Fighter Boys: Saving Britain 1940

Product Details

Author : Patrick Bishop
Binding : Paperback
EAN : 9780006532040
Edition : New Ed
Number of Pages : 464
Product Group : Book
Publication Date : 2004-03-29
Publisher : HarperPerennial

ASIN : 0006532047

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Editorial Reviews

The Times

`Does brave men justice.'

Evening Standard, 6 May 2003

'powerful yet restrained, at times almost unbearably touching, narrative'

Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph, May 11, 2003

'I know no more thoughtful nor yet more moving study of their achievement than that which Patrick Bishop has produced.'

The Independent, May 11, 2003

'a superb account of the spirit and character of Fighter Command,... painstakingly detailed and compelling.'

Times Literary Supplement, 13th June 2003

'captures both the reality and romance of the pilots' experience.'

The Times, 11th June 2003

'a moving and generous book that will bring pain as well as pride...to the many who will read it.'

Product Description

The Battle of Britain, fought in the skies over Britain during the sweltering summer of 1940, was one of the most crucial battles ever fought: without the Luftwaffe's control of the skies it was unlikely that Nazi Germany would mount an invasion across the Channel. For most of the 3000 young British airmen involved this was their first real experience of combat. The pressure on the pilots, groundcrew and their controllers was unimaginable; at certain points in the Battle a single blunder or failure of nerve could have been enough to tip the balance of the contest and give victory to the enemy. Patrick Bishop creates a surprising portrait of the Battle drawing on previously unseen source material and testimonies from survivors on both sides. Against the background of wider strategic considerations, he focuses on the lives and thoughts of the combatants, their attitudes towards "the enemy" and their aircraft, the fear, horror and exhilaration of flight and battle, attempts by each side to gain the upper hand through daring technological innovations, coping tactics, mess room life and friendships.

Synopsis

A remarkable, intimate portrait of the young men of Fighter Command, whose skill, temperament and morale determined the fate of Britain and arguably the free world. The Battle of Britain, fought in the skies over Britain during the sweltering summer of 1940, was one of the most crucial battles ever fought: without the Luftwaffe's control of the skies it was unlikely that Nazi Germany would mount an invasion across the Channel. For most of the 3000 young British airmen involved this was their first real experience of combat. The pressure on the pilots, groundcrew and their controllers was unimaginable; at certain points in the Battle a single blunder or failure of nerve could have been enough to tip the balance of the contest and give victory to the enemy. Patrick Bishop creates a new and surprising portrait of the Battle drawing on previously unseen source material and testimonies from survivors on both sides.Against the background of wider strategic considerations, he focuses on the lives and thoughts of the combatants, their attitudes towards 'the enemy' and their aircraft, the fear, horror and exhilaration of flight and battle, attempts by each side to gain the upper hand through daring technological innovations; coping tactics, mess room life and friendships.

About the Author

Patrick Bishop is a senior correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and author of The Irish Empire and, with Eamonn Mallie, the acclaimed book The Provisional IRA.

Customer Reviews

Fitting Testament to the Few (2008-08-12)

I struggled through the prologue, fearing a book stuffed of the same old cliches, to be pleasantly surprised at having discovered a real gem of a book.By extensive use of personal contemporary accounts of those actually involved in the fighting, Patrick Bishop succeeds in peeling back the romantic veneer surrounding the aircrew to reveal the harsh reality of their existence in the long, hot Summer of 1940 - the dread of hearing the dispersal telephone ring, the terror & confusion of the dogfight and the utter exhaustion brought about by unrelenting action are laid bare for all to see.This book doesn't set out to make heroes of the RAF pilots involved in the country's defence in 1940 but it does show the extraordinary job done by these most ordinary people, capturing the true spirit of Fighter Command from the phoney war through to the end of the Battle of Britain.A fitting testament to those who laid down their lives, their courage in in defending Britain is not forgotten.

Fighter Boys. Saving Britain. (2007-12-05)

When Britain stood alone in the hectic and volatile Summer of 1940. All that stood between winning and losing our freedom was a handful of brave fighter pilots. These guys came from all walks of life.They never faultered in their belief and determination and bravery that Britain would remain free and fight on against overwhelming odds. Their stories are told with such classical style on every page of this book. It beggers belief that a number of these pilots were only 18 years of age yet they never faultered.A lot of them paid the ultimate sacrifice in the prime of their innocent youth. Read this book with pride and simply admire what these brave men sacrificed for our freedom today.

Great great book. (2007-04-16)

This book is as easy and enjoyable to read as a novel, and draws together the experiences of those that were involved in the Battle Of Britain. It is a very well written book and presents a clear picture of what happened in 1940.

Never forget them (2006-06-23)

Patrick Bishop has written a detailed and poignant account of the dark days of 1940, and the Hurricane and Spitfire pilots who stood between us and the dreaded Nazis!Many memoir and diary entries are quoted to give us a real impression for the feelings of these young men as they went into battle - not just the gung-ho sentiments of the standard war movies. Particularly touching were those pilots mourning the deaths of close comrades; one man seeing the towel that his roommate had thrown casually on the window sill that morning, little realising that he would never return to pick it up to go for another shower.The story moves backwards and forwards chronologically a little, but this is almost inevitable with this sort of anecdotal history.An enjoyable read and a good testament to these bravest of men...

Flightless (2005-07-13)

The book was like a plane trying to fly but not quite making it. It seemed to have the power to move along the runaway but insufficient to take off. There were moments of great interest but quite often I found it tedious. I really had to persevere with reading the first two chapters. I might have misread it but it appeared to me that the actual Battle of Britain was mostly fought by pilots who were new to the service and were not in the RAF before the war, but there was a lot written about the service before the war. I thought the bibliography was poor in the fact you had to search through the notes to find details of other books on the same subject to read. As I have not read other books on the Battle of Britain I may be too critical. Not a book to buy, but to borrow or accept as a gift.

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