A British fighter pilot recounts his battles—in both wartime and peacetime.David Ince only managed to pass the RAF medical board on his third attempt—but this did not stop him from forging a highly successful aviation career. After flying Hurricanes and Mustangs at 41 OTU, he converted to Typhoons and flew with squadrons 193 and 257, from Normandy until the end of the conflict in Europe. He completed almost 150 sorties, and also took a leading part in trials, demon...

Southern England. Late summer 1940. The nation is fighting for its very survival and the Luftwaffe's aerial offensive is unrelenting. All that lies between invasion and salvation for Britain is the 'thin blue line' of RAF Fighter Command and its pilots.This newly illustrated anniversary edition of Life as a Battle of Britain Pilot reveals what it was like to fly a fighter plane in the Battle of Britain. Who were the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots of 1940? H...

Our Lancaster raced over the perimeter track and then tore down the slope through the dispersal area... with its wheels thumping on the grass but still firmly on the ground. It now seemed that nothing could save us and that, in the next couple of moments, we would disappear in a great explosion. I could hear Bob saying "Get off the ground, you bastard, get off," while Harry just said nothing..."Into the Darkness" is the true story of a young Australian thown into the crucible of th...

"This is the book that puts the flesh on the bones of its reputation as one of the best aircraft of the Second World War." — Pennant MagazineThe flak started about four or five minutes before the target and immediately it was apparent that it was intense and extremely accurate. Oboe entailed the pilot flying dead straight and level for ten minutes on the attack run. Suddenly a tremendous flash lit up the sky about 50 yards ahea...

Just after 2100 hours, the mission’s leader Wing Commander Guy Gibson gave the signal. The red light went on and the Merlin engines of the thirteen Lancaster bombers roared into life. They had been in intensive training for eight weeks for the most famous bombing raid of World War II. RAF 617 squadron, the Dambusters, were finally ready to go...Read about the RAF’s daring Dambusters mission, along with the bombing and defence of London in the Battle of Britain and the merciless Bom...

"A personal and vivid view of the Royal Air Force's (RAF) engagement of the Luftwaffe in World War II . . . Exciting, valuable, and good reading." — Library JournalThis is the autobiography of Group Captain Sir Hugh Dundas CBE, DSO, DFC, who was one of the most distinguished fighter pilots of World War II. He writes of his wartime experiences, and particularly of his period as Squadron Leader and Wing Commander and his involvement in the Battle of Britain.

THE WORLD'S GREATEST TEST PILOT TELLS HIS STORY'When you read through his life story, it makes James Bond seem like a bit of a slacker'Kirsty Young, Desert Island Discs'The greatest test pilot who ever lived. A true inspiration'Tim Peake, astronaut and former regular British Army Air Corps officer'The stories beggar belief'Guardian'Fascinating...

This book takes you, raid by raid, through the author's tour of operational duty over the last five months of 1944. It is a bomber pilot's story, but it is also about the grinding operational pressure, the brotherhood of the crew and fears of injury and death. It is about a squadron of Bomber Command that bore a barely-equalled burden in operational effort and losses. It is about young airmen the author knew, who lived and too often died amid the turmoil in enemy skies.

A definitive new edition of a classic, World War II memoir, complete with more than 100 photographs, and notes from leading historians.Guy Gibson was the leader of the famous Dambusters raid, and Enemy Coast Ahead is a vivid, honest account, widely regarded as one of the best books on the Second World War. It also provides an insider's perspective, setting down in clear detail the challenges that the RAF faced in the war against Germany's Luftwaffe.

Ace fighter pilots from the British Royal Air Force share stories from the experiences during World War II's Battle of Britain.This book examines the reality behind the myths of the legendary RAF fighter aces during the Battle of Britain. It explains why only a small minority of pilots those in whom the desire for combat overrode everything accounted for so large a proportion of the victories. It surveys the skills that a successful fighter pilot must have a natural...

A decorated WWII flying ace and Royal Air Force Group Captain recounts his experience in the air over Europe in this thrilling military memoir.New Zealand fighter pilot Desmond Scott joined the Royal Air Force in 1940. Over the course of his illustrious service, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar, and a Distinguished Service Order. For the heroic act of rescuing a pilot from a crashed Supermarine Spitfire, he was made an Officer of the Order of th...

The twin-engined Mosquito was one of the classic aircraft of the Second World War. Famously wooden-built, its graceful lines and powerful performance have made it into an airborne icon. Its operational versatility as a fighter, low level bomber and reconnaissance aircraft was unsurpassed. In this book we get the firsthand crew accounts of a selection of the actions and missions that the 'Mossie' undertook. These include audacious raids on Nazi HQs and Gestapo jails -real precision attacks ...