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7.1.1940, Amesbury, Wiltshire, England

To Mother and Dad,

I don’t want to provide too much for the censors, so I will be brief. I am well, and my training continues apace. Much has fallen into place so that soon, I hope, I will have achieved my ultimate goal. The photo I have enclosed was taken just after being awarded my “wings.” Please do not worry overmuch. As you can see, I am quite content, for I am in good company and we are engaged in the most important ...

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1 May 1940. A small airfield just outside Berry-au-Bac, France.

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To be honest, the France of 1940 struck me as somewhat less impressive than the one fondly remembered by my mother. True, much of her time here had been spent in turn-of-the-century Paris, but this was ridiculous. Slightly more than eighteen hours old, my relationship with the country that was to be my home for the foreseeable future was getting off to a ...

[B][I]May 28, 1940[/I][/B]

"Pilot Officer Franciszek!" "Yes, Flying Officer Kyte?" "Squadron Leader Barrie Heath gave me permission to take you in my section and we must hurry and get to the briefing room." "Thank you, sir. Are we going on a sortie?" "On a sortie Franciszek?! We'll bloody go on too many sorties these next days." "Right sir."

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/The%20Kindness%20of%20Strangers%20Campaign/Chapter%201%20-%20A%20target%20in%20Dunkirk/AtargetinDunkirkSc101.jpg[/IMG] ...

[B][I]November 3, 1915[/I][/B]

"Oberleutnant Joachim Lisbon! The British and French are preparing a major offensive! They are sending every plane they have to bomb tactical targets. Take off and protect the railroad station north of our airfield." "Jawohl Rittmeister Schlesinger!" "Take only one wingman. Your other pilot must join Leutnant Bergmann and defend our airfield while we are away. Who will you take?" "I'll take Neumann, Rittmeister." ...

[B][I]May 24, 1940[/I][/B]

"Are you telling me that you've fought in the Armée de l'Air and now you want to join the Royal Air Force. Is that it?" "Yes sir. That's exactly what I'm saying." "Have you abandoned the Armée de l'Air? Are you just another rat abandoning the ship when it is sinking?" "No sir. The French don't have fighters enough for them to fly so they let me go with all the other "etrangéres"." "They did? But they ...