Spitfire Faces: The Men and Women Behind the Iconic Fighter (Hardback)
Dilip Sarkar (author)Published: 30/03/2023
The Supermarine Spitfire arguably remains the most iconic fighter aircraft ever produced. Unsurprisingly, it has become a symbol of British excellence and national pride.
Interest in the Spitfire remains undiminished as time goes on, and its bibliography is virtually infinite. Whilst many of these books feature the technical and operational history of the Spitfire, this book features the human element of the story, concentrating on the stories of not only those who flew the Spitfire into battle, but also the men and women who maintained and built it.
By the summer of 1941, the Spitfire had replaced the Hurricane as the RAF's front-line fighter, seeing service in every theatre of war, from north-west Europe to the Far East, and operating in many roles never envisaged by its gifted, yet tragic, designer, R.J. Mitchell. Although intended as a short-range daylight interceptor, Spitfires became dive-bombers, offensive escort fighters, night-fighters, photographic reconnaissance mounts - and more.
R.J. Mitchell, however, was always very conscious that a human being would risk his or her life flying his creation - and this book concentrates on that human story.
Covering the Spitfire's design, development and wartime operational history, Spitfire Faces features photographs from the personal collections of survivors, collated as the result of the author's close personal relationships and friendships with so many of them.
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781399065313
Number of pages: 208
Dimensions: 246 x 172 mm
You may also be interested in...
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?