Bonus Content
The Battle of Britain
First Flight
Sunday, 5th May 1940, a little after two that afternoon. A warm, sunny day over much of Britain, but above Drem aerodrome, a busy grass airfield some twenty miles east of Edinburgh, a deep blue sky was pock-marked with bright white cumulus drifting lazily across the Scottish headland on a gentle breeze. Perfect flying weather, in fact, which was just as well because Pilot Officer David Crook could barely contain his excitement any longer.
Dispersed around one end of the airfield, beside the concrete perimeter track, were the twelve Spitfires of 609 (West Riding) Squadron. Elsewhere, further along around the airfield’s edge, were more Spitfires, as well as various other aircraft including a number of Harvard and Magister trainers. Clutching his leather flying helmet and parachute, David followed his friend and flight commander, Pip Barran, from the wooden dispersal hut towards the line of Spitfires. Groundcrew were busy around several of them, including L.1083, a Mk IA, and one of four that had been delivered to the squadron at the end of the previous August.
David had missed their arrival, although he had seen the squadron’s first two Spits land at 609’s pre-war base at Yeadon in Yorkshire on 19th August - just a few days after their last peacetime summer camp had ended. Flying ageing Hawker Hind biplanes had been grand enough fun, but the news that the squadron was to convert to Spitfires had been greeted with euphoria by all in the squadron. Like any man or boy alive, David had wanted to fly one of these beautiful machines ever since he had first heard about them. With their powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engines and sleek, curving lines, the Spitfires were ultra-modern machines capable of barely imaginable power. Moreover, its heritage could not be bettered; Supermarine, its maker, had been responsible for winning the Schneider Cup three years in a row a decade before – the award given to the fastest aircraft in the world.
Although an auxiliary squadron made up of ‘weekend fliers’, 609 had been mobilized shortly before the outbreak of war. Yet while some of the more experienced pilots had headed straight to Catterick in anticipation of the beginning of hostilities, David and five other Auxiliary pupil pilots had been left behind, first to kick their heels for a month at Yeadon, and then to be sent to complete their flying training.
David had only finished his training a fortnight before, and his leave the previous day. Of the six that had been sent to Flying Training School (FTS), only four were now returning to 609. Two of them, Gordon Mitchell and Michael Appleby, had driven up to Scotland with David the day before, having all met up for lunch in Leeds. They had stopped again for dinner in Alnwick, before finally arriving at Drem in time for reunion drinks in the Mess.
From THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN by James Holland, copyright © 2011 by the author, and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press, LLC
The Battle of Britain
The summer months of 1940 were a period of extraordinary human drama. The German invasion of France and the Low Countries was unlike anything the world had seen. Hitler’s armies hit with unstoppable force. The quick defeat of Britain held the key to Germany’s future. Given Britain’s crushing losses in France, Hitler expected the island country would capitulate. A defiant, tenacious Winston Churchill had other plans. The prime minister dug his heels in and rallied the British public, declaring in a particularly motivating speech, “The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin.” A month later, the Luftwaffe began a concerted aerial attack on the English Channel and southern England.
The Battle of Britain was a crucial turning point in World War II. Had Britain’s defenses collapsed, Hitler would have dominated all of Europe. The combined efforts of Churchill, a sophisticated defensive system, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy beat back the seemingly unbeatable German forces. The Battle of Britain examines the titanic clash from the perspectives of both countries. Drawing on extensive new research from around the world, including thousands of new interviews, James Holland provides a compelling narrative account of that fateful summer.
Holland, an acclaimed historian whose previous works include Italy’s Sorrow and Together We Stand, reconstructs the human dynamics of air-to-air combat in a pre-electronics era—when pilot skill was as important as aircraft quality and sheer luck could trump them both. He describes the physical and emotional exhaustion of the young men of the Luftwaffe and the RAF who flew the fighter planes. Men who, as one veteran explained, “could wear out just like any other machine.” The Germans had the advantage in numbers with twice as many bombers and fighters than the British. But limited fuel capacity restricted their flight time over Britain, undercutting their advantage in a dogfight.
Although best known for its ferocious dogfights, the battle was not limited to the aerial combat. “In these critical five months, the battle encompassed warfare on land and at sea as well as in the air, whilst the British and German governments fought their own political and propaganda battles as well as one for intelligence,” writes Holland. “All of this had a profound impact on the unfurling events. In isolation, these differing aspects only present part of the story, Together, new and surprising perspectives emerge.”
The Battle of Britain brings this epic story to life; it vividly re-creates clashes between coastal convoys, last stands in Flanders, slaughter by U-boats in icy waters and dramatic fights over England.
Hardcover : 736 pages
Publisher: St. Martins Press, LLC ( April 01, 2011 )
Item #: 13-323697
ISBN: 9780312675004
Product Dimensions: 6.0 x 9.0 x 1.15inches
Product Weight: 35.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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