Spitfire

was In short, the Spitfire was bad for morale. 'Spitfire auf meinem Schwanz!' – 'Spitfire on my tail!' – gaining wide currency in German radio chatter. 'From then it sometimes doesn't last long until that voice doesn't exist any more.

Author: John Nichol

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

ISBN: 9781471159220

Category: History

Page: 352

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THE SUNDAY TIMES NON FICTION BESTSELLER WHSmith NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 'The best book you will ever read about Britain's greatest warplane' Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of Fighter Boys ‘A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine’ Rowland White, bestselling author of Vulcan 607 'As the RAF marks its centenary, Nichol has created a thrilling and often moving tribute to some of its greatest heroes' Mail on Sunday magazine 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? In late spring 1940, Nazi Germany’s domination of Europe had looked unstoppable. With the British Isles in easy reach since the fall of France, Adolf Hitler was convinced that Great Britain would be defeated in the skies over her southern coast, confident his Messerschmitts and Heinkels would outclass anything the Royal Air Force threw at them. What Hitler hadn’t planned for was the agility and resilience of a marvel of British engineering that would quickly pass into legend – the Spitfire. Bestselling author John Nichol’s passionate portrait of this magnificent fighter aircraft, its many innovations and updates, and the people who flew and loved them, carries the reader beyond the dogfights over Kent and Sussex. Spanning the full global reach of the Spitfire’s deployment during WWII, from Malta to North Africa and the Far East, then over the D-Day beaches, it is always accessible, effortlessly entertaining and full of extraordinary spirit. Here are edge-of-the-seat stories and heart-stopping first-hand accounts of battling pilots forced to bail out over occupied territory; of sacrifice and wartime love; of aristocratic female flyers, and of the mechanics who braved the Nazi onslaught to keep the aircraft in battle-ready condition. Nichol takes the reader on a hair-raising, nail-biting and moving wartime history of the iconic Spitfire populated by a cast of redoubtable, heroic characters that make you want to stand up and cheer.
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Spitfires Yellow Tail Mustangs

The 2nd FS's sixth and final victory was scored when Lts. Miles Lynn and Stanley Martin teamed up and shared in the ... When I could think clearly I put the Spitfire into a tight 360 right turn, to check for enemy aircraft on my tail.

Author: Tom Ivie

Publisher: Stackpole Books

ISBN: 9780811713122

Category: History

Page: 336

View: 771

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Story of one of the best fighter units in the Mediterranean theater, which earned two Distinguished Unit Citations and produced 21 aces Vivid episodes of aerial combat during the key campaigns for Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, and more Nicknamed "Yellow Tails" for the color markings on their aircraft The unit flew British Spitfires before switching to P-51 Mustangs Includes rare photos and color artwork
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Spitfire

McKee, Strike from the Sky. Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail. Chapter 8: 'Here come those last fifty Spitfires' 1. Toye, Lloyd George and Churchill. 2. Corrigan, Blood, Sweat and Arrogance. 3. Churchill to Dowding, 24 June ...

Author: Leo McKinstry

Publisher: Hachette UK

ISBN: 9781848545038

Category: History

Page: 300

View: 991

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In June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Goring thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to prove him wrong. By late September 1940, the RAF had proved invincible, thanks to the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. It exceeded anything that any other air force possessed. RJ Mitchell, a shy and almost painfully modest engineer, was the genius behind the Spitfire. On the 5th March 1936, following its successful maiden flight, a legend was born. Prize-winning historian Leo McKinstry's vivid history of the Spitfire brings together a rich cast of characters and first hand testimonies. It is a tale full of drama and heroism, of glory and tragedy, with the main protagonist the remarkable plane that played a crucial role in saving Britain.
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Forgotten Voices of the Blitz and the Battle For Britain

Gerhard Sehopfel German Messerschmitt 109 PM The English fightersv had four machine guns in each wing. ... Ulrich Steinhilper German Messerschmin 109 pilot 'Spitfire on my taiL' I heard this cry from 109 pilots on the radio quite a few ...

Author: Joshua Levine

Publisher: Random House

ISBN: 9781409034087

Category: History

Page: 496

View: 501

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Drawing material from the Imperial War Museum's extensive aural archive, Joshua Levine brings together voices from both sides of the Blitz and the Battle of Britain to give us a unique, complete and compelling picture of this turbulent time. In June 1940, British citizens prepared for an imminent German onslaught. Hitler's troops had overrun Holland, Belgium and France in quick succession, and the British people anticipated an invasion would soon be upon them. From July to October, they watched the Battle of Britain play out in the skies above them, aware that the result would decide their fate. Over the next nine months, the Blitz killed more than 43,000 civilians. For a year, the citizens of Britain were effectively front-line soldiers in a battle which united the country against a hated enemy. We hear from the soldiers, airmen, fire-fighters, air-raid wardens and civilians, people in the air and on the ground, on both sides of the battle, giving us a thrilling account of Britain under siege. With first-hand testimonies from those involved in Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, Black Saturday on 7th September 1940 when the Luftwaffe began the Blitz, to its climax on the 10th May 1941, this is the definitive oral history of a period when Britain came closer to being overwhelmed by the enemy than at any other time in modern history.
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The Spitfire Log

Flames and black smoke poured from her starboard engine, she broke away from the formation, and I saw two parachutes open. The time was 12.36. Kill No. 69. Then Spitfires were on my tail. Tracer bullets whizzed past me.

Author: Peter Haining

Publisher: Souvenir Press

ISBN: 9780285640283

Category: Technology & Engineering

Page: 144

View: 716

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Of all the airplanes that defended Britain during World War Two, none inspired as much affection as the Spitfire, the plane that became a symbol of courage and determination during the Battle of Britain. Today, over sixty years later, it is still one of the world's most loved planes. This splendidly illustrated tribute to the fighter and the men who flew her is essential reading. It brings together a fascinating collection of writings from Allied aces such as Air Vice Marshal James Johnson, Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader, novelsts such as H.E. Bates and Gavin Lyall and from enthusiasts such as Richard Dimbleby and Alexander McKee. There are details of the story of its creation, a chronology of the Battle of Britain and a history of the Spitfire squadrons. Illustrated with contemporary and modern photographs this is a celebration of the plane that fought off the enemies of liberty.
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Spitfire The Autobiography

A cloud of smoke engulfed a Spitfire on my right. ... My hands were full, taking evasive action to shake off the 109 who was on my tail. ... The wreckage ofa Spitfire bearing Hillary's markings had been foundinafield near Sevenoaks.

Author: Jon E. Lewis

Publisher: Hachette UK

ISBN: 9781472107824

Category: History

Page: 336

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A celebration of the machine and the men who took to the skies in defence of Britain. It is also the dramatic illustration of a little understood truth: the Spitfire did more than win the Battle of Britain - it won the war. It was not Stalingrad which turned the corner of the war against Hitler, it was the Spitfire in the summer of 1940 when RAF Fighter Command destroyed the myth of Nazi invincibility. Praise for his previous books: London: The Autobiography: 'Fascinating ... brings the story of London to life' Good Book guide The English Soldier: The Autobiography: 'A triumph' Saul David, author of Victoria's Army 'Harrowing, funny and often unbelievable book.' Daily Express '[A] compelling tommy's eye view of war from Agincourt to Iraq' Daily Telegraph
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The Battle of Britain

'The effect of a Spitfire's eight guns...' Ibid., p. ... Cited in Colville, The Fringes of Power, 24/9/1940 'I still think this war...' JPK, diary, 17/9/40 'Kennedy has the ... Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p.

Author: James Holland

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

ISBN: 1429919418

Category: History

Page: 736

View: 739

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A groundbreaking new account of the Battle of Britain from acclaimed historian James Holland The Battle of Britain paints a stirring picture of an extraordinary summer when the fate of the world hung by a thread. Historian James Holland has now written the definitive account of those months based on extensive new research from around the world including thousands of new interviews with people on both sides of the battle. If Britain's defenses collapsed, Hitler would have dominated all of Europe. With France facing defeat and British forces pressed back to the Channel, there were few who believed Britain could survive; but, thanks to a sophisticated defensive system and the combined efforts of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and the defiance of a new Prime Minister, Britain refused to give in. From clashes between coastal convoys and Schnellboote in the Channel to astonishing last stands in Flanders, slaughter by U-boats in an icy Atlantic and dramatic aerial battles over England, The Battle of Britain tells this epic World War II story in a fresh and compelling voice.
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Air Power and the Evacuation of Dunkirk

52 Steinhilper , Spitfire on my Tail , pp . 256-61 . 53 TNA : AIR 24/217 - Bomber Command Intelligence Report No. 633 , 31 May 1940 . 54 BA / MA : N 671/6 - Richthofen , Kriegstagebuch , 24-28 May 1940 ; TNA : HW 5/2 – GC & CS Decrypts ...

Author: Harry Raffal

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781350180475

Category: History

Page: 352

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The evacuation of Dunkirk has been immortalised in books, prints and films, narrated as a story of an outnumbered, inexperienced RAF defeating the battle-hardened Luftwaffe and protecting the evacuation. This book revives the historiography by analysing the air operations during the evacuation. Raffal draws from German and English sources, many for the first time in the context of Operation DYNAMO, to argue that both sides suffered a defeat over Dunkirk. . This work examines the resources and tactics of both sides during DYNAMO and challenges the traditional view that the Luftwaffe held the advantage. The success that the Luftwaffe achieved during DYNAMO, including halting daylight evacuations on 1 June, is evaluated and the supporting role of RAF Bomber and Coastal Command is explored in detail for the first time. Concluding that the RAF was not responsible for the Luftwaffe's failure to prevent the evacuation, Raffal demonstrates that the reasons lay elsewhere.
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Luftwaffe Aces in the Battle of Britain

My hand reached up to my left shoulder and I took a firm hold of the handle and pulled. Then I waited – nothing. ... Oberleutnant Ulrich Steinhilper, Spitfire on My Tail. His Bf 109 E-4, Wk Nr 2798, Yellow 2 crashed at Upstreet, ...

Author: Chris Goss

Publisher: Air World

ISBN: 9781526754240

Category: Biography & Autobiography

Page: 320

View: 555

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The term ‘fighter ace’ grew in prominence with the introduction and development of aerial combat in the First World War. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ‘ace’ has varied but is usually considered to be five or more. For the Luftwaffe, a number of its fighter pilots, many of whom had fought with the Legion Condor in Spain, had already gained their Experte, or ace, status in the Battle of France. However, many more would achieve that status in the hectic dogfights over southern England and the Channel during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. A number would also be either killed or captured. Some of these men, individuals such as Adolf Galland, Werner Mölders, and Helmut Wick, who between them had claimed 147 aerial victories by 31 October 1940, are well-known, but most are less so. In this book, the story of each of the Luftwaffe’s 204 Messerschmitt Bf 109 ‘aces’ from the summer of 1940 is examined, with all of the individual biographies, detailing individual fates during the war, being highly illustrated throughout. Original German records from the summer of 1940, have been examined, providing a definitive list of each pilot’s individual claims. It also covers, to a lesser extent, those forgotten fifty-three Messerschmitt Bf 110 pilots who also achieved ace status by day and also by night between 10 July and 31 October 1940.
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