Spitfire Ace: Flying the Battle of Britain

by martin- davidson, James Taylor

The Battle of Britain was one of the most famous air battles in the history of warfare, one filled with ruthless organisation, brilliant control, and command. At its heart is one particular figure, a legend ever since—the RAF fighter pilot—as well as one particular plane, a piece of machinery that has almost mythic historical glamour: the Supermarine Spitfire. This engaging volume reintroduces the few that flew in the Battle of Britain and includes interviews with many of the surviving veteran Spitfire pilots. Fully illustrated with 16 pages of photographs and contemporary archive material, it provides a vivid portrait of the fighter boys and their finest hour, their planes, and Fighter Command.

Genres: History, World War II, Aviation, Historical, Biography

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2003

Reviews

[Achtung Englander · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a slog. To be honest I gave up half way. Imagine going to the pub and listening in on some veterans re encounter of the war. This is that book. This is history told through the written verbatim conversations with Spitfire pilots and the supporting crew and it so boring.

The book also suffers from having the wrong accompanying pictures. Instead of pictures of the various aircraft that is mentioned in the book, the picture are all stock Spitfire & BOB pictures that do not help the reader get a better idea.

Throughout the time of reading I could not help but think that there must be a better book about Spitfires out there.

It is good that Davidson has tracked down these men so that their voice has been recorded (and written) for prosperity, but the book lacks depth. It skirts around the development of the Spitfire, Dunkirk and BOB and tries to fits the narrative of war history through the many witness accounts. It fails to do any deep dive on anything, leaving this reader wanting.

[Geoff Boxell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have six other text books on The Battle of Britain and have watched numerous documentaries on the topic. This book is tied to a TV series that took young men 18-20, a similar age to many of the RAF pilots who took part, and taught two of them to fly a Spitfire. However, that is but an aside to the story the book tells. In addition to an excellent telling of the story of the Battle of Britain and analysis of just what happened and the tactics used by both sides, you get comments from RAF and Luftwaffe servicemen who took part. Of my seven books I think this is the best one.
The title is "Spitfire Ace" but that is just the bait on the hook and the tie in to the TV series. The book really is that of The Battle of Britain from both sides.
When I was a little boy I saw the last Spitfire Squadron fly over London before the aircraft were decommissioned. As a teenager I went to Biggin Hill to see a Battle of Britain airshow and it included, what was then, the last flying Spitfire. Thanks to the 1969 film, "Battle of Britain", not only were more Spitfires made airworthy, but Hurricanes too. I recently saw a Duxford airshow on YouTube and they had 16 Spitfires flying in formation!
Does the Spitfire still have a hold on me? Well I was at a Medieval re-enactment camp at Hunua, near Auckland, NZ (where I now live). I heard a very distinctive sound and yelled at my comrades to look to the sky as the Spitfire based at Ardmore Airfield flew acrobatics above us. So, yes, I knew the sound even before I saw the distinctive shape and my love of that aeroplane that means so much still does have a hold on me.

[David Walley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Particularly interesting because of the interviews with some of the pilots namely Bob Doe, Christopher Foxley Norris, Tom Neil, Nigel Rose and Gerald Stapleton. I was particularly interested to read that the German pilots did not feel that they had lost the battle of Britain but do not see how they could come to this conclusion as if they had one there would surely have been an invasion of the island. I think a major reason for the lost from the German aspect was because of the ego of Herman Goering who was thinking like a politician instead of a military man. I'm sure that if Adolf gangland had been able to lead the Luftwaffe then there could have been a different outcome. All in all, an excellent book and I rate it highly.

[Stanley Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. As one who reads lots of history this is a good book. Much of the book involves first hand statements from those who fought in the Battle of Britain. I believe Davidson could have tied some of the topics together, to make the book easier to follow. I have read several books on the Battle of Britain, this one ranks near in the top half...

[Tracey Terrington · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very hard going. Didn't actually finish the book which us unusual for me

[Ian Hallam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains many recollections from British aircrew and ground crew and also a few from German aircrew. It was surprising to read that many young men, some not much over 18 or 19 years of age were soon flying hurricanes and spitfires within 6 months of leaving school.
There are some interesting stories of youthful exuberance when given a spitfire to fly with free rein over the skies of England with unlimited fuel.
After the hijinks comes the more serious business of the air war over Britain and the strategic decisions taken to prepare the country for attack from the air. Again thankfully there were missed opportunities when the enemy could so easily have defeated the beleaguered air force which would have had a different ending to the Battle of Britain.
Churchill's famous quote "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" not only refers to the pilots who undertook to protect our air space, but also the inventors of both the Spitfire an Hurricane planes they flew and the many ground crew who maintained and repaired them.
Without the advent of our radar early warning system the pilots could not have been directed to the incoming raids to intercept them.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book discusses in detail the great Battle of Britain between the German and British air forces during the months of August and September, 1940. The account includes testimonials from British airmen and ground crews who were involved in the conflict. It was an interesting read and I recommend it for those who desire to know more about the European Theater during WWII.

[Warwick Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides a great insight into what the Battle of Britain was like from the pilots perspectives, using anecdotes and quotes from the pilots themselves - from training pre-war to the heart of the battle. The book also gives the viewer a deeper understanding of the strategies and decisions behind the RAF's ability to hold off the Luftwaffe. An interesting and fast-paced read.

[Jaanus Tramberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything about Spitfires, beautiful pictures.