Spitfire!: The Experiences of a Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot

by B.J. Ellan (Pseudonym), Brian Lane

“What is it like up there?” Spitfire first became a household word during the Blitz, but it was not the first service the valiant aircraft had performed. At Dunkirk a year earlier, pilots had provided aerial support as the allied forces began their evacuation from France. In an attempt to answer the questions of the man on the street, Brian Lane, who wrote under the pseudonym of B. J. Ellan, tells of what it is that a fighter pilot thinks and feels when he is fighting in the skies, from the sunlit coast of Belgium to the lovely countryside of Kent. Having been with the squadron since the beginning of the war, as a flight commander and C.O., the character and bravery of the men he knew and served with are deftly rendered. Self-deprecating and richly detailed, Spitfire! is a classic Battle of Britain memoir, and one of only a few to be published in that dramatic period of history. Brian Lane (1917-1942), was an R.A.F. officer, fighter pilot and author. He was awarded the D.F.C. for bravery during the evacuation of Dunkirk, and his abilities were recognised in his promotion to Squadron Leader in September 1940. In December 1942 he failed to return from a mission over the North Sea; he was 25.

Genres: History, World War II

108 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Squadron Leader B.J. Ellan was the pseudonym of British Battle of Britain fighter pilot Brian Lane.

Reviews

[Simon Brading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive and somewhat impersonal but still worth reading

[Tim Richman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, almost charming insight into a Spitfire pilot’s life during the Battle of Britain, made that much more poignant in learning that Ellan/Lane was killed in battle not long after publication.

[Patricia Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

War is often mundane

Not the most exciting account of the Battle of Britain, but a realistic picture of the day-to-day workings of a fighter squadron. Not every sortie is action packed, sometimes you meet nothing at all or the bad guy slips away.
Lane, a squadron commander at the time of writing this book, sets down the exciting times, but most often the times that were almost exciting. Quite often nothing comes from a flight, but Lane writes an enthusiastic and engaging account nonetheless. Not for those readers seeking a Boy's Own adventure, but rather for those who desire a more realistic version of the war.

[Marcia Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good First Hand Account

This is a true story written by a Spitfire pilot who lived what he wrote. It is written during the time that the events he wrote about were taking place, not a reminisce of things that happened decades before. Besides taking the reader up in the sky with the pilot, the writer also also reveals the sometimes conflicted feelings that he and many others must have felt about having to killing others and yet knowing that with the stakes as they were, it was their only choice. The writer must have loved England. He described it as he saw it from the air so beautifully.

[Steve Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Lane gives us a picture of a fighter squadron in action both before and during the Battle of Britain. This is no scholarly analysis of a historian, just a day by day account of the young pilots of his squadron and how they lived, fought and died defending the sky's above Britain.

You get a picture of the humour and comradeship that made the squadron a fighting force. You also get a first-hand description of Lanes battles with enemy aircraft.

A brave man who was killed in action in 1942.

[Ronald Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read:

Having read many many books about "the few" it was good to read one by one of the few written while the battle of britain was actually happening. While no book or movie can come close to relating what must have been gut wrenching tension this gives some idea without all the messy, gory bits if one reads between the lines. It was sad to discover that the author went missing in 1942, presumed shot down into the North Sea, one of the many with no known grave

[Marke F. Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read…

I couldn’t help but think of my days flying from Bentwaters AB in the mid-eighties. The descriptions of the countryside, the weather, and scenery all came back. As a former fighter pilot, I also appreciated his vivid descriptions of the chaotic and physically tasking air-to-air engagements needed to try and acquire, close, and “Gun” someone. His exportation of his emotions during this time also resonated with me as an experienced combat pilot.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

realistic

Set as actual pilots memoir. His attitudinal shift toward the enemy is interesting. Near the beginning of the battle he is sympathetic to the plight to the crew of the crippled Dornier but he hardens up as it goes on until he is gleeful at shooting down as many as possible. He also explains why so many aggressive WWII pilots just returned to civilian life after their tour of duty was over. The depersonalization
of war.

[Brad Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book written by a Spitfire pilot during the early years of World War II. The accounts of flying and fighting over Dunkirk and The Blitz are well done and that they were written during the war adds a novel quality to the words. The book is as much part of history as its contents. I couldn't help but think of how innocent it all sounds in the days before the world discovered the real nature of what they were fighting.

[Paul J. Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting short read

I always thought the battle of Britain was a hard fought courageous battle wherein the British pilots were outnumbered and fighting a difficult defense. This book gives me the impression that they easily handled the attackers or at least that is what this pilot experienced.
This is a quick read.

[David Wurtele Eaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flying a fighter in the Battle of Britain

What does it feel like to fly a fighter? Written in the first person Brian Lane recounts his exploits as a flight leader, squadron leader and pilot of a Spitfire. Feel the controls, operate the levers and come in for a smooth landing as if it’s you flying. The deadly dance among the clouds is presented in a matter of fact read.

[Lawrie Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book, gives you an insight of how good the Spitfire airplane was during a battle dogfighting, the amount of G's the pilots had to deal with in dogfights, pilot's blacking out in some cases for a time. Understanding the pressures, the pilots had to deal with in split seconds which could result in living or dying. My hat goes off to these brave men, God Bless all of them.

[Kratz · Rating 5 out of 5]

First hand account,

This was very personal, in that you had the account of an average fighter pilot describing his days. Some were just ordinary days, not much to tell, and other pilots in other aerodromes had more exciting stories. But I think I got a good account of a typical pilot's average day.

[Jane Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

World War II story

Another book written by a member of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Unlike most books of the time, it has a politically incorrect word in it. The pilot is fearless and confident; unfortunately as you read it, you know he dies after writing the book.

[paul gore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light-hearted view of the war from a Spitfire cockpit.

A short and somewhat rambling narrative from the early days of the war. Nothing new here, but there is a fair measure of authentic RAF nostalgia and the beautiful and classic Spitfire.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some good WW2 memoirs out there - this one was pretty thin. Not sure how much you get out of it.

[James Topoleski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick but not complete

Quick read but more of a diary of a pilot in the very opening days of WWII than a more in depth look.

[Jonno · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly short and easy book to read, written by the author whilst flying and fighting in his spitfire during the Second World War.
I very much enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to other's who have a fascination with the Battle of Britain and the lives of the airmen who fought in it.

[eddie jezierski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a flight in a spitfire

This is a very personal account of how we won the battle of Britain,the brave pilots keeping our sky's free. This is a book written in a language of the time some things said are not PC today ,I found the book fascinating a very clear account about flying a spitfire in war time.

[Mark J. Kradel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Because it was written at the time of the Battle of Britain

An easy read fairly short but interesting because of the perspective of being written exactly when the event was happening.

[daisy riddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facinating

This is a fascinating insight not only of the life of a wartime fighter pilot but also about the thoughts of one. These pilots seemed to have a rather 'glamorous' war compared to infantry soldiers, even though the threat to life and limb was the same.

[Michael Lavin]

Its ok read. Mind candy some what about flying a Spitfire was real good.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative, personal account of a Spitfire pilot during the early years of WWII and the "Battle of Britain." A quick read.

[malcolm lauderdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thought.

Good , tough writing job under very demanding circumstances. Four stars
Difficult, but a very determined writer who got the job done.

[jean hummel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

I felt as though I was in the cockpit. The most descriptive account of air combat I've ever read. Good show!

[Garth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another short, sharp and to the point recounting from someone who was there, did that.

[Carol saler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful look into combat flying

Written during wartime censorship so unless you are very familiar with initials used for airfields the average person might not enjoy as much

[Barbara Mader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, fairly typical of this kind, orig. pub. 1942. Lane was 23 years old at the time.