Incredible portraits of the forgotten pilots of WWII

Michal Solarski is careful to mention that he's a photographer, not a historian.

However, it was his fascination with history, specifically World War II's effect on the Polish people, that guided him to create his newest photography book: "The Airmen."

The few remaining Polish Air Force (PAF) pilots are the subject of Solarski's long-term project. The PAF's history, generally lost in a wash of tragic World War II stories, is important not to sweep under the rug, Solarski says. 

Forced to evacuate their country after the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, the Polish fled to Hungary, Romania, France, and finally, Britain.

"By the mid-1940s some 35,00o Polish airmen, soldiers, and navy personnel arrived in the UK, making up the largest non-British military force in the country," Solarski tells Business Insider. "Of those, some 8,500 were airmen."

At first deemed "suspicious" by the British Royal Air Force (RAF), the Polish proved their allegiance by helping to deter the German invasion of the UK during the 1940 Battle of Britain.

Here, learn more about the PAF's rich history, its forgotten heroes, and Solarski's drive to document them before they disappear.

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Solarski says his family was a major inspiration for this project. "History and politics were common subjects of conversation during family gatherings, and my family was hugely affected by WWII," he says.

A few years ago, Solarski met a historian working on the history of the PAF. "I felt that the opportunity to record the experiences of those men and women before they die should not be missed," he says.

Solarski worked with two historians throughout the course of his project, Piotr Sikora and Adam Jackowski. They both helped Solarski locate the veterans who lived in the UK, the US, and Canada. Veteran Roman Szymanski (pictured below) resided in London when he was photographed by Solarski.

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