Shot Down in Flames: A WWII Fighter Pilot's Remarkable Tale of Survival

by Geoffrey Page

On 12 August 1940, during the Battle of Britain, in an engagement with Dornier Do 17s, Geoffrey Page was shot down into the English Channel, suffering severe burns. He spent much of the next two years in hospitals, undergoing plastic surgery, but recovered sufficiently to pursue an extremely distinguished war and postwar career.

This eloquently written and critically acclaimed autobiography tells of his wartime exploits in the air and on the ground. He was a founding member of The Guinea Pig Club - formed by badly burnt aircrew - and this is a fascinating account of the Club, of the courage and bravery of ‘The Few’, and of Geoffrey’s later life and achievements, most particularly in the creation of The Battle of Britain memorial.

Genres: History, Biography, War, Military Fiction, World War II

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1981

About the author

Wing Commander Alan Geoffrey Page, OBE, DSO, DFC*.

WWII Royal Air Force fighter pilot and post-war founder of the Battle of Britain Trust.

Recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1943 and a bar to his DFC in 1944, appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1944, and appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1995.

Reviews

[Askatasuno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feia molt de temps que no gaudia tant una lectura.

[Thomas Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. The descriptions of the author's injuries and treatment are fascinating as well as horrifying . Highly recommended.

[Greg]

My English aunt’s cousin was badly burned in a crash and was a member of the Guinea Pig Club at Queen Victoria Hospital. She lost contact with him after the war, so in the name of research, I’m back to reading books with fighter planes on the cover like in first grade!

(Alan didn’t make an appearance, but it was interesting enough.)