Spitfire: A Very British Love Story

Product Information

A really interesting look into the history and use of the Spitfire, one of the most renowned planes from the Second World War. Of course you can't just write a story of the plane, so the heart of this book are the short vignettes of the pilots and (a few) groundcrew who lived and worked with the plane through the war.

A love story indeed. It pays homage to the men and women who designed the Spitfire, built her, maintained her and flew her — as well as to the Spitfire herself. The Spitfire was more than an aircraft. It was a symbol of hope, of courage and resilience, and became a legend. With its elliptic wings, it was easily recognisable in the wartime skies and became an icon, giving hope to those Allies civilians watching below. It inspired kids watching to become fighter pilots — on Spitfires. The truth. Humanities history. It is always grim and deadly. This case is no different. Although this book focuses on the dim past, it still can manage to bring a smile to your face. It reads like a fabulously well-written novel, although it is far more than that. The book takes you beyond the deadly dogfights over Kent and Sussex. It takes you around the world with one of the most incredible planes ever made. The author of this book, John Nichol, gained an unwelcome bout of fame during the 1991 Gulf War when a surface-to-air missile shot down the Tornado aircraft where he was the navigator. He was captured and paraded on Iraqi TV. His experiences lend him credibility when writing about military aircraft and probably also when he interviewed the veterans whose experiences are recorded in this book. The ending ends on a note of respect given to the magnificent plane, "...if God said that I could have just one more flight, my last flight before I die, in any aircraft I have ever flown, I would choose to get airborne in a Spitfire.' We aim to provide our customers with a friendly reliable and first-rate service however, we appreciate that matters relating to condition can be subjective. We do set very high standards for all our books and memorabilia and provide accurate descriptions but if there is a problem then please tell us straight away. While not incredibly clear in the beginning of the book, Nichol’s follows several former Spitfire pilots throughout the book using their experiences and stories to bring life and love to the story as well as connect his chapters. Upon introduction to each of these pilots, there is always the line “and that’s when he knew he wanted to fly fighters,” and sadly by the tenth time it gets monotonous and gives a slow, repetitive start to the book. In this book John Nichol is unlike any other book I have read on this airplane. This is not a book for people who want facts, figures and technicalities or strategy. This is about the pilots and mechanics who flew and maintained the Spitfire during WWII. It's their passion for the planes they were flying which makes this such a great read. Many of those interviewed for this book have now left us, and without their experiences would have been lost to posterity. John Nichol's book is not merely a book it is a tribute to the people who flew them.For many British people of a certain age, the Spitfire has the status of a national icon, although I think that’s less the case for younger people. The other main Battle of Britain fighter plane, the Hawker Hurricane, has nothing like the allure of the Spitfire. Early in the book the author poses the question: I am often asked which is my favourite aircraft.it is a very difficult question for me to answer. Who wouldn't be impressed with the gut-wrenching climb performance of the Lightning, almost touching the lower reaches of space, out of howling along in a Hawker Sea Fury? So I answer the question this way: if God said that I could have just one more flight, my last flight before I die, in any aircraft I have ever flown, I would choose to get airborne in a Spitfire." The Spitfire has a devout following of all who flew her, specially on combat. It was an extension of the pilot who has only positive accolades. Coupled with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, it was a perfect flying machine, saving many a pilot out of difficult situations, earning the grudging respect of the enemy. Like the time when an RAF pilot ran out of ammunition as two German Me109 fighters found him. A tough dog fight ensued where he continued to evade the two German fighters, who did not manage to hit him once. At the end, the two fighters flew on either side of him, waggled their wings in a sign of respect, and banked away. The stories that are pulled together throughout various fronts and places (England, France, Italy, Africa, and the Far East are some of those places) during World War II feature a wide array of pilots and all of them had their stories to tell involving the Spitfire.

The book was published in 2018 and is a compilation of stories about the experience in WWII. The stories focus on the heartbreaking tales of those who had to serve and sometimes give up their life for us to be here today. John Nichol's book tells the stories of dozens of pilots, both men and women, and the sacrifices they made during the war. It's finely balanced between the technical side and development of the Spit, and the personal accounts of the pilots, many now in their 90s. In parts, it's incredibly moving, especially when you think many of these pilots were under twenty when they first took to the skies. The iconic Spitfire found fame during the darkest early days of World War II. But what happened to the redoubtable fighter and its crews beyond the Battle of Britain, and why is it still so loved today?

Table of Contents

A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine’ Rowland White, bestselling author of Vulcan 607 The few romantic liaisons really tugged at my heart strings, Joe and Betty more so than they probably should have done. Wonderful book for a beautiful plane. I did not know it went through so many upgrades and changes as the Luftwaffe planes improved. I did not recall the long fights for Malta, or the disaster at Dieppe. The author follows the careers of a group (fewer than 25?) Spitfire pilots AND mechanics, men AND women, Americans, Aussies, Kiwis, Canadians,; Polish and Indian pilots have brief parts, as does one bomber pilot from Jamaica. In the telling he covers the entire war in which Spits saw action, including Malta, Africa, Italy, Burma and the Soviet Union, and the stories include training, scrambles and dog fights, bail outs, captures, the sudden death of comrades, romances, escapes with the French resistance, and, in one unforgettable tale, an RAF mechanic stealing(!) a Spit to make his first flight ever which is purposely INTO(!) a battle zone. As I approached the end of the book I thought this was a solid treatment of the view of the war from the pilots, and was prepared to be let down by the winding down of the war. But the ending was surprising and not what I expected. Instead of heroic welcomes or happy ever afters, the epilogue describes PSTD, divorces, depression and accidental deaths, but it is surprisingly uplifting rather than melancholic. This is a book about an aircraft, about a war and about technology, but at its core it is a book about people. It is built around interviews with the men and women who flew and maintained the Spitfire. It therefore gives a personal, direct view of unimaginable horror and indescribable bravery of people who should have been living a carefree life at university. Twenty year old combat veterans, 23 year old squadron leaders. People who don't know if they or their comrades will live another day, or even another hour. People who witness gruesome death as part of combat or as the result of ridiculous, mundane accident.