The Struggle

Biography of a Fighter Pilot
By Franciszek Korniki
Stratus, ©2008
ISBN 978-83-89450-80-7
Softbound, 224 Pages

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. My thanks to Stratus for the review copy.