The Real Spitfire Pilot

Author : David Crook
Publisher : Greenhill Books
Page : 147 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2021-07-06
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781784387495

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Spitfire Pilot by David Crook Pdf

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.

Author : D. M. Crook,Flight Lieutenant DM Crook,Flight Lieutenant D. M. Crook DFC
Publisher : Air World
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2021-07-30
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1399003364

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The 'real' Spitfire Pilot by D. M. Crook,Flight Lieutenant DM Crook,Flight Lieutenant D. M. Crook DFC Pdf

Flight Lieutenant David Moore Crook DFC's original Spitfire Pilot ranks among the finest first-hand accounts published during the Second World War, particularly for a Battle of Britain airman. It rightly remains a sought-after classic. A Spitfire pilot during the epic aerial battles of the summer of 1940, 'DMC' became a decorated ace. However, he did not survive the war: his Spitfire inexplicably crashed into the sea off the Scottish coast on 18 December 1944. A married man and father, he remains missing. First published under wartime conditions in 1942, Spitfire Pilot was not heavily censored - unlike Squadron Leader Brian Lane DFC's similar first-hand account Spitfire! The Experiences of a Fighter Pilot, published the same year. DMC's book was based on his entries in two Stationary Office lined notebooks, hastily scribbled between sorties, and using his pilot's flying log book for reference. In 1990, the renowned Battle of Britain historian Dilip Sarkar traced DMC's widow, Dorothy, who enthusiastically supported the idea of re-publishing Spitfire Pilot. She duly uncovered bound copies of DMC's original manuscript, which she passed to Dilip. The Real Spitfire Pilot is, therefore, DMC's original, completely uncensored and unedited words, shared here for the first time. It provides a totally authentic window on the past, providing a unique glimpse at the lives - and deaths - of real Spitfire pilots in our Finest Hour. With an introduction and conclusion by Dilip Sarkar, and illustrated with previously unseen photographs, this is destined to become another classic.

Author : Roger Hall
Publisher : Amberley Publishing Limited
Page : 501 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2013-09-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781445609881

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Spitfire Pilot by Roger Hall Pdf

An extraordinary true story of combat in the Battle of Britain. Includes some of the most graphic and atmospheric accounts of air combat between Spitfire and Nazi Messerschmitt fighters ever published.

Author : Black' Robertson
Publisher : Air World
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2020-08-31
Category : History
ISBN : 9781526784896

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Fighters in the Blood by Black' Robertson Pdf

As this fascinating memoir unfolds, moving backwards and forwards through time, two parallel stories emerge: one of a Second World War Spitfire ace whose flying career comes to a premature end when he’s shot down and loses an eye, the other of his progeny, a second generation fighter pilot who eventually reaches the rank of air marshal. The narrative is unique in its use of two separate and distinct voices. The author’s own reminiscences are interwoven with those his father recorded more than thirty years ago, embellished by extracts from some 300 of his wartime letters. Intensely personal and revealing, controversial too at times, this account is above all about people, not least those with whom the author flew while serving with the USAF – a tour marked by tragedy; that said, they proved altogether more friendly than the P-38 pilots who twice attacked his father in North Africa! A daughter with dual citizenship subsequently helped him sustain his links with the US, both while serving and afterwards in business. The irony is that the son spent a lifetime training for the ultimate examination – one that despite strictly limited preparation his father passed with flying colors. To ‘Black’ Robertson’s eternal regret he was never able to put his own training to the test. His father, ‘Robbie’, was awarded the DFC and retired as a flight lieutenant after five years or so. He himself served for nearly thirty-six years, earned a Queen’s Commendation, an OBE and CBE and served as an ADC to HM The Queen. But after reaching almost the top of the RAF tree, in one important sense he retired unfulfilled; his mettle was never tested under fire. Anyone interested to know more about flying, about the RAF, about leadership, about character even, need look no further than this beautifully crafted, immensely readable account.

Author : Bill Olmsted
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 306 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 1988-10
Category : History
ISBN : WISC:89062200381

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Blue Skies by Bill Olmsted Pdf

The autobiography of a Canadian Spitfire pilot in World War II.

Author : Brian Lane
Publisher : Amberley Publishing
Page : 122 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Air pilots, Military
ISBN : 9781848683549

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Spitfire! by Brian Lane Pdf

The remarkable Battle of Britain experiences of Spitfire pilot Brian Lane, DFC. Brian Lane was only 23 when he when he wrote his dramatic account of life as a Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Lane was an 'ace' with six enemy 'kills' to his credit and was awarded the DFC for bravery in combat. The text is honest and vibrant, and has the immediacy of a book written close the event, untouched, therefore, by the doubts and debates of later years. Here we can read, exactly what it was like to 'scramble', to shoot down Messerschmitts, Heinkels, Dorniers and Stukas and how it felt to lose comrades every day. Squadron Leader Brian Lane DFC was not only an exceptional fighter pilot but likewise a gifted leader, at all levels. In what was still a hierarchical and class conscious culture, 'Chiefy' Lane was different: he knew everyone under his command by first names, no matter how lowly their rank or status, and in the air he was always unflappable, calmly making the right tactical decision and in the process earning unlimited respect amongst pilots and aircrew. All these years later the survivors still speak of him with an unparalleled affection and respect bordering upon a holy reverence. High drama has never before been so characteristically understated, written, as it was, by the 'Finest of the Few'.

Author : George Beurling,Leslie Roberts
Publisher : Grub Street Publishers
Page : 147 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2011-07-14
Category : History
ISBN : 9781909166295

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Malta Spitfire by George Beurling,Leslie Roberts Pdf

An aviator’s true story of WWII air combat, including two dramatic weeks in the skies above the besieged island of Malta. Twenty-five thousand feet above Malta—that is where the Spitfires intercepted the Messerschmitts, Macchis, and Reggianes as they swept eastward in their droves, screening the big Junkers with their bomb loads as they pummeled the island beneath: the most bombed patch of ground in the world. One of those Spitfire pilots was George Beurling, nicknamed “Screwball,” who in fourteen flying days destroyed twenty-seven German and Italian aircraft and damaged many more. Hailing from Canada, Beurling finally made it to Malta in the summer of 1942 after hard training and combat across the Channel. Malta Spitfire tells his story and that of the gallant Spitfire squadron, 249, which day after day ascended to the “top of the hill” to meet the enemy against overwhelming odds. With this memoir, readers experience the sensation of being in the cockpit with him, climbing to meet the planes driving in from Sicily, diving down through the fighter screen at the bombers, dodging the bullets coming out of the sun, or whipping up under the belly of an Me for a deflection shot at the engine. This is war without sentiment or romance, told in terms of human courage, skill, and heroism—a classic of WWII military aviation.

Author : Joseph Mack
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2022-03-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9781922615725

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Strong to Serve by Joseph Mack Pdf

Following training in Australia, Canada and the UK, Fred Riley flew Spitfires with No 130 (Punjab) Squadron RAF from October 1943 until December 1944. Flying the Spitfire Mk.V, he escorted bombers, flew fighter sweeps, and undertook hazardous patrols on D-Day. With a new Spitfire Mk.XIV, Fred intercepted V-1 flying bombs aimed at London. Later, from the Netherlands and Belgium, he conducted anti jet and low-level sorties over those countries and into Germany. During one such flight, Fred and his colleagues were surprised by a superior force of Luftwaffe fighters. Fred’s logbook records historically significant names, places and events. He served with notable aces, escorted General Eisenhower, and protected transport aircraft during Operation Market Garden. The logbook ends on 22 December 1944 – Fred was shot down and severely injured while supporting beleaguered American forces. However, it is Fred’s memories of instructors, fellow trainees, and the pilots he flew with that are most enlightening. This account details Fred’s journey to becoming a fighter pilot and his remarkable recollections of combat over the UK and Europe. It also highlights the courage, achievements and sacrifices of the men of 130 Squadron – a multi-national group of pilots who lived up to their motto: ‘Strong to Serve’.

Author : John C. H. Spence FRS
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2021-07-07
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1920785000

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Spitfire Pilot by John C. H. Spence FRS Pdf

Fighter pilot Lou Spence's story is one of bravery, leadership and love. Author John Spence draws on his father's wartime diaries, which he addressed to his young wife back in Perth. During World War 2, Lou Spence few in the Middle East against Rommel's forces, then defended Australia, flying spitfires against the Japanese. A courageous pilot, he went on to lead the RAAF 77 Squadron of Mustangs in the Korean War. A replica of Lou Spence's Spitfire is in the Darwin Aviation Museum.

Author : Flt. Lt. D. M. Crook DFC
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
Page : 303 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2015-11-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9781786257499

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Spitfire Pilot [Illustrated Edition] by Flt. Lt. D. M. Crook DFC Pdf

Includes the Aerial Warfare In Europe During World War II illustrations pack with over 200 maps, plans, and photos. David Moore Cook, or DMC to his friends and colleagues, was one of the valiant “Few” who flew and fought against the Luftwaffe in the summer and autumn of 1940 during the Battle of Britain. A native of Huddersfield, he joined 609 (West Riding) Squadron before the war, the squadron was posted to RAF Middle Wallop in Hampshire north of the vital ports of Southampton and Portsmouth, and was tasked with protection of the English coast. In this gripping account of the combats that raged in the skies above the British mainland, DMC is very modest of his own achievements, which had led by November 1940 to 6 confirmed victories. In recognition of his sterling record he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and assigned to be a flying instructor in late 1940 to help train the pilots who would fill the depleted ranks of fighter command. Having survived the long odds of the Battle of Britain, Flight Lieutenant Crook did not survive the war, he was listed as missing in action during a routine reconnaissance mission off the coast of Scotland.

Author : Dilip Sarkar
Publisher : Amberley Publishing Limited
Page : 489 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2013-10-10
Category : Transportation
ISBN : 9781445624570

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Spitfire Voices by Dilip Sarkar Pdf

Author : Dennis Newton
Publisher : Amberley Publishing Limited
Page : 501 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2016-06-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781445654157

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A Spitfire Pilot's Story by Dennis Newton Pdf

A family-authorised biography of Pat Hughes, one of the top-scoring aces of the Battle of Britain.

Author : Dr Alfred Price
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 707 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2012-09-01
Category : Transportation
ISBN : 9780752477091

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Spitfire: Pilots' Stories by Dr Alfred Price Pdf

The narrative description and condensed history of the Spitfire's construction, combat career and post-war service, bought together to tell the complete, concise history of the world's most famous aircraft of all time and undoubtedly the finest fighter of World War II. When Spitfire at War first appeared in 1974, it enjoyed critical acclaim, for the aircraft had never been described in such terms and detail before. It was followed by a second volume in 1985 and a third volume in 1990. All three volumes sold well and are hailed as classic works on the subject. These important works have been out of print for more than a decade, thereby denying them to the current breed of aviation buffs. The time has come to re-issue the three books as a single volume, the author 'cherry-picking' the choice cuts to produce the finest title on the mighty and beloved Spitfire.

Author : Philip Kaplan
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 411 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2017-07-31
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473898547

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The Spitfire by Philip Kaplan Pdf

“An amazing tribute to the people who designed, built and flew it—a comprehensive history of one of the most beautiful aircraft ever manufactured.”—Books Monthly The magnificent Vickers Supermarine Spitfire, together with its able partner the Hawker Hurricane, saved Britain from Nazi invasion in the summer of 1940 and irrevocably changed the course of the Second World War. This book from Philip Kaplan celebrates one of history’s most important weapons in a glorious new light. A British national icon, the Spitfire is the best-known symbol of the war years for generations of Britons. From the deep, haunting growl of its Rolls-Royce engine, to the elegant style of its elliptical wing, it is perhaps the most famous and revered combat airplane ever built. Kaplan investigates just what it is that fuels the Spitfire’s compelling mystique. During wartime, it held an unrivaled reputation amongst Allied and Axis airmen. Today, it continues to hold aviation enthusiasts in thrall. Kaplan highlights the immeasurable contributions of Spitfire designers Reginald J. Mitchell and Joseph Smith, test pilots Jeffrey Quill, Mutt Summers and Alex Henshaw, and ace Spitfire pilots including Al Deere, Sailor Malan and Pierre Clostermann. All added to the legend of this lovely, but deadly, little fighter. “Can be considered a ‘Potted History’ of the Spitfire and its military and civilian service, with particular emphasis being placed on the restoration of AR213. On that basis it will probably appeal to Spitfire aficionados in particular and to aviation and war-bird enthusiasts in general.”—NZ Crown Mines

Author : Anthony Cooper
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 404 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2013-10-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473830073

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Darwin Spitfires by Anthony Cooper Pdf

The Japanese air raids on Darwin on 19 February 1942 are well-known to most Australians, although not perhaps to the rest of the world. What happened afterwards, however, remains unknown to many. This publication attempts to illuminate this little-known period of war history, charting the exploits, losses and successes of the RAF's No 1 Fighter Wing and the contribution they made to the allied war effort. The stalwart Spitfire is celebrated in a narrative that is sure to appeal widely.For almost two years the airspace over North West Australia was routinely penetrated by Japanese raids, tallying about 70 in total. The 1942-43 air raids on Darwin constituted the only sustained and intensive direct assault on Australian mainland territory in the whole of World War II - and the whole history of post- 1788 Australia - yet, surprisingly, most Australians have no idea that it ever happened. And the rest of the world are yet more so in the dark.Telling the story of the RAF'S No 1 Fighter Wing, composed of both Australian and British Spitfire pilots, Darwin Spitfires explores the little known 1943 season of air combat over the top end, recovering important aspects of Australian history. It brings to the attention of the world the heroic exploits of the skilled pilots who did so much to protect Australia and support the Allied effort. This important publication attempts to celebrate and commemorate the spirit of solidarity that characterized the experiences of No 1 Fighter Wing.As featured in Aeroplane Monthly