Sky Spy: From Six Miles High To Hitler's Bunker

by Ray Holmes

"SKY SPY" is the enthralling autobiography of Ray Holmes, who joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1936 and graduated from pupil to fully fledged fighter pilot, flying instructor and photo-reconnaissance pilot during the Second World War. His was a varied war, flying many different tupes of aircraft in a wide assortment of situations. Most notable, however, were his sorties in the Hurricane and later, the Spitfire. In the Hurricane, he was the first fighter pilot to shoot down a German bomber over London during the Battle of Britain. He flew sweeps over France, protecting convoys, and was sent out to Murmansk for five months to teach the Russians how to fly Hurricanes. On his return from Soviet Russia he became involved in photographic reconnaissance, photographing targets far into German from six miles high in his specially equipped Spitfire.

As the war drew to a close, the author flew as King's Messenger for Winston Churchill to Berlin where Churchill was planning the Potsdam Conference. He finally left the RAF with an unusual souvenir of his visit to this city --- a brass candelabrum from Hitler's Chancellery.

Written with tremendous verve, "SKY SPY" stands head and shoulders above the average wartime memoir.

326 pages

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Lukas Novotny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ray Holmes was a journalist before and after the war and his writing is corresponding with it. It's easy to read and interesting on every page. Narration is not really action-driven, but rather detailed and intelligent description of events and author's observations. This writing style might not work for someone with boring life, but for Holmes - who was part of so many dangerous and entertaining situations - it suits well.

[William Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another lucky pilot who survived to tell his amazing story. One encounter with a Dornier bomber over London is worth the price of the book.