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Giles Whittell
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Spitfire Women of World War II Hardcover – January 1, 2007

by Whittell Giles (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 152 ratings
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The story of the unsung heroines who flew the newest, fastest, aeroplanes in World War II - mostly in southern England where the RAF was desperately short of pilots.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    HarperCollins
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    6.26 x 1.18 x 9.45 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0007235356
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0007235353
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (January 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0007235356
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0007235353
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.38 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.26 x 1.18 x 9.45 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 152 ratings

About the author

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Giles Whittell

Giles Whittell

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Giles Whittell is an English author and journalist. He has worked for The Times of London since 1993, first as US West Coast Correspondent from 1993 to 1999 and later as Moscow Correspondent (1999–2001) and Washington Bureau Chief (2009–2011). He is currently the paper's chief leader writer.

His books include Lambada Country (1992), Extreme Continental (1994), Spitfire Women of World War II (2007) and Bridge of Spies, a New York Times bestselling account of the Cold War spy swap between Rudolf Abel, Gary Powers and Frederic Pryor on Berlin's Glienicke Bridge in 1962. The book was published in the US in 2010 and the United Kingdom in 2011.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
152 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Elizabeth A. Ellsworth
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing book about amazing women.
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2023
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An amazing book about amazing women. These are the women who paved the way for the rest of us, breaking stereotypes so we could do or be anything we wanted to. Brave, fun, smart, sophisticated and funny, they broke as many barriers during WWII as they ferried fighter planes to the front. This book was easy to read, interesting, full of action and heartbreak and educational. If you want to read about strong women who made a difference, or aviation, or WWII or just enjoy a good book, this is the book to read next. I intend to find if this author has written anything else and if so, get it immediately. Bravo, Mr. Whittell, for bringing these wonderful women to the forefront where they belong, bravo!
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Heikki Hietala
4.0 out of 5 stars Tribute to the unsung but gutsy heroines
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2012
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War is a bad thing by definition, but it does create unusual circumstances in which unusual things can happen.

When Britain prepared for and then joined WW2, it had enough pilots to fight the war but not enough pilots to ferry aircraft to the squadrons. Hence the ATA (Air Tansport Auxiliary) was founded, and soon it was seen that more pilots would be needed for it than were readily available.

This crack was forcefully hammered wide open by Pauline Gower in the UK and Jackie Cochran in the US, and women entered the ATA. Originally they were allowed to fly docile aircraft such as the Avro Anson, but bit by bit Gower managed to grow the stable of airplanes her pilots were allowed to fly. Soon she had pilots taking to the skies in Hurricanes and Spitfires, and eventually gargantuan Lancasters and B-24 Liberators.

This book brings us delightful stories of such classic aviation heroines as Diana Barnato Walker, who flew a Tempest when it shed its air scoop and much of the lower part of the plane with it. The squadron officer who was to receive the plane chided her for delivering just half of the plane. There's Maureen Dunlop, who exited a Barracuda just as the reporters from Picture Post took her picture (see [...] for that great shot) and who flew many a hazardous delivery. And of course, Ms Duhalde, known as Chile for her native land, who promised to knock a Polish woman pilot's teeth off for jumping the landing pattern.

These ladies delivered thousands of airplanes but also died in the rapidly changing British weather, when they were surprised by a cloud, or flew into mountainsides when they became lost. The balance between a successful delivery and a fiery death in a crash is well told in this book. What is also well told is the incredible callousness of the all-male military aviation establishment, which refused to give the women pilots even rudimentary instrument flight training, which resulted in many deaths directly attributable to loss of spatial awareness.

The author has done a good job in presentig the big picture, but it could be structured better. Now we often are led from one situation into another which has no other connection to the grand narrative than the person we started with, and that makes it a little hard to follow the action. Also, in the Kindle edition, quotes were not indicated: many times you'd start reading a fist person narrative right after a third person viewpoint and it takes some time to figure out who is talking.

Nevertheless, these minor quibbles aside, these ladies deserved this book and all publicity they could possibly get. Now in their nineties, some of them still remember the ATA days as the best of their lives, and after reading this book, you will understand why.

-Heikki Hietala, author of Tulagi Hotel
3 people found this helpful
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J. Gunnar Grey
5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars to the book, and the pilots
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2011
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This is an amazing book, not least because it's nonfiction. Spitfire Women of World War II tells the story of the women pilots who flew ferry missions for the British as part of the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II. Remember, in those days flying was still considered very much a male sport, Amelia Earhart and Amy Johnson notwithstanding. When it was announced in 1940 that women pilots would help ferry military aircraft, both lightweight trainers and sexy, high-powered fighters (later including huge four-engine bombers), the public was divided. Some thought the women pilots were patriotic and brave, but another, outraged and vocal group considered them attention-seeking and selfish.

All sorts of adventuresome women signed up to fly for the ATA.
* Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from the U.K. to Australia, who lost her life in the Thames Estuary trying to get an Airspeed Oxford to RAF Kidlington in foul weather in 1941.
* Diana Barnato Walker, who successfully landed a Hawker Typhoon after the bottom half disintegrated and who lost two loves, a fiance and a husband, in separate flying accidents.
* Audrey Sale-Barker, model beautiful and an Olympic skier, such a natural pilot she looped and spun the aircraft during her first solo flight.
* Mary de Bunsen, with a hole in her heart, lousy eyesight, and a polio limp, who preferred taking tea with Thomas Hardy or watching the London blitz from a central rooftop with her mother to the social life of dances and balls.
* Joan Hughes, too small in stature to see over a four-engine bomber's landing wheel, who liked to tell disbelieving men her height didn't matter because she wanted the aircraft to carry her, not the other way around.
* Margot Duhalde from Chile, who spoke no English when she arrived in Liverpool in May 1941 but was desperate to fly.
* And Ann Wood, one of a handful of American women who volunteered to fly for Britain before the U.S. entered the war, who blasted beneath the Severn Railway Bridge in a Spitfire. Twice.

Spitfire Women is narrative nonfiction at its best, easily comparable to The Perfect Storm and a great read. I heartily recommend it for anyone who enjoys history, engaging characters, and real emotions of heartbreak and triumph. Five stars.
7 people found this helpful
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Denise E.
5.0 out of 5 stars Real insight into the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary during WWII
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2017
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A must read book for RAF buffs and women's pilot enthusiasts.

This is one of the best books I've read on the ATA. It is primarily from the British perspective and does paint a rather complex if not negative portrait of the American volunteers with few exceptions, but that's to be expected.

The book starts from the beginning of the program and follows the program to its conclusion. The stories are unique and aren't the same old war tales seen elsewhere. It does include the arrival of Jackie Cochran and the American girls, something that's often missing or glossed over in other ATA accounts.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Brave Women
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2018
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This is a great book which describes the lives of some pretty awesome women who helped out in WWII in England ferrying planes around the country.
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Top reviews from other countries

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James T Tayler
5.0 out of 5 stars Great photos and inspiring story
Reviewed in Canada on September 20, 2022
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The bravery was phenomenal. Their heroics kept the front line defence running.
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Alan Davey
5.0 out of 5 stars An illuminating read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2021
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Well researched and we'll written in a readable style that is equally informative and entertaining. This is an ideal book for everyone who is interested by the background to the Second World War, aviation history, or women's struggles to be better recognised and utilised during the twentieth century.
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RoB Ward
5.0 out of 5 stars Spitfire Women of World War 11
Reviewed in Australia on March 25, 2024
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This is an excellent reading of those who flew in the ATA. Well researched, and many thanks to those who contributed to this story
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting social history read.
Reviewed in Spain on September 5, 2017
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it was ok, informative and gave an insight into the pre war lives and service record of the gals. I was hoping for a few of the referred to photos to be reproduced, but alas there were none.
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reading addict
5.0 out of 5 stars Those wonderful girls in their flying machines
Reviewed in Australia on July 26, 2019
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Like the other true accounts of the ferry pilots in WW2, this story is wonderful. These women flew just about every machine available delivering new planes to air bases and even unsevicable aircraft to the scrap heap. They flew without instrument training, using roads and railway lines as guides. Derided by those who should have known better, these women assisted with the war effort without compare and received very little recognition of their bravery and service. The author interviewed those pilots still alive and his book is worth reading . The dangers encountered, he reports, and their love of the spitfires and some of the four engined bombers comes through. Yes, they loved flying, but foremost was their determination to ferry aircraft where they were needed by the RAF. Many lost their lives, some because of the unservicable aircraft they were required to deliver, some because the weather closed in and they were not trained on instruments. This book, I feel, should be recommended reading for students and for young women who wonder what theirfuture might be. Yes , and for oldies too, remembering the days when everyone worried about family fighting to end the war. There is so much here to keep the reader so engrossed with sudden and unexpected twists and turns in the narrative that 'lights out' is a difficult activity to carry out.
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