Bought this as Kindle book and listened to it entirely read to me by Alexa! Thankyou Amazon!
I'm interested in WWII, being the result of parents from either side the great pond, who met because of the war. Also, in the graceful, gorgeous looking Spitfire with its wonderfully sounding Merlin engine, having worked at Rolls Royce and witnessed a fly over by one at the plant in Derby at the 40th anniversary of the war's end.
I just went straight into this book without any prior knowledge about the author. Immediately I found a very down to earth, no chip on the shoulder war hero story - just a young guy from the States wanting to fly, seeking the excitement of fighting the Hun and mixing in with a different culture. I noticed how fresh the narrative was and I was not surprised, thinking it was a book written in recent times, to find out, after finishing the book, that this was actually written in the '40/'41 time-frame, in between the sorties. I was saddened to find out he, like many, did not survive, being killed in '42.
There's not much shoot 'em up action, but the story is still riveting. It describes a young man in a foreign country and how, for example, he went hungry because he didn't know how to order food in this strange country; afraid to try. He describes his trips to London in the time of the bombings and other towns and gives a first hand account of what he sees with those fresh eyes. He describes how he would set up his Spit' so that he could minimize the time to get in the air - his helmet and gloves positioning in the cockpit - his parachute on the tailplane (and don't let it get wet!) - how the engine had an extra horsepower setting for dogfighting - How you start to black out under extreme G's when turning or climbing too fast - His first experience of seeing vapor trails, what they are and how they could be used to find planes, friendly's or enemy - the black goop being tried to treat burns that the German POW's thought would brand them. All are just simple details, but rarely recorded. I felt that I was almost there with him. I could relate to the apprehension of being in a foreign land through my own travel experiences. I could picture the sights around London, having been there myself. I was also fascinated to learn that curry and rice was a popular meal even then. I thought it a more recent taste fad, being the most popular take-out in England, even more so than Fish and Chips!
My mother wrote a personal history of her wartime experience as a Land Girl, though not published, but stored in the Imperial Museum as a reference document. I felt this book to be a similar attempt to record for others who missed out on what was a unique time for a naive and young generation, thrust into adversity, fighting against the odds. One that hopefully will never be repeated, but one that, without it, I wouldn't be here!
Well worth a read, even if only to honor one who spent his downtime to give us his story and who sacrificed himself for the freedom we enjoy today
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Reviews with images
Like they say hours and hours of sheer boredom punctuated ...
This book is the real deal. Clearly written by a real pilot who has told you their story as it happened, No bravado here, just the truth. I say this because my Uncle Herman was a US fighter pilot in WWll and he told a similar story, One possible kill that he was not proud of and and nothing more. He flew P-40s, P-47s, P-51s and ended his time in a P- 38. He signed up on Monday December 8, 1941 if that tells you anything. When the war was over, he never flew an airplane again. He was a well respected member of his squadron.Like they say hours and hours of sheer boredom punctuated by sheer terror, A good solid read, Attached is a photo of my Uncle's plane after he landed his P-51 with the gear up in England way back when,
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
Like they say hours and hours of sheer boredom punctuated by sheer terror, A good solid read, Attached is a photo of my Uncle's plane after he landed his P-51 with the gear up in England way back when,
Like they say hours and hours of sheer boredom punctuated ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
This book is the real deal. Clearly written by a real pilot who has told you their story as it happened, No bravado here, just the truth. I say this because my Uncle Herman was a US fighter pilot in WWll and he told a similar story, One possible kill that he was not proud of and and nothing more. He flew P-40s, P-47s, P-51s and ended his time in a P- 38. He signed up on Monday December 8, 1941 if that tells you anything. When the war was over, he never flew an airplane again. He was a well respected member of his squadron.Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
Like they say hours and hours of sheer boredom punctuated by sheer terror, A good solid read, Attached is a photo of my Uncle's plane after he landed his P-51 with the gear up in England way back when,
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
A must read for anyone interested in an honest war experience
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2023
Ron Pearce
A well written account of life as a Spitfire pilot in WW2
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2015
