For the purposes of the first stages of the project, on 20-26 January the project team conducted archival research in London. One of the participants in the archival research was Dr. Krzysztof Mroczkowski, Director for Academic Affairs at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, who also provides substantive support for the historical part of the project.

Two archive-academic institutions were visited as part of the archival research – the Polish Underground Movement Study Trust and the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum. Polish Underground Movement Study Trust was founded in London in 1947. This institution possesses documents on the Polish Underground State (the Underground Administration and the Home Army) during the Second World War. In turn, the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum was established in 1945 and was originally known as the History Institute. The Institute’s archives include extensive historical collections on Poland, including the documents and papers of the civil and military authorities from 1939 up to 1990.

The materials gathered during the course of the archival research include source materials on the functioning of drop zones, including reports, dispatches, statements, journals and other documents containing spatial data, such as ordinance survey maps and topographic maps.

The participants in the archival research would like to thank the above – mentioned institutions for providing them with the opportunity to inspect their archive. They are especially grateful to Mrs Krystyna Zatylna, a staff member at the Polish Underground Movement Study Trust – for her assistance, kindness and support in their efforts to achieve their research objectives.