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Scramble: The Dramatic Story of a Young Fighter Pilot's Experiences during the Battle of Britain & Siege of Malta
This is a fighter pilot's memoir of four tumultuous years, 1938-1942, when he was first trained, then fought and survived in not one but two of the biggest aerial campaigns of the war, the Battle of Britain and the equally epic, but lesser known Siege of Malta. When the Germans were blitzing their way across France in Spring 1940, Pilot Officer Tom Neil had just received his first posting – to 249 Squadron. Nineteen years old, fresh from training he was soon to be pitched into the maelstrom of air fighting on which the very survival of Britain would depend.
By the end of 1940, Neil had shot down 13 enemy aircraft, seen many of his friends killed, injured or burned, and was himself a wary and accomplished fighter pilot. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, he was then shipped off to the beleaguered island of Malta in the Mediterranean to face both the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica, Again Neil was heavily engaged in combat and shot down another enemy fighter and was himself shot down and injured. Now 95, he is one of only twenty-five Battle of Britain veterans still alive and this vivid memoir is his last word on his fighter pilot experiences
By the end of 1940, Neil had shot down 13 enemy aircraft, seen many of his friends killed, injured or burned, and was himself a wary and accomplished fighter pilot. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, he was then shipped off to the beleaguered island of Malta in the Mediterranean to face both the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica, Again Neil was heavily engaged in combat and shot down another enemy fighter and was himself shot down and injured. Now 95, he is one of only twenty-five Battle of Britain veterans still alive and this vivid memoir is his last word on his fighter pilot experiences
640 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2015
7 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Tom Neil
10 books7 followersThomas Neil joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) on 17th October 1938 and began his flying training at 17 E&RFTS, Barton, Manchester.
Called up on 2nd September 1939, Neil went to 4 ITW; Bexhill in early November.
On 1st December he was posted to 8 FFS, Montrose and on completion of the course, he was commissioned and joined 249 Squadron on 15th May 1940 at its reformation at Church Fenton.
Flying from North Weald on 7th September, Neil claimed a Bf 109 fighter destroyed, on the 11th a He 111 bomber, on the 15th two Bf 109s and a Do 17 bomber destroyed and another Do 17 shared, on the 18th a He 111 damaged and on the 27th a Bf 110 and a Ju 88 bomber destroyed, a Bf 110 fighter probably destroyed and a Ju 88 shared.
On 6th October, Neil shared in the destruction of a Do 17 bomber, on the 25th claimed a Bf 109 destroyed.
On 27th he claimed a Do 17 probably destroyed.
On 28th Neil shared in the destruction of a Ju 88 bomber.
On 7th November he claimed a Ju 87 and two Bf 109s destroyed. On this same day, Neil collided with Wing Commander F.V. Beamish during a patrol and lost his tail. He baled out of his Hurricane (V 7676), unhurt.
Thomas Neil was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 8th October 1940, and a Bar on 26th November 1940. He was made a Flight Commander in December.
In May 1941, 249 Squadron went to Malta in the Mediterranean. The squadron flew off the Ark Royal on the 21st, Neil leading the second group of Hurricanes.
After a series of mishaps and misadventures, they all reached Malta safely.
On 12th June 1941, Neil destroyed a Mc 200 fighter of Italy's Regia Aeronautica.
Tour expired, he left Malta on 26th December 1941 and returned to the UK, via the Middle East, South Africa, West Africa and Canada, finally arriving at Liverpool in early March 1942.
Neil was posted to 81 Group as Tactics Officer. He went to 56 OTU in mid-June and on 1st September 1942 he took command of 41 Squadron at Llanbedr.
In July 1943, he was posted to 53 OTU, Kirton-on-Lindsey, as an instructor. He later went to the 9th US Army Air Force, as Flying Liaison Officer with the 100th Fighter Wing. After D-Day Neil did some operational flying in France, as a supernumerary.
In January 1945, Neil was posted to the School of Land/Air Warfare at Old Sarum, instructing and lecturing.
Subsequently, he went to Burma in March 1945, investigating. Whilst there, he flew some operational sorties with No 1 Indian Wing. He returned to Old Sarum in April, leaving there in January 1946 to go on an Empire Test Pilots’ course at Cranfield.
Thomas Neil was awarded the Bronze Star Medal(US) (2-8-49) and the AFC (2-1-56).
Thomas Neil retired from the RAF in 1964, as a Wing Commander. In retirement, he has written a number of books and articles about his wartime experiences.
Neil passed away on July 11, 2018, three days shy of what would have been his 98th birthday.
Called up on 2nd September 1939, Neil went to 4 ITW; Bexhill in early November.
On 1st December he was posted to 8 FFS, Montrose and on completion of the course, he was commissioned and joined 249 Squadron on 15th May 1940 at its reformation at Church Fenton.
Flying from North Weald on 7th September, Neil claimed a Bf 109 fighter destroyed, on the 11th a He 111 bomber, on the 15th two Bf 109s and a Do 17 bomber destroyed and another Do 17 shared, on the 18th a He 111 damaged and on the 27th a Bf 110 and a Ju 88 bomber destroyed, a Bf 110 fighter probably destroyed and a Ju 88 shared.
On 6th October, Neil shared in the destruction of a Do 17 bomber, on the 25th claimed a Bf 109 destroyed.
On 27th he claimed a Do 17 probably destroyed.
On 28th Neil shared in the destruction of a Ju 88 bomber.
On 7th November he claimed a Ju 87 and two Bf 109s destroyed. On this same day, Neil collided with Wing Commander F.V. Beamish during a patrol and lost his tail. He baled out of his Hurricane (V 7676), unhurt.
Thomas Neil was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 8th October 1940, and a Bar on 26th November 1940. He was made a Flight Commander in December.
In May 1941, 249 Squadron went to Malta in the Mediterranean. The squadron flew off the Ark Royal on the 21st, Neil leading the second group of Hurricanes.
After a series of mishaps and misadventures, they all reached Malta safely.
On 12th June 1941, Neil destroyed a Mc 200 fighter of Italy's Regia Aeronautica.
Tour expired, he left Malta on 26th December 1941 and returned to the UK, via the Middle East, South Africa, West Africa and Canada, finally arriving at Liverpool in early March 1942.
Neil was posted to 81 Group as Tactics Officer. He went to 56 OTU in mid-June and on 1st September 1942 he took command of 41 Squadron at Llanbedr.
In July 1943, he was posted to 53 OTU, Kirton-on-Lindsey, as an instructor. He later went to the 9th US Army Air Force, as Flying Liaison Officer with the 100th Fighter Wing. After D-Day Neil did some operational flying in France, as a supernumerary.
In January 1945, Neil was posted to the School of Land/Air Warfare at Old Sarum, instructing and lecturing.
Subsequently, he went to Burma in March 1945, investigating. Whilst there, he flew some operational sorties with No 1 Indian Wing. He returned to Old Sarum in April, leaving there in January 1946 to go on an Empire Test Pilots’ course at Cranfield.
Thomas Neil was awarded the Bronze Star Medal(US) (2-8-49) and the AFC (2-1-56).
Thomas Neil retired from the RAF in 1964, as a Wing Commander. In retirement, he has written a number of books and articles about his wartime experiences.
Neil passed away on July 11, 2018, three days shy of what would have been his 98th birthday.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 23, 2016
This is Tom Neil's memoir, covering the years 1938 to 1942, when he went from a trainee pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) to a full-fledged fighter pilot who saw action in 2 of the most crucial, decisive battles of the Second World War: the Battle of Britain and the Siege of Malta.
At 95, Neil is one of the few remaining RAF combat veteran fighter aces of the War. He writes with a sure hand and can relate a story in a very engaging way. So much so, that the reader becomes swept up in Neil's descriptions of combat, the sensation of flying, the ambiance of the places where he served, and in the lives of the pilots and squadron personnel with whom he served. Indeed, in Appendix I of the book (titled 'What Happened After the Battle of Britain?'), Neil brings the reader up to date by shedding light on the subsequent careers of several of the officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) with whom he had varying relationships during his time with 249 Squadron, which emerged from the War as one of the RAF's most distinguished fighter squadrons. (Appendix 2 contains a copy of the logbook Neil kept throughout his service in the Battle of Britain from July to November 1940.)
"SCRAMBLE" is a wonderful book, which comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
At 95, Neil is one of the few remaining RAF combat veteran fighter aces of the War. He writes with a sure hand and can relate a story in a very engaging way. So much so, that the reader becomes swept up in Neil's descriptions of combat, the sensation of flying, the ambiance of the places where he served, and in the lives of the pilots and squadron personnel with whom he served. Indeed, in Appendix I of the book (titled 'What Happened After the Battle of Britain?'), Neil brings the reader up to date by shedding light on the subsequent careers of several of the officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) with whom he had varying relationships during his time with 249 Squadron, which emerged from the War as one of the RAF's most distinguished fighter squadrons. (Appendix 2 contains a copy of the logbook Neil kept throughout his service in the Battle of Britain from July to November 1940.)
"SCRAMBLE" is a wonderful book, which comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
May 18, 2016
Great autobiography of a young RAF pilot in Britain and then Malta. Flying obsolete equipment, he somehow not only survives the Germans, but (as of 2016) was still alive, at 96 years old.
January 24, 2025
I read Gun Button to Fire by Tom Neil quite recently, and now Scramble, which is supposed to be partly the same book, but doesn’t feel like it. Both books are good, and I haven’t analysed the difference, I did recognize some episodes, but no problem at all to read Scramble, even if you already read the first version.
The second half of Scramble is about Malta, and that part is utterly fascinating, very little has been written about the air battle for Malta, mostly I think perhaps because not many RAF pilots survived. This is really one of the more shameful episodes of RAF history in WW2, the Hawker Hurricanes that they flew, were completely outdated, nothing new about that, they were outdated even during the Battle of Britain. And the much vaunted Spitfire didn’t really come into its own till late 1942, by then the old Hurricane and their brave pilots had already won this battle…….simply by surviving.
Tom Neil’s account is not the official RAF version, but I’m afraid it’s a much truer version. There are a lot of interesting insights, the Hurricane was very pleasant to fly, but not comparable to the 109E, and the 109F was another matter completely. The Macchi 202 was also scary good. Lots of interesting stuff about Malta and its inhabitants, it’s a place I’d love to visit. I was glued to it.
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I first read Tom Neil’s books in Aeroplane Monthly magazine and immediately realized that here was something so much better than any fighter pilot had written before. I still think so.
The second half of Scramble is about Malta, and that part is utterly fascinating, very little has been written about the air battle for Malta, mostly I think perhaps because not many RAF pilots survived. This is really one of the more shameful episodes of RAF history in WW2, the Hawker Hurricanes that they flew, were completely outdated, nothing new about that, they were outdated even during the Battle of Britain. And the much vaunted Spitfire didn’t really come into its own till late 1942, by then the old Hurricane and their brave pilots had already won this battle…….simply by surviving.
Tom Neil’s account is not the official RAF version, but I’m afraid it’s a much truer version. There are a lot of interesting insights, the Hurricane was very pleasant to fly, but not comparable to the 109E, and the 109F was another matter completely. The Macchi 202 was also scary good. Lots of interesting stuff about Malta and its inhabitants, it’s a place I’d love to visit. I was glued to it.
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"/>I first read Tom Neil’s books in Aeroplane Monthly magazine and immediately realized that here was something so much better than any fighter pilot had written before. I still think so.
March 23, 2018
A dramatic account of Tom Neil's life as a fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain and the Siege of Malta. This is a no-holds-barred first-hand description of both events told from the viewpoint of someone who at the age of just 19 found himself in the thick of things. The book is effectively three books in one and runs to over 600 hundred pages. It covers his entry to the RAF before the outbreak of war and then his active service at home and overseas. As well as describing his day-to-day life as a fighter pilot initially flying Spitfires and then, for the bulk of his service, Hurricanes, the author makes it clear that contrary to folklore, both of these aircraft, the Hurricane particularly, were in many ways inferior to their German and Italian counterparts. That said, it's quite clear that the men who protected our skies were dedicated pilots for whom the word 'defeat' was never an option. Tom Neil provides personal reminiscences of those he served with in some detail in an epilogue to the book. The survival rates for fighter pilots wasn't especially good, but the author makes it clear that like his colleagues at the time, he was never in any doubt that he would survive. Sadly of course, many of these young men lived brief lives. This is an honest account of the successes and failures in wartime. At the age of 97, the author is now the only surviving member of the fighter pilots who fought throughout that crucial six week period of 1940 now referred to as 'The Battle of Britain'. This aerial struggle, due to the actions of a relatively small number of brave men, not only resulted in Hitler abandoning his plans to invade in September that year, but also saw a large reduction in the number of daylight raids by German aircraft. If you want to know what it was really like, read this book.
April 16, 2016
This is a sprawling rough-and-tumble eyewitness account of air warfare in two of the most important and dangerous ETO campaigns of the World War 2. Tom Neil piloted Hurricanes and Spitfires in the defense of English soil during the Battle of Britain, and then went on to a worse scenario at Malta in 1941. Don't look for grand strategy, war goals, or any "big picture" items here. Mr. Neil's forte is in retelling his harrowing engagements with the Luftwaffe A-Team and all their inventory at the personal and squadron level. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the various aircraft are revealed as well as the individual eccentricities of the Brit aircraft in particular. Tom Neil was one of only 25 Battle of Britain veterans still living until he passed away last year (2014). His account is one of a handful remaining to provide a glimpse of the greatest air battles in history.
October 2, 2018
Fascinating
Fascinating account of the Battle of Britain and authors experience in Malta.
Sometimes rambling a little?
Absolutely the opposite to self serving!
Fascinating account of the Battle of Britain and authors experience in Malta.
Sometimes rambling a little?
Absolutely the opposite to self serving!
January 13, 2021
A great and genuine read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews