Overview

In the summer of 1940, the future of Britain and the free world depended on the morale and skill of the young men of Fighter Command. This is their story. The Battle of Britain is one of the most crucial battles ever fought, and the victory of Fighter Command over the Luftwaffe has always been celebrated as a classic feat of arms. But, as Patrick Bishop shows in this superb history, it was also a triumph of the spirit in which the attitudes of the pilots themselves played a crucial part. Reaching beyond the myths to convey the fear and exhilaration of life on this most perilous of frontlines, Patrick Bishop offers an intimate and compelling account that is a soaring tribute to the exceptional young men of Fighter Command.

Full Product Details

9780006532040

Table of Contents

Reviews

'As a vivid chronicle of who the Battle of Britain pilots were, what motivated them, and why they were ultimately successful, Fighter Boys is unsurpassed.' Daily Telegraph 'A living, breathing monument to the fighter boys.' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday 'No one reading this book can possibly doubt the heroism of those involved!there can't be a finer history.' James Holland, New Statesman 'Powerful yet restrained, at times almost unbearably touching.' TJ Binyon, Evening Standard 'A superb account of the spirit and character of Fighter Command.' Martin Fletcher, Independent 'I know of no more thoughtful nor yet more moving study of their achievement.' Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph

'I know of no more thoughtful nor yet more moving study of their achievement.' Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph 'A living, breathing monument to the fighter boys.' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday 'As a vivid chronicle of who the Battle of Britain pilots were, what motivated them, and why they were ultimately successful, Fighter Boys is unsurpassed.' Daily Telegraph 'No one reading this book can possibly doubt the heroism of those involved...there can't be a finer history.' James Holland, New Statesman 'Powerful yet restrained, at times almost unbearably touching.' T. J. Binyon, Evening Standard

A spirited account of what Winston Churchill deemed the Royal Air Force's finest hour : the defense of English skies against the advancing Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940. Since Churchill's day, the Battle of Britain has been among the most heavily studied episodes of WWII-and rightly so, the four-month-long dogfight having been one of the early turning points of that great conflict, setting the stage for future Allied victories. Daily Telegraph associate editor Bishop adds to the literature twofold. By focusing on the young men who, smitten by visions of heroism and fed in childhood on tales of WWI aces real (Albert Ball) and fictional (James Bigglesworth), made up the fighter wings of the RAF in the opening days of the war against Hitler, he first delivers a class-conscious, highly personalized view of the battle. You did not need ties of blood or romance to feel a particular bond with the Fighter Boys, he writes of his contemporary compatriots. The backgrounds of the 3,000 or so pilots flying Hurricanes and Spitfires in the summer of 1940 reflected the social composition of the nation. Which is to say, unlike the British army, the RAF was made up of men who, in the main, had come from the working class or risen from the ranks, whose notions of patriotism and duty were a shade different from those of the upper crust. (For all that, one of Bishop's heroes is Denis Wissler, an heir to the fortune wrought by Marmite, the strange vegetable spread beloved of the English.) Second, Bishop draws liberally on the memories of the Luftwaffe pilots who flew against England, many of whom believed, in the words of one, that it would be possible to beat the English in England the way we had beaten them in France. As, of course, they did not: and whereas the Battle of Britain didn't, strictly speaking, bleed the Luftwaffe dry, Bishop does a good job of considering the implications of the German failure in light of subsequent developments throughout the European theater of operations. Nicely written and rich in detail: a winner for students of aerial warfare. (Kirkus Reviews)

This is a study of the lives and times of the British fighter pilots who comprised RAF Fighter Command from the build-up to war through to the Battle of Britain. The focus is not just on the wider strategic picture, but on the experiences of the men and women involved in the conflict. Many of the diaries, memoirs and letters featured belong to those at the 'point of the spear', the cockpits of the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters. Of course books like this have been seen many times before - Bishop has not chosen a neglected period of British history to study, nor does his book sheer away from an irritatingly familiar jingoistic approach to the subject matter. The summer of 1940 maintains a peculiar hold on the British public imagination, immortalised in book and film as the heroic time when Britain stood alone. Perhaps attempts to study this from a British perspective will never be free of this aura. At the same time, however, the familiar feel of the period allows the reader to slip easily into a text which carefully avoids becoming bogged down in detail, and draws from an impressive selection of interesting personal histories. Both moving and exciting, the book is also careful not to neglect the harsher elements of the air war and tries to look behind the legend of the young gentlemanly fighter pilots of the era. The more unpleasant tales of the demolishing of the idea of chivalry in the air, the appalling strain on the psyche of the absurdly young pilots; the often unglamorous deaths of those airmen who seemed destined for greatness - all are rightly given their due. This is a well-written study of a period of British history that will perhaps never lose its fascination. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Patrick Bishop worked as senior correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He is the author of The Irish Empire; the acclaimed book The Provisional IRA with Eamonn Mallie; the bestselling Fighter Boys ; and most recently the bestselling Bomber Boys and 3 Para. He lives in London.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available