Researched from the 1980s, this is the most thorough book about any squadron in RAF service during the Battle of Britain. This research captured the thoughts and experiences of the pilots who are now all dead. It is an impeccable source of information and a gripping story – Most Highly Recommended.
NAME: Spitfire, The Full Story Of A Unique Battle Of Britain Fighter Squadron FILE: R2967 AUTHOR: Dilip Sarkar MBE PUBLISHER: Pen and Sword, Air World BINDING: hard back PRICE: £30.00 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: Bi-planes, Mono-planes, Spitfire, 19 Squadron, Duxford, Duxford Wing, Battle of Britain, pilots, tactics, operational flying, WWII, World War II, World War 2, Second World War
ISBN: 1-52673-281-5
IMAGE: B2967.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/y33f5hc2 LINKS: DESCRIPTION: Researched from the 1980s, this is the most thorough book about any squadron in RAF service during the Battle of Britain. This research captured the thoughts and experiences of the pilots who are now all dead. It is an impeccable source of information and a gripping story – Most Highly Recommended. The author began researching in the 1980s, inspired by the story of Squadron Leader Brian Lane DFC. His earlier Spitfire Squadron: 19 Squadron at War 1939-41 has been the foundation from which this completely new and lavishly illustrated book has emerged. 19 Squadron was mounted on one of the common biplane fighters before WWII, the Gloster Gauntlet II. This fighter was typical of the period, sharing the technology of WWI biplane fighters and achieving the most modest increases in performance. When 19 Squadron was selected to take the amazing new Spitfire into operational service it was a huge leap for the pilots. The first machines were fitted with the traditional wooden fixed pitch propeller but everything else was very different. The monocoque construction was a world away from the wood and steel tube frame of the biplanes. The cockpit was enclosed, the undercarriage retracted, the pilot was in radio communication with the most advance command and control system ever built by anyone, sleek contours of the forward fuselage, that housed the Merlin engine, and the beautiful elliptical wing form was as far removed from tradition as could be. Everywhere there were rare or unique features, including the very effective and revolutionary reflector gun sight. The author has told the story of the revolution from Gauntlet to Spitfire and captured the impressions of the pilots who faced the challenge and great opportunity of revolution. The words of these pilots and the extensive collection of images combine to produce what must be the definitive book in its topic field. This is a book that no professional, enthusiast or military historian should miss and it should and will appeal to an even wider audience