We can now think of them as premature war heroes, but at the time, the American pilots who flew for the Royal Air Force before Pearl Harbor were ignored, dismissed as thrill-seeking Yankees, or castigated as a national nuisance. American ambassador Joseph Kennedy, viewing these mavericks as a threat to U.S. neutrality, tried to get them deported. But these "Knights of the Air" persisted, shooting down several fearsome German aces, and became national heroes in Great Britain. A rousing story for war buffs, well told by Alex Kershaw.
"A stirring tale of adventure and derring-do that will make your spirits soar." -- 1/22/07
Brings the thrills and terrors of pre-computerized air combat strikingly to life.
Thoroughly researched, deeply touching, and compellingly well-written.
One of the most affecting short histories I have read in many a month.
Kershaw's attention to detail allows us to experience the dogfights and bombings...and appreciate the indomitable English spirit.
With his customary narrative drive, Kershaw (The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-Day Sacrifice) spotlights the handful of American pilots who joined the Royal Air Force and its fighter squadrons during the Battle of Britain. They have been overshadowed by or confused with the better-known Eagle Squadrons, which formed in the autumn of 1940 with the tacit consent of the U.S. government. Kershaw's "few" were a vanguard, enlisting individually to operate the British Spitfire planes as early as May 1940, when England stood alone and her odds of survival seemed long. Crusaders and adventurers, the pilots ignored U.S. neutrality acts to fight from a mixture of principled opposition to Nazism, vaguely defined Anglophilia and sheer love of air combat at a time when it still seemed glamorous. Scattered by ones and twos among different squadrons, each had his own story, which Kershaw admirably contextualizes within the climate of the Battle of Britain. Using personal vignettes to convey the extraordinary routines of life in the cockpits, in the squadrons and in England, Kershaw evokes the heroism of these pilots, only one of whom survived the war whose tide they helped turn. (Nov.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Of the 2,917 pilots who served in Britain's Royal Air Force, fighting the German airborne assault during the Battle of Britain, seven were Americans who violated the neutrality laws of their own country by volunteering for the RAF. Eventually, over 200 U.S. citizens flew with the RAF's Eagle Squadrons, following the creation of all-American units, but only those who fought during the Battle of Britain were recognized by their grateful hosts as "the Few." Kershaw's (The Bedford Boys) fine study of this titanic aerial struggle and the Americans who participated is certainly not the first (see, e.g., Philip D. Caine's American Pilots in the RAF). But it is an admirable addition to the historiography, following the hair-raising odysseys of these expatriates from hometown America to the besieged RAF squadrons, where they endured ten-to-one odds in the sky and deplorable living conditions on the ground while serving Churchill as a propaganda tool to counter U.S. isolationism. Aviation specialists will find Kershaw a master of such details as the flying characteristics of the British Spitfire and the German Me-109 and the contents of G ring's obscenely lavish hunting lodge, Carinhall. His history hits the mark in Call respects; his annotated endnotes provide a virtual second volume. Recommended for all libraries, especially those with strong aviation and World War II collections. John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia, Cleveland Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Rousing story of idealistic Americans who fought against the Nazis with Britain's Royal Air Force long before the U.S. entered World War II. British-born historian Kershaw (The Bedford Boys, 2003, etc.) tells the story of young Americans who, after making their way to Canada and then by ship to Europe, where, in the summer of 1940, among 571 foreigners flying RAF Spitfires against the German Luftwaffe in brutal dogfights over the English Channel. Recruited by Colonel Charles Sweeny, a colorful mercenary and Hemingway pal twice expelled from West Point, these few Americans who fought in the Battle of Britain consisted of Olympic gold-medalist Billy Fiske, 27; Brooklyn skydiver Shorty Keough, 26; former MGM-employed pilot Eugene Tobin, 23; and five others, all civilian pilots intent on flying the powerful Spitfires (their Rolls-Royce engines could exceed 400 miles an hour) and determined to avoid the anticipated American draft. Risking loss of their citizenship in the still-neutral U.S., the fighter pilots were deemed "grand fellows" by grateful Brits, and in a decisive air battle on Sept. 15, 1940, they helped halt Hitler's plans to invade Britain. The author draws on diaries, letters and interviews to recreate harrowing midair sorties against the background of Germany's blitzkrieg advance across Europe and Churchill's relentless efforts to coax the U.S. into the war. After the Battle of Britain, more than 200 Americans continued to serve in the RAF's three "American Eagle" squadrons, which later became part of the U.S. Army Air Force. They were never prosecuted by the State Department; a dozen are still living. A delight for military buffs. First printing of 150,000
"A heroic, inspiring story that deserves to be told."
"A moving story of uncommon valor." -- James Bradley
"A powerful reminder of the human cost of war."
"Few books describe the costs of war so soberly and so vividly."
"The poignant story of twenty-one young men... who died in the D-Day invasion."
"The true story that inspired Saving Private Ryan."
WWII’s Battle of Britain is so tense it is almost suspenseful in Scott Brick’s narration of a story that focuses on seven U.S. airmen who risked life, limb, and citizenship to join the British Air Force during the period of U.S. neutrality. Listeners are taken aboard Spitfires, Messerschmitts, and bombers to see it all from the air. Brick is at his best when voicing the memories of the American pilots, but Churchill, Hitler, Goering, and others make appearances. Brick’s German accents are a bit stereotypical, but his British upper-crust fly boys and earnest Americans are on target. Daily routines on base and tense air combat scenes are filled with technical and military information. Still the story moves at an amazing clip. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
