and September 1944 was equivalent to the 911 World Trade Center attack every day for 63 days". The AK, to no one's surprise, plays a huge and incredible role in this story and World War II, indeed the history of war. When the Russians enter as potential liberators from the East, the true darkness of the colors of this narrative are bled onto the page. Far from the French cowardice or the Romanian helplessness, the Russians demonstrate how the title of this book is a misnomer. The Poles had no true Allies, not when they were originally invaded, not before Operation Barbarossa, and not during the liberation. Although the familiar phrase is used in this book, it does not apply to its central characters that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. In Poland, the attacked, be they Britain, fighting France, the Dutch, the US, or the Soviets, had allies, but concluding with Roosevelt's love for Uncle Joe, this was not a two-way street for the war's first victims and most persistent resistance. One postscript: although the book is presented as being based on interviews with a few survivors, those people are relatively rarely quoted and never developed into bigger personalities to centralize a "where are they now" theme. The author's research is about Poland and uses the interviews, not about the people he interviewed. I didn't mind.

This book really opened my eyes about an aspect of the allied battles during World War II with which I was not familiar, with the exception of Monte Casino. It tells an epic story about great bravery of the men and women of Poland and how they fought for freedom not only of Poland but for the rest of the world. Polish soldiers who escaped after the Nazi invasion of their country went on to fight in many major battles during the war. In many cases, they were left to fend for themselves by the very allies they were battling to free. Their betrayal by the "Big Three,"Russia and Stalin especially, is disgraceful. It is time their contribution is recognized and highly praised.

I am slowly catching up on the history I never heard in school. I don't hold the schools responsible nor was I a poor student. It is a matter of time. I have now lived long enough and continued my education by reading. This book is a great example of all the things we didn't have time to cover in school. It is a story that needs to be told. I, alas, was one of those that thought the total fight by the Poles was on horseback with swords against armored tanks. This book was an eye opening discovery of the vast operations to free themselves that the Poles went through. The shame of leaving them as prisoners in their own country after WWII is unforgivable as there was "No Greater Ally."

This book offers a look at part of World War II history that doesn't get a lot of attention, and that is a valuable service. Poland is often the subject of jokes, and "No Greater Ally" shows the other side, highlighting the courage and sacrifice of millions of Poles who got some of the worst treatment of any of the nations involved in the war. What really detracts from this book, however, is the obvious bias toward Poland. The author seemingly would like the reader to believe that the Polish Army and Air Force were the highest quality fighting forces in the entire war. Everything they did was fantastic, and if only they had better equipment and more men, not to mention if they weren't let down by those lazy, cowardly French, they could have beaten the Germans themselves. The author lays it on pretty thick, and because of that it's hard to know what to believe. I'm sure there's a middle ground in there somewhere, but just like the Polish weren't idiots who charged tanks with cavalry, I find it hard to believe they were this amazing military force that everyone else has just neglected to mention until now. The author bio is one paragraph and reveals him to be a journalist with no apparent historical training, which shows. All in all, there's a lot of interesting new information here, but I feel like you need to check it with other sources to know if it's really reliable.

The ridicule of ethnic groups is common practice throughout the world and has varying degrees of seriousness and intensity. Some of it is meant to be good-natured kidding, while in other cases the intent is to demean the group in question and make them feel less worthy as human beings. The latter is the case for the "Polish jokes" that usually find expression in the context of quality of products or services. Some have said that the origin of these jokes lies in the reaction of the Polish army to the invading German armies in September of 1939. The Polish army is said to have greeted the German invaders, who were heavily armed with tanks, on horseback and wielding swords. Snickers usually accompany this "charge of the light brigade" characterization of the Polish army. But as the author of this book explains in great detail, the real situation was far from this ill-informed and reprehensible description. Indeed, after the Polish army surrendered to the Germans its soldiers found themselves spread out all over Europe and North Africa, and fought in battles some of which are idolized by Hollywood and popular literature on World War II. Many in the Polish army were not content with enduring occupation of their country and sit around and do nothing. Instead, many formed an underground to resist the Germans and many left Poland to join foreign armies such as those in Britain (and ironically the Soviet Union) that had declared war on Germany. The author is very detailed in his descriptions of warfare and what the Polish soldiers and resistors had to face, including prejudices from the armies they assisted.The anecdotal stories which the author includes puts the Polish contributions to fighting in World War II in a deeply human context, and after reading the book, the reader will definitely gain a better appreciation of them. Probably the most painful part of the book regards what happened after the war ended, and the Polish people found themselves under the rule of a decadent and coercive Soviet state, thanks in no part to wheeling and dealing of government officials in the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. Outside of giving a well-researched apology for the contributions of Polish soldiers in World War II, the book also gives the readers who are interested in the history of the conflict more details on various battles in this war, one example being that of Arnhem, which is viewed even now as being a strategic failure of the Allied powers. Also, the author describes in good detail some of the vehicles and tactics that were used by the Polish army in various battles, one good example being that of the Warsaw uprising. It also serves as an introduction to the history of Poland since the war ended, setting the context of what measures had to be taken for the citizens of Poland to stand up to the Soviet Union and eventually free themselves from its domination.

Good purchase and fast shipping

This book is great and unique as it gives the readers chance to uncover the true history about the proud Polish nation who fought against two totalitarian powers - German nazi and Soviets communists at the start of WWII. It is not widely published, therfore not widely known in the West, since these countries did shameful act of forcing this great Nation into the bloody hands of Stalin's regime for the next 40 years after the war.

Exactly what I expected, thank you

This is an absolutely wonderful book. It fills in a gap in my knowledge of the second world war, and makes clear many facts which had puzzled me. This is a book that all of the 2nd WW nations should read... especially Germans, Russians, French and of course the Polish people, who at last hear their story told. I am only afraid that this book is not known... and I am busy telling all my friends that they should read this.

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