Author: Guy Mayfield
Publisher: Imperial War Museum
ISBN: 1912423294
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
Guy Mayfield was the Station Chaplain at RAF Duxford during the Battle of Britain. His diary is a moving account of the war fought by the young pilots during that summer of 1940, providing a unique and intimate insight into one of the most pivotal moments in British history. Frequently speaking to pilots who knew they may not survive the next 24 hours, Mayfield’s diary provides a vivid account of the fears and hopes of the young men who risked their lives daily for the defense of Britain. Interspersed with photographs of the men and contextual narrative by IWM historian Carl Warner, this book brings a compelling and direct new perspective to this historic battle.
Life and Death in the Battle of Britain
Author: Guy Mayfield
Publisher: Imperial War Museum
ISBN: 1912423294
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
Guy Mayfield was the Station Chaplain at RAF Duxford during the Battle of Britain. His diary is a moving account of the war fought by the young pilots during that summer of 1940, providing a unique and intimate insight into one of the most pivotal moments in British history. Frequently speaking to pilots who knew they may not survive the next 24 hours, Mayfield’s diary provides a vivid account of the fears and hopes of the young men who risked their lives daily for the defense of Britain. Interspersed with photographs of the men and contextual narrative by IWM historian Carl Warner, this book brings a compelling and direct new perspective to this historic battle.
Publisher: Imperial War Museum
ISBN: 1912423294
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
Guy Mayfield was the Station Chaplain at RAF Duxford during the Battle of Britain. His diary is a moving account of the war fought by the young pilots during that summer of 1940, providing a unique and intimate insight into one of the most pivotal moments in British history. Frequently speaking to pilots who knew they may not survive the next 24 hours, Mayfield’s diary provides a vivid account of the fears and hopes of the young men who risked their lives daily for the defense of Britain. Interspersed with photographs of the men and contextual narrative by IWM historian Carl Warner, this book brings a compelling and direct new perspective to this historic battle.
Last of the Few
Author: Max Arthur
Publisher: Skyhorse
ISBN: 1628730463
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 307
Book Description
After the fall of France in May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force was miraculously evacuated from Dunkirk. Britain now stood alone to face Hitler’s inevitable invasion attempt. For the German army to land across the channel, Hitler needed mastery of the skies—the Royal Air Force would have to be broken. So every day throughout the summer, German bombers pounded the RAF air bases in the southern counties. Greatly outnumbered by the Luftwaffe, the pilots of RAF Fighter Command scrambled as many as five times a day, and civilians watched skies crisscrossed with the contrails from the constant dogfights between Spitfires and Me-109s. Britain’s very freedom depended on the outcome of that summer’s battle: Its air defenses were badly battered and nearly broken, but against all odds, “The Few,” as they came to be known, bought Britain’s freedom—many with their lives. More than a fifth of the British and Allied pilots died during the Battle of Britain. These are the personal accounts of the pilots who fought and survived that battle. Their stories are as riveting, as vivid, and as poignant as they were seventy years ago. We will not see their like again.
Publisher: Skyhorse
ISBN: 1628730463
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 307
Book Description
After the fall of France in May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force was miraculously evacuated from Dunkirk. Britain now stood alone to face Hitler’s inevitable invasion attempt. For the German army to land across the channel, Hitler needed mastery of the skies—the Royal Air Force would have to be broken. So every day throughout the summer, German bombers pounded the RAF air bases in the southern counties. Greatly outnumbered by the Luftwaffe, the pilots of RAF Fighter Command scrambled as many as five times a day, and civilians watched skies crisscrossed with the contrails from the constant dogfights between Spitfires and Me-109s. Britain’s very freedom depended on the outcome of that summer’s battle: Its air defenses were badly battered and nearly broken, but against all odds, “The Few,” as they came to be known, bought Britain’s freedom—many with their lives. More than a fifth of the British and Allied pilots died during the Battle of Britain. These are the personal accounts of the pilots who fought and survived that battle. Their stories are as riveting, as vivid, and as poignant as they were seventy years ago. We will not see their like again.
The Few
Author: Dilip Sarkar
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 144560986X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 511
Book Description
The history of the Battle of Britain in the words of the pilots from a unique archive of first hand accounts.
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 144560986X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 511
Book Description
The history of the Battle of Britain in the words of the pilots from a unique archive of first hand accounts.
Spitfire Pilot
Author: David Crook
Publisher: Greenhill Books
ISBN: 1784387495
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 147
Book Description
Spitfire Pilot is the exhilarating and moving memoir of D. M. Crook, an airman in the legendary 609 Squadron - one of the most successful RAF units in the Battle of Britain. Beginning with his fond recollections of his halcyon days in training - acrobatics, night flying and languorous days spent playing sport and nights off visiting Piccadilly Circus - Crook goes on to recount in thrilling detail the dogfights, remarkable victories and tragic losses which formed the daily routine of Britain's heroic aerial defenders in that long summer of 1940. Often hopelessly outnumbered, the men of 609 Squadron in their state-of-the-art Spitfires committed acts of unimaginable bravery against the Messerschmitts and Junkers of Germany's formidable Luftwaffe. Many of Crook's fellow airmen did not make it back alive, and the absence they leave in the close-knit community of the squadron is described with great poignancy. Spitfire Pilot offers a unique and personal insight into one of the most critical moments of British history, when a handful of men stood up against the might of the German Air Force in defence of their country. This definitive edition, the first for more than sixty years, includes a new foreword by David Crook's daughter and Air Vice Marshal Sandy Hunter, Honorary Air Commodore of the 609 Squadron. The book also has an introduction by Professor Richard Overy.
Publisher: Greenhill Books
ISBN: 1784387495
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 147
Book Description
Spitfire Pilot is the exhilarating and moving memoir of D. M. Crook, an airman in the legendary 609 Squadron - one of the most successful RAF units in the Battle of Britain. Beginning with his fond recollections of his halcyon days in training - acrobatics, night flying and languorous days spent playing sport and nights off visiting Piccadilly Circus - Crook goes on to recount in thrilling detail the dogfights, remarkable victories and tragic losses which formed the daily routine of Britain's heroic aerial defenders in that long summer of 1940. Often hopelessly outnumbered, the men of 609 Squadron in their state-of-the-art Spitfires committed acts of unimaginable bravery against the Messerschmitts and Junkers of Germany's formidable Luftwaffe. Many of Crook's fellow airmen did not make it back alive, and the absence they leave in the close-knit community of the squadron is described with great poignancy. Spitfire Pilot offers a unique and personal insight into one of the most critical moments of British history, when a handful of men stood up against the might of the German Air Force in defence of their country. This definitive edition, the first for more than sixty years, includes a new foreword by David Crook's daughter and Air Vice Marshal Sandy Hunter, Honorary Air Commodore of the 609 Squadron. The book also has an introduction by Professor Richard Overy.
Flying, Fighting and Reflection
Author: Peter Jacobs
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1784383910
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 393
Book Description
This is the thrilling account of the last remaining Battle of Britain ace fighter pilot, Tom Ginger Neil. Neil was one of an elite band, nicknamed The Few by Winston Churchill, he flew Hurricanes during 141 combat missions in that battle and went on to command the first Spitfire XII squadron during 1942/43 as the RAF went on the offensive in north-west Europe.In this, the only full account of Neil's life to be published in collaboration with his family, we learn how he became a poster boy for the war effort and how he credits his sixth sense for keeping him alive during the Second World War.There was, however, one terrifyingly close brush with death, when in 1940 he had a mid-air collision with another Hurricane. With the rear section of his aircraft gone, the plane was out of control and hurtling to the ground, yet somehow he managed to bail out and miraculously survived with only a minor leg injury.As well as RAF service during the Siege of Malta, Wing Commander Neil, who is now in his late nineties, also served with the Americans during the D-Day landings.During his career, Neil was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses for the destruction of at least fourteen enemy aircraft, and was a successful test pilot after the war before commanding a jet fighter-reconnaissance squadron in Egypt's troubled Canal Zone during the 1950s for which he was awarded the Air Force Cross.With contributions from the man himself, this book also looks at his life after the RAF and his career as a successful author. For military buffs and novices alike, it is a must-read account of a true war hero.
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1784383910
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 393
Book Description
This is the thrilling account of the last remaining Battle of Britain ace fighter pilot, Tom Ginger Neil. Neil was one of an elite band, nicknamed The Few by Winston Churchill, he flew Hurricanes during 141 combat missions in that battle and went on to command the first Spitfire XII squadron during 1942/43 as the RAF went on the offensive in north-west Europe.In this, the only full account of Neil's life to be published in collaboration with his family, we learn how he became a poster boy for the war effort and how he credits his sixth sense for keeping him alive during the Second World War.There was, however, one terrifyingly close brush with death, when in 1940 he had a mid-air collision with another Hurricane. With the rear section of his aircraft gone, the plane was out of control and hurtling to the ground, yet somehow he managed to bail out and miraculously survived with only a minor leg injury.As well as RAF service during the Siege of Malta, Wing Commander Neil, who is now in his late nineties, also served with the Americans during the D-Day landings.During his career, Neil was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses for the destruction of at least fourteen enemy aircraft, and was a successful test pilot after the war before commanding a jet fighter-reconnaissance squadron in Egypt's troubled Canal Zone during the 1950s for which he was awarded the Air Force Cross.With contributions from the man himself, this book also looks at his life after the RAF and his career as a successful author. For military buffs and novices alike, it is a must-read account of a true war hero.
Berlin at War
Author: Roger Moorhouse
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1446499219
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 466
Book Description
Berlin was the nerve-centre of Hitler's Germany - the backdrop for the most lavish ceremonies, it was also the venue for Albert Speer's plans to forge a new 'world metropolis' and the scene of the final climactic bid to defeat Nazism. Yet while our understanding of the Holocaust is well developed, we know little about everyday life in Nazi Germany. In this vivid and important study Roger Moorhouse portrays the German experience of the Second World War, not through an examination of grand politics, but from the viewpoint of the capital's streets and homes.He gives a flavour of life in the capital, raises issues of consent and dissent, morality and authority and, above all, charts the violent humbling of a once-proud metropolis. Shortlisted for the Hessell-Tiltman History Prize.
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1446499219
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 466
Book Description
Berlin was the nerve-centre of Hitler's Germany - the backdrop for the most lavish ceremonies, it was also the venue for Albert Speer's plans to forge a new 'world metropolis' and the scene of the final climactic bid to defeat Nazism. Yet while our understanding of the Holocaust is well developed, we know little about everyday life in Nazi Germany. In this vivid and important study Roger Moorhouse portrays the German experience of the Second World War, not through an examination of grand politics, but from the viewpoint of the capital's streets and homes.He gives a flavour of life in the capital, raises issues of consent and dissent, morality and authority and, above all, charts the violent humbling of a once-proud metropolis. Shortlisted for the Hessell-Tiltman History Prize.
With Wings Like Eagles
Author: Michael Korda
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061984949
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 407
Book Description
“[With Wings Like Eagles is] bold and refreshing… Korda writes with great elegance and flair.”—Wall Street Journal From the New York Times bestselling author of Ike and Horse People, Michael Korda, comes With Wings Like Eagles, the harrowing story of The Battle of Britain, one of the most important battles of World War II. In the words of the Washington Post Book World, “With Wings Like Eagles is a skillful, absorbing, often moving contribution to the popular understanding of one of the few episodes in history … to deserve the description ‘heroic.’”
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061984949
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 407
Book Description
“[With Wings Like Eagles is] bold and refreshing… Korda writes with great elegance and flair.”—Wall Street Journal From the New York Times bestselling author of Ike and Horse People, Michael Korda, comes With Wings Like Eagles, the harrowing story of The Battle of Britain, one of the most important battles of World War II. In the words of the Washington Post Book World, “With Wings Like Eagles is a skillful, absorbing, often moving contribution to the popular understanding of one of the few episodes in history … to deserve the description ‘heroic.’”
Arise to Conquer
Author: Ian Gleed
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1908117818
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 201
Book Description
A Royal Air Force fighter pilot’s action-packed memoir of his service before, during, and after the epic World War II battle. Originally published during the war in 1942, this is the other side of the mirror from the philosophical flight record of authors such as Antoine de Saint Exupery. It is a literal, daily record of an English fighter pilot of 23 years fighting in the Battle of Britain, giving a truly authentic picture of life on a squadron in those times. Gleed details his first sortie in 1939, his breakdown not so long after, his return to the RAF and battles over France, his exploits in the Battle of Britain, becoming an ace, downing Messerschmitts, and eventually being awarded the DFC for his service as leader and fighter. Praise for Arise to Conquer “An epic of the Battle of Britain.” —The Sphere (UK) “An excellent account of the daily life of a fighter squadron in the Battle of Britain… gives spirited descriptions of many air combats.” —Flight
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1908117818
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 201
Book Description
A Royal Air Force fighter pilot’s action-packed memoir of his service before, during, and after the epic World War II battle. Originally published during the war in 1942, this is the other side of the mirror from the philosophical flight record of authors such as Antoine de Saint Exupery. It is a literal, daily record of an English fighter pilot of 23 years fighting in the Battle of Britain, giving a truly authentic picture of life on a squadron in those times. Gleed details his first sortie in 1939, his breakdown not so long after, his return to the RAF and battles over France, his exploits in the Battle of Britain, becoming an ace, downing Messerschmitts, and eventually being awarded the DFC for his service as leader and fighter. Praise for Arise to Conquer “An epic of the Battle of Britain.” —The Sphere (UK) “An excellent account of the daily life of a fighter squadron in the Battle of Britain… gives spirited descriptions of many air combats.” —Flight
The Death of Britain?
Author: J. Redwood
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0333982770
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
Can the United Kingdom survive devolution, European integration, reform of the Lords, slimming of the monarchy and proportional representation? Will the new House of Lords be anything more than a rubber stamp full of friends of the Prime Minister? Will Scotland now shatter the Union by demanding full independence? In this dramatic new book John Redwood looks at the sweeping changes to Britain's institutions, democracy and the way of life now arising from the European project. Viewing the Blairite revolution as the agency for wider changes coming from the agenda of France, Germany and the European Commission, Redwood asks the key questions: are these changes inevitable, are they desirable, and what will they mean for British democracy?
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0333982770
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
Can the United Kingdom survive devolution, European integration, reform of the Lords, slimming of the monarchy and proportional representation? Will the new House of Lords be anything more than a rubber stamp full of friends of the Prime Minister? Will Scotland now shatter the Union by demanding full independence? In this dramatic new book John Redwood looks at the sweeping changes to Britain's institutions, democracy and the way of life now arising from the European project. Viewing the Blairite revolution as the agency for wider changes coming from the agenda of France, Germany and the European Commission, Redwood asks the key questions: are these changes inevitable, are they desirable, and what will they mean for British democracy?
The White War
Author: Mark Thompson
Publisher: Faber & Faber
ISBN: 0571250084
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 475
Book Description
In May 1915, Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire, hoping to seize its 'lost' territories of Trieste and Tyrol. The result was one of the most hopeless and senseless modern wars - and one that inspired great cruelty and destruction. Nearly three-quarters of a million Italians - and half as many Austro-Hungarian troops - were killed. Most of the deaths occurred on the bare grey hills north of Trieste, and in the snows of the Dolomite Alps. Outsiders who witnessed these battles were awestruck by the difficulty of attacking on such terrain. General Luigi Cadorna, most ruthless of all the Great War commanders, restored the Roman practice of 'decimation', executing random members of units that retreated or rebelled. Italy sank into chaos and, eventually, fascism. Its liberal traditions did not recover for a quarter of a century - some would say they have never recovered. Mark Thompson relates this nearly incredible saga with great skill and pathos. Much more than a history of terrible violence, the book tells the whole story of the war: the nationalist frenzy that led up to it, the decisions that shaped it, the poetry it inspired, its haunting landscapes and political intrigues; the personalities of its statesmen and generals; and also the experience of ordinary soldiers - among them some of modern Italy's greatest writers. A work of epic scale, The White War does full justice to one of the most remarkable untold stories of the First World War.
Publisher: Faber & Faber
ISBN: 0571250084
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 475
Book Description
In May 1915, Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire, hoping to seize its 'lost' territories of Trieste and Tyrol. The result was one of the most hopeless and senseless modern wars - and one that inspired great cruelty and destruction. Nearly three-quarters of a million Italians - and half as many Austro-Hungarian troops - were killed. Most of the deaths occurred on the bare grey hills north of Trieste, and in the snows of the Dolomite Alps. Outsiders who witnessed these battles were awestruck by the difficulty of attacking on such terrain. General Luigi Cadorna, most ruthless of all the Great War commanders, restored the Roman practice of 'decimation', executing random members of units that retreated or rebelled. Italy sank into chaos and, eventually, fascism. Its liberal traditions did not recover for a quarter of a century - some would say they have never recovered. Mark Thompson relates this nearly incredible saga with great skill and pathos. Much more than a history of terrible violence, the book tells the whole story of the war: the nationalist frenzy that led up to it, the decisions that shaped it, the poetry it inspired, its haunting landscapes and political intrigues; the personalities of its statesmen and generals; and also the experience of ordinary soldiers - among them some of modern Italy's greatest writers. A work of epic scale, The White War does full justice to one of the most remarkable untold stories of the First World War.