Author Description

In this book of World War II reminiscences, edited by "flying ace" Laddie Lucas, airmen from both sides of all nationalities recall memorable characters they met in the air forces. There are intimate, first-hand portraits of the famous and the not-so-famous, from heroes like Leonard Cheshire, Douglas Bader and Johnnie Johnson to the legendary Commanders-in-Chief like Sir Arthur ("Bomber") Harris, their pilots, air and ground crews and operational personnel. Here, remembered for their courage, comradeship, humour or powers of leadership are the young American pilot poet John Magee, tragically killed at the age of 19; the flying Italian prince Gianni Carracciolo, decorated personally in the field by Il Duce; Don Blakeslee, brilliant fighter leader of the US Eighth Air Force; Japan's legendary black sheep, Lieutenant Sadaaki Akamatsu; Werner Molders, the Luftwaffe's outstanding tactician, and the New Zealander with nine lives, Al Deere. Former Home Secretary Merlyn Rees recalls his remarkable CO in Italy in 1943, Group Captain Duncan Smith, and Group Captain Peter Townsend salutes the quiet courage of the pilot prince who became King George VI. This is an international volume, with contributions from Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, South Africa, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.