The countdown to George and the Dragon day, 23 April 2014, begins today.

Each day between now and the 23rd I am going to focus on a character from the book.  However, today to start with I am giving you an insight into not 1 but 3 characters.

Meet the RAF Pilots of 505 Squadron:

Pilot Officer Marius Kowalski,  Flight Lieutenant Jakub Sokol and Capitaine Jean Claude De La Grange.

Marius is English by birth but has Polish Immigrants parents he is my nod towards the Polish pilots who made such a difference fighting for the allies during the battle of Britain.  He is the youngest of the four pilots, you'll meet the fourth member of the squadron later this week,  but also one of the most skilled.

Sokol is Czechoslovakian fighter Ace and has fought in the skies above many countries since fleeing his country in the aftermath of it's occupation.   He is the good looking one of the group but also calm under fire and just as good in the air as any of his fellow pilots.  His prized possession is a Dewoitine D520.  It was the French equivalent of a Hurricane, slower than a Messerschmitt BF-109 but much more manoeuvrable.  


The French only made a few of them before the Nazis invaded and Sokol managed to fly one out of the country to England.

Capitaine Jean Claude De La Grange is my nod to the very small number of Free French pilots who flew with the RAF during the Battle of Britain.   He is a huge man that is very hard to shoot down.  In a way he is the comedic one of the group but not because he is riotously funny.

Together with their Squadron Leader they make up 505 Squadron; a special operations squadron with one role to deal with the Luftwaffe dragon menace.

Join me tomorrow when I introduce to Prof Walter Klein.