Vickers Wellington I & II Part1

he twin-engine Vickers Wellington medium bomber was considered the workhorse of RAF Bomber Command in the early stages of World War II. Between 1939 and 1942, alongside the Handley-Page Hampden and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, the Wellington bore the brunt of the emerging bombing offensive against the Third Reich. These aircraft also served with Coastal Command units to combat U-boats and enemy shipping, and were extensively used for training RAF bomber crews. By October 1945, a total of 11,462 had been produced.

Wellingtons also became the basic equipment of all four Polish bomber squadrons – 300, 301, 304 and 305 – as well as OTU training units where Polish crews were trained.

This volume of the Polish Wings series presents the history of the use of Vickers Wellington bombers in versions Ic and II in the Polish Air Force in the West between 1940 and 1942. The first part of the book is devoted to Nos. 300 and 301 Squadrons and 18 OTU, while the second describes the combat operations of Nos. 304 and 305 Squadrons.

The publication includes:

• a detailed history of the activities of Polish crews on Wellingtons,

• numerous archival photographs, including many previously unpublished,

• colorful profiles by Andrzej M. Olejniczak,

• Combat operations reports.