Spitfire Pilot: A Personal Account of the Battle of Britain

by David M. Crook

"Spitfire Pilot" was written in 1940 in the heat of battle when the RAF stood alone against the might of Hitler's Third Reich. It is a tremendous personal account of one of the fiercest and most idealised air conflicts - the Battle of Britain - seen through the eyes of a pilot of the famous 609 Squadron, which shot down over 100 planes in that epic contest.

David Moore Crook, DFC (1914 - 1944) was a British fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.

After attending the University of Cambridge, he was mobilised as part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force on the outbreak of war. Flying the Spitfire Crook participated in the Battle of Britain, flying with No. 609 Squadron RAF (at the time this was a squadron of the Auxiliary Air Force). He initially joined the squadron on 22 September 1938 as an acting pilot officer, this rank was confirmed on 4 May 1940, and later further back-dated to 9 December 1939. He destroyed a Junkers Ju 87 of Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (StG 77) on 9 July, and a Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53) Messerschmitt Bf 109 on 13 August. On 15 August 1940, he mistakenly shot down a Blenheim fighter, although the crew was only slightly injured. Two Bf 109's were claimed on 30 September 1940.

Flying Spitfire IX EN662 on 18 December 1944 on a high level photographic sortie, Crook was seen to dive into the sea near Aberdeen. He was officially listed as missing in action.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, World War II, Aviation, Memoir, War

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1942

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this one by random. I wanted something short—a book between 80 and 120 pages and wanted it to be in my kindle already (of which there are around 1000 titles, I kid you not). I put my books in the order of #pages and took the first one I saw in my page parameter. This was the winner. I’m happy it won.

I have read a lot of historical fiction novels over the last 2-3 years set during WWII, but very few nonfiction books. Sometimes I find myself in learning mode and just want the facts about a historical event, and not the requisite romance, you know? The problem however is that a lot of the nonfictions tend to be dry as California. Despite that, I decided to give this little memoir a try.

This little memoir, which is primarily set during the Battle of Britain, is very easy to read and is pretty much a “straight-on narrative” for lack of a better phrase. There is no dialogue, but there are plenty of interesting anecdotes. Most importantly, I did not find the dreaded dryness I was half-expecting. This is just David using his diary that he tended to daily as his main source for the book. It opens in 1939 when he was training with the British Royal Air Force evenings and weekends and ends in the fall of 1940 when he was transferred from his beloved RAF fighter position and squadron of comrades to a new military assignment.

I really enjoyed learning what it’s like to fly the magnificent Spitfire—the jewel of the R.A.F. A machine that could reach 600 mph in nothing flat. A very worthy foe to the German Messerschmidts. It was fascinating to discover what the air fighting was all about as well as seeing the maneuverings and attempts to outsmart the other side. I thought it would be hard to shoot down other humans, but these guys were downright gleeful and celebrated each “kill of a Hun” with gusto:

“I think that these moments just before the clash are the most gloriously exciting moments of life. You sit there behind a great engine that seems as vibrant and alive as you are yourself, your thumb waits expectantly on the trigger, and your eyes watch the gun sights through which in a few seconds an enemy will be flying in a veritable hail of fire. And all around you, in front and behind, there are your friends too, all eager and excited, all thundering down together into the attack! The memory of such moments is burnt into my mind forever.”

I also loved the use of the language of the era, made possible because the book was written in 1942:

“He was a jolly good chap and a sound pilot.” “He possessed a most attractive and vital personality and entered into everything with the utmost keenness and zest. What grand times we have had together—the amusing evenings…those glorious summer days…the endless amusement in the dinghy.”

The book is very reflective and, in many ways, a quiet read. Yet there is also plenty of suspense, especially during the air fights. I bit my nails a few times during those scenes. Though there is not a lot of character development, I did get a general sense of what several of his squadron brothers were like, enough that I felt badly when one was killed. David also gives the reader a good idea of what he went through in worrying about and grieving for his friends. Those tense minutes of waiting for all to come back after a mission were nerve-wracking. A guy you had breakfast with could easily be in the bottom of the ocean at lunchtime. I was also moved during the poignant moments when David, upon learning of his new assignment, took his farewell flight with his cherished Spitfire, knowing he would never be with her again.

I’m glad I dug this little gem out from the morass of my kindle library. I learned quite a bit and am eager to read other memoirs of those who served during wartime. I recommend Spitfire Pilot to anyone interested in finding out more about these magnificent fighting machines and those who so bravely flew them.

[Don Gerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decorated Flight-Lieutenant David Crook recounts his participation in the Battle of Britain with this quick, easy read. The author kept a diary during this period in his life, and we are privy to his adventures as well as some of his inner thoughts concerning air battle, shooting down enemy flyers (as well as losing fellow aviators), and the fast learning curve of those who discovered how to survive a dogfight.

Flight-Lieutenant Crook’s breezy style entertains as well as illuminates. Anyone desiring to gain some knowledge of this period in history but is leery of heavy historical reading should find this book to be a welcome source of intimate facts and anecdotes. This chronological memoir focuses on his personal reflections of what happened rather than an analytical examination of history. It would be a great start for those new to this era as well as a positive addition to anyone’s WWII library. Five stars.

[Simon Brading · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming and frank, if not very detailed account of the life of a spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting story of a WWII pilot who shares chilling experiences of the Battle of Britain.

Easy to relate to the characters

Good book!

[Bon Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good it kept me entranced to the end. Like a good war story told over a camp fire, and I'm a kid munching my mellow, listening wide-eyed, imagining I was there and what would I do in those circumstances. It's obviously a short book, but the end still came as a shock. There's simply that magic about it, of being movie-like and true to life at the same time. So when it was time to go, I guess I experienced a mini version of losing a friend and a comrade I just became close with. Multiply that by thousand and I imagine it would be something close to one of those real life tragedies of losing a brother in arms the author described. And there were so many of those loses... No wonder it takes a young soul for slightest chance of coming out of war in one peace, at least mentally.

Also, it got me thinking how the air warfare is so similar to what's happening on the ground during the war, in terms of bloodshed, heroism, and all things human both good and bad, but also something completely different. It's a sort of parallel universe. Same slim chances of living another day, but in alternate reality. And, for all those heroes for whom those chances proved too slim, as a kind of semi pan-religious person, I really hope they continue to exist in another plane.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crook’s diary of the run up to war and the Battle of Britain is good, especially once he gets to the flying part. Some uncomfortable racist remarks in the beginning would qualify this book for “cancel culture” today. Giving this one a 3 Star rating, a short, classically British "well done, old boy" account of a desperate fight.

The summer and fall of 1940 had many fine, clear days much to the chagrin of the fighter pilots who wanted overcast as often as possible:
Certainly it was typical of our English weather that in a normal summer it is quite impossible to get fine weather for one’s holidays, and yet in war time, when every fine day simply plays into the hands of the German bombers, we had week after week of cloudless blue skies.

Crook doesn't dwell on the many losses experienced in the battles but he does briefly mention the Americans who came and joined the RAF:
They are all dead now. Shorty was last seen spinning into the sea near Flamborough Head during a chase after a Heinkel. Red crashed behind Boulogne, fighting like hell against a crowd of Me. 109s, while Andy hit a hill in bad weather and was killed. As Red once remarked with the usual grin, pointing to the wings on his tunic, ‘I reckon these are a one way ticket, pal.’ I think it was a very fine gesture on their part to come over here and help us to fight our battles, and they came at a time when trained pilots were worth a great deal in Fighter Command. They are in the first half-dozen of that small but honourable band of Americans who have already been killed in this war, while serving in the R.A.F.

War must be fought by the young and fearless. The absolute exhilaration of charging into battle with your powerful war machine alongside your mates. And the realization after battle that you are not invincible:

But on this glorious occasion there were fifteen of them and twelve of us, and we made the most of it. We were very close to them now and we started to dive. I think that these moments just before the clash are the most gloriously exciting moments of life. You sit there behind a great engine that seems as vibrant and alive as you are yourself, your thumb waits expectantly on the trigger, and your eyes watch the gun sights through which in a few seconds an enemy will be flying in a veritable hail of fire. And all round you, in front and behind, there are your friends too, all eager and excited, all thundering down together into the attack! The memory of such moments is burnt into my mind forever. I was flying just behind Mick and he turned slightly left to attack an Me. 110 which was coming towards him. But the German was as determined as Mick, and refused to give way or alter course to avoid this head-on attack. Their aggregate speed of closing was at least 600 m.p.h. and an instant later they collided. There was a terrific explosion and a sheet of flame and black smoke seemed to hang in the air like a great ball of fire. Many little shattered fragments fluttered down, and that was all. Mick was killed instantly and so were his two German opponents, and hardly any trace of them was ever found.

….only a few hours before, I had sat next to Mick at this very table and we had chatted together. And now, here we were at the next meal, everything quite normal, and he was dead. That was the one thing I could never get accustomed to; seeing one’s friends gay and full of life as they always were, and then, a few hours later, seeing the batman start packing their kit, their shaving brush still damp from being used that morning, while the owner was lying dead in a shattered aeroplane ‘somewhere in England’.

A squadron of Spitfires spots two lonely German bombers. The flight leader anxiously prepares to lead his men into an easy battle. His men had a different idea:
Number One Attack, Go.’ He then discovered that there was nobody behind him — they had all dived away and attacked without waiting for orders. So instead of leading a superb charge, he arrived last of all! The two wretched Dorniers were overwhelmed by the twelve Spitfires and were literally shot to pieces in mid-air. Everybody in B Flight was absolutely determined to have a squirt at the Hun, and as a result there was a mad scramble in which people cut across in front of each other and fired wildly in the direction of the Dorniers, regardless of the fact that the air was full of Spitfires. Fortunately, nobody collected any of the bullets that were flying about, and their energy was duly rewarded as each pilot was able to claim one-sixth of one Dornier very definitely destroyed!

Getting shot at when you can see the bullets coming at you:
The enemy rear-gunner, who obviously had wind up, opened fire at me at rather long range, though I could see his tracer bullets flicking past me. It is an odd thing when you are being fired at by a rear-gunner that the stream of bullets seems to leave the machine very slowly and in a great outward curve. You chuckle to yourself, ‘Ha, the fool’s missing me by miles!’ Then, suddenly, the bullets accelerate madly and curl in towards you again and flick just past your head. You thereupon bend your head a little lower, mutter ‘My God,’ or some other suitable expression and try to kill the rear-gunner before he makes any more nuisance of himself.

The Polish pilots were not given to 'salute' a valiant foe, even after having vanquished one:

Novi was also attacked, but managed to shoot down another 109, which crashed near Bournemouth. When the machine was near the ground, the pilot got out and just managed to open his parachute in time, but landed very heavily and lay on the ground, probably winded by the fall. Novi circled round and said afterwards, in his rather broken English, ‘ I circle round, bloddy German lies down, he is dead, O.K. But I look again, he is now sitting up, no bloddy good.’ He was very disappointed; in his opinion the only good Germans are dead Germans.

On the other hand, some pilots did not necessarily hate the enemy after shooting them down...or in this case shooting him down psychologically:
However, the powers that be decreed otherwise, and we got instead Squadron Leader R., who proved to be a very good C.O. and an excellent leader. He was the pilot who, about two months before, shot down two Me. 109s, and having finished his ammunition, saw a third 109 and chased it for forty miles, and finally so frightened the German pilot by making dummy attacks at him, that he landed in a field and was captured. The C.O. then threw him a packet of Players, waved, and the German waved back, and then he flew off. A very cool bit of work!

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In the latter part of the year there occurred the tragic deaths of so many gallant friends, among them being some of the finest people I ever knew. But on the whole it had been easily the happiest and the most vivid year of my life.”

This book illustrates the value of primary source history. The reader gets a participant’s eye view of history as it is made, in this case the Battle of Britain in 1940. Crook took notes contemporary with the action. Crook was one of “the few” to whom Winston Churchill claimed England owed so much.

“We had a new C.O.[commanding officer], and of the fifteen original members of the squadron, only four were now left.”

The prose is straightforward with no attempt to embellish. That makes it all the better. Some of the slang is out-of-date, even offensive by today’s standards, though Crook’s use twice of the n-word racial slur both times refers to himself. Numerous contemporary photos.

“It seemed so funny to be dining peacefully in Piccadilly only a few hours after being in such a desperate fight.”

Crook notes the incongruities of normalcy next to war and the sudden loss of close friends in the course of a morning.

“We learnt our lesson from these deaths, though it seems so grim that in a war experience is almost always gained at the expense of other men’s lives.”

This book was first published in 1942. Unfortunately, Crook did not survive the war. He was lost at sea during a non-combat aviation mission in 1944.

“One lives and one learns – if lucky.”

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Spitfire was designed around a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine, and could attain 400 mph. It was a powerful formidable foe in stopping Nazi Germany during the Battle of Britain in 1940. In this book "Spitfire Pilot" you get a first hand account from a British fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain. David Crook the British spitfire fighter pilot gives expert descriptions of the exhilaration and terror of air combat and the sadness of loss. Although it lacks real depth or insight "Spitfire Pilot" does successfully portray the spirit, bravery, and naivety of the Royal Air Force pilots. I admire the man greatly, the book not so much .

[Avis Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Crook's account of his service as a fighter pilot in World War II starts out with a jaunty tone that slowly becomes more sober as the losses in his squadron mount. At first, the pilots don't know how to fight very well. They're new to this savage war thing, and they make all sorts of rookie mistakes. Slowly, his squadron learns the hard way. When Crook lands after each mission, he waits to hear who survived and who has not. Friend after friend begins to disappear.

But there is one benefit. The squadron soon learns how to take down enemy machines, and this is the story of their harsh schooling. Crook does not brag or hide anything from you. He simply records what happens. The book ends on a happy note with Crook's promotion and transfer to a teaching post at a flight school, which coincides with the birth of his son in the summer of 1940. By this time, his squadron calculates they have killed around 800 German airmen (remember, these planes are carrying full crews) and totally destroyed at least 100 enemy aircraft, whereas his own side has lost thirteen men in his squadron.

The Luftwaffe was becoming less effective as the war progressed, and it's plain this was because men like Crook were whittling away at the enemy's numbers and machines early on in the war. When Hitler attacked Russia, he was seriously lacking air power in the Eastern Theater, and it makes you realize Hitler made this mistake because he was trying to bomb Britain into submission early in the war and took heavy losses in the attempt. This means he hadn't been thinking about the logistical demands of a potential Russian campaign in the summer of 1940, or he would have husbanded his aircraft.

Crook's account, published early in the war in 1942, is well-written and definitely worth reading.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great short little read, that was an honest read about the author experience during the Battle of Britain.... informative and told in a way that gave you a look at the impact of the air war!

[Jessica Blackman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It just didn't quite hold my attention span. If you are more into fighter planes then I highly recommend. (Listened via Scribd)

[Jay French · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book consists of diary entries of a young man who becomes a pilot at the beginning of the Battle of Britain. He describes the life of a young pilot, including drinking at the pub and building a family, but also including the many air battles he participated in and surviving enemy bombings. The author covers the losses of fellow pilots, often in detail. He tells of the boring times, too, flying when they don’t see or can’t catch enemies, as well as the weather delays. I found the descriptions revealing and interesting. The author is taken with the war effort, repeating those sayings you often hear. Good for portrayals of air warfare from the Spitfire pilot’s seat, lots of action, easy to read. Ends early in the war as the pilot moves on to a different position. Noted two uses of the n-word describing difficult work.

[Chris Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems appropriate to read this on the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, as David Crook's writing is as fresh and compelling now as when he first put pen to paper. He beautifully captures both the youthful, carefree and even immature attitude of young fighter pilots, and the sadness and danger of the conflict they were engaged in.

On the latter, he comments on the fate of the fifteen pilots on his F.T.S. course: "Within a few months, out of these fifteen friends, five had got the D.F.C., and eight, alas, were dead."

On the former, it is clear that Crook approached flying with a sense of relish and joy that was by no means unique to him. Along with many of his fellow pilots, he also had a real affection for the Spitfire: "Once you have done a few hours' flying in a Spitfire and become accustomed to the great power and speed, then it is an extraordinarily easy machine to fly and it is absolutely marvellous for aerobatics. Practically everybody who has flown a Spitfire thinks it is the most marvellous aircraft ever built, and I am no exception to the general rule. I grew to like it more than any other machine I have flown. It is so small and compact and neat, yet it possesses devastating firepower, and it is still probably the best and the fastest fighter in the world. The new fighters which will soon be coming into service will have to do very well to equal the Spitfire’s amazing record of success."

Looking back over the first year of war at the end of September, following a summer of intense fighting, he unabashedly comments that, "on the whole it had been easily the happiest and the most vivid year of my life. I certainly could not feel now (as I used to feel occasionally before the war) that I should lead an uneventful life and grow into an old man without possessing any really exciting and stirring memories to gladden my old age!"

Even air combat is approached with the same light-hearted elation: "I think that these moments just before the clash are the most gloriously exciting moments of life. You sit there behind a great engine that seems as vibrant and alive as you are yourself, your thumb waits expectantly on the trigger, and your eyes watch the gun sights through which in a few seconds an enemy will be flying in a veritable hail of fire. And all round you, in front and behind, there are your friends too, all eager and excited, all thundering down together into the attack! The memory of such moments is burnt into my mind forever."

This nonchalance doesn't tell the whole story, however, as Crook also repeatedly emphasises the importance of height and constant observation. Almost every account of air fighting ends with an anxious wait to see if everyone lands safely. Death and danger are constantly lurking, and usually strike suddenly and without warning: "I remember walking into the mess for lunch and sitting down and suddenly recollecting that at breakfast, only a few hours before, I had sat next to Mick at this very table and we had chatted together. And now, here we were at the next meal, everything quite normal, and he was dead. That was the one thing I could never get accustomed to; seeing one’s friends gay and full of life as they always were, and then, a few hours later, seeing the batman start packing their kit, their shaving brush still damp from being used that morning, while the owner was lying dead in a shattered aeroplane 'somewhere in England'."

Crook writes throughout with a complete openness and lack of guile, and that's what keeps his book fresh even after so many years. Whether describing his enjoyment of flying, or danger and the loss of friends, he has a refreshing directness that is almost naive. Even though this was written directly after the events it describes, Crook does have some perspective on what has happened. He describes his perception of the tide definitively turning against the Luftwaffe throughout the summer, and the positive impact of Britain's air defence system is also seen as he frequently describes how they are vectored onto targets.

The book ends on an upbeat note, with Crook awarded the DFC and going to meet his infant son for the first time. Unfortunately, we know that the story doesn't end there, as he was killed in action in 1944. His book stands as a fine tribute to the young men who fought and died in the air over southern England in those dark days of 1940.

[John Herzfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Account of the British Spirit

The author relates the reason England was spared from invasion. The spitfire and RAFI pilots overwhelmed the German air force. This is a good read

[Miss A R Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story

Nice short book about flying planes during the war. Good quick read for a short trip. Some pictures of the planes and airfields would have been nice.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1942, one of the better first person narratives of life as an RFA pilot in WWII during the early years.
While there is a bit of the expected propaganda in here (everything and everybody on his side is the best and finest) it is at a minimum. And he does express well the difficulty of understanding how close friends disappear so quickly. As he lists how most of the 14 pilots who started out in an Auxilary branch, and then moved on to active duty, were killed in battle.
Also some things about aircraft and air war I did not know. He spends a couple pages on a pilot checking out his aircraft early (and nice that he gives kudos more than once to the ground crew) to flipping switches just prior to engagement in combat. And I now know what that toggle on the control stick is for!
Or that there were seldom dogfights in the air. You gained height on the enemy, dove down with the sun behind you, picked out an aircraft and emptied your ammo into it, and then headed off back to base as quickly as possible.
Or the Germans flying in massive cirles as they moved over England, each protecting the rear of the aircraft in front of it. And that often the Brits had 50 or less aircraft attacking 200-300 German aircraft (bombers and fighters).
There is some personal life in here as well. His marriage to Dorothy, and seeing her when possible. The birth of his son. Visits too London and flying homewards for a break. Drinking parties and good-byes are in here as well.
Crook was moved to a training position soon after, and died in 1944 when his observation/photography aircraft plunged into the sea.
Good read, well written and informative - and not just filled with nothing but gung-ho bluster.
I read the ebook ($1 on Kindle), but there is a recent pb edition out that includes an Intro, Forward and piece by his daughter. Quick read at about 200 pp.
There is some of the racism and nationalism of the time in here - they are "worked like n***ers" a couple of times, the Huns are inhumane, and his Polish compatriots in the air are bloodthirsty.

[Mike Sumner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spitfire Pilot was written in 1940 in the heat of battle when the RAF stood alone against the might of Hitler's Third Reich. It is a tremendous personal account of one of the fiercest and most idealised air conflicts - the Battle of Britain - seen through the eyes of a pilot, Flight Lieutenant David Crook DFC, of the famous 609 Squadron, which shot down over 100 enemy planes in that epic contest.

Often hopelessly outnumbered, in their state of the art Spitfires, Crook and his colleagues committed acts of unimaginable bravery against the Messerschmitts and Junkers. Many did not make it and the author describes the absence they leave in the squadron with great poignancy. Imagine scrambling to take off with two best friends, Gordon and Pip, all flying Spitfires - only to learn that they have both been killed in action.

This is a unique personal insight into one of the crucial periods of the war, originally published in 1942. David Crook died in December 1944. His aircraft was seen plunging into the North Sea from some 30,000ft. He did not return and his body was never recovered...

[John J Stover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical first person account of an RAF Battle of Britain pilot. More attention is paid to parties attended, trips to London to see shows than any insight into tactics, conduct of the war or any serious attempt to describe the action in other than the most shallow of terms. Since it was written during the actual fighting perhaps he was enjoined from providing any deeper understanding.

I was surprised that the RAF apparently didn’t fight in two aircraft elements so that without a wingman they fought as individuals and suffered many unnecessary losses as a result. They sat around on the ground until the radar controller scrambled them and then climbed madly to get as high as they could before the bombers arrived so they could attack out of the sun. They were just lucky that German pilots also envisioned themselves as Teutonic Knights of the air and didn’t seem any better organized. The Japanese would have slaughtered them in wholesale lots since they actually were tightly organized for combat.

[Gareth Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real life boy's own adventure written with a stiff upper lip

An interesting first hand account from a fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain. All too short, however given the book is literally his contemporary diary, it's part and parcel of the source. You get a real sense the author entered the war, like many of his time I'm sure, with a naive excitement that it was going to be a big adventure. For the most part this rings true throughout, but is occasionally punctuated by deeper contemplation on losing his friends in battle or musing the nature of the enemy at times. These moments, fleeting as they are, give his account all the more depth but leave you wanting more. I got the impression much of what he thought or felt he kept from his diary, as an Englishman with a stiff upper lip doesn't get too gooey with emotion and all old boy... Entertaining and informative overall if not a little superficial in places.

[Bob Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A “Greatest Generation” story … and a good one

Pilot Officer Crook was a man of his time - one of “the few” to which Britain owed its survival during the bleak early months of WWII.

The reader should understand that this book was written almost as it happened, not years later with convenient lapses of memory. Crook admits exhilaration at downing German foes in his Spitfire, and takes a “stiff upper lip” at losses of his friends. He occasionally uses pejorative language - what we’d deem slurs - that he might have withheld later with a decade worth of enlightenment.

But reading his recollections reminds us of the courage and valor that saw the allies through to victory and made our current life, with all its nobility and flaws, possible.

We shouldn’t forget what they did.

[Mike Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘How terrible, I thought, how terrible and how useless, that the cream of an English generation should be killed in this way.’

The story of a few months in 1940 by Flight Lieutenant David Crook who sadly dies some time later as a flight instructor in a training accident.

Reading the book I was instantly taken back to the old black and white film of the life of Douglas Bader - ‘Reach for the Sky’ with Kenneth More. Lots of beer and Pims drinking, non-PC language and death. Interspersed with humour, a one night honeymoon and more death.

Every page seems to be a litany of dead airmen on both sides. Found it very sad. But also gave thanks for the valiant efforts of the few for the many.

Short 200 page read. Bought for my Dad as he had been a lad during the war …not a fighter pilot. Also a non fiction work to try and balance my fiction reading.

[Rogier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful personal account

This book is a very powerful, first-hand account of the Battle of Britain. I think this makes for a wonderful complement to some more big-picture and analytical accounts. It helps to see things in such a direct way. I was not in the war, but I grew up with the stories and in the city of Rotterdam where it was to take till 1970 for the damage from the German bombardment in 1940 to disappear from sight by new development. What matters in the big picture was that the brave souls who fought the Battle of Britain gave the first real reversal to the Germans after their staggering successes with their Blitzkrieg in Europe. The Wehrmacht was a real force, but the Luftwaffe was much less developed and met its match in these defenders of great Britain.

[K Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended!!

An honest personal account of flying The Famous Spitfire in the Battle of Britain!! Flight Lieutenant David Crook ETC does not embellish the account, but tells it the way it was. No heroics, just the truth...good and bad, but the absolute truth. His modestly and insight is really refreshing and makes the book a page turner!! This account is Impressive in that it allows the reader to feel as though he (or she) was in the aircraft with the author. Enjoy!! I really did!! K.

[Johnnie Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. My mother and uncle were in the R.A.F. I wanted to get a feel for what life was like for a Spitfire pilot and this short book certainly gave that. I admire them immensely. It is an easy read that is actually a journal written day by day by the pilot David Crook. He survived the air battles of 1940 to go on to become a trainer. Many of his friends discussed in the book died in combat and he died in a training accident before the war was over. That isn't a spoiler. It is in the preface and this certainly isn't a suspense.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not enjoy the narration. Sounded very privileged and pompous. Also did not enjoy the boring introduction.

This is essentially a diary that has been put together into a memoir/autobiography.

The story was good. Particularly enjoyed the author's opinions on various aircraft such as the Harvard and the Spitfire. Seemed to be a lot of beer-drinking the night before a BIG day of ops. Not sure they'd get away with that these days.

Interesting diary and credit to those who had it published.

[Andy Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read Richard Hillary's account many years ago and glad to have discovered another fine account. Here a young Yorkshireman, called up from the start of the war, finds himself in the weeks of the Battle of Britain losing his friends in quick succession but still finding the spirit to keep up the defence of his country in Surrey, on the South Coast near the Isle of Wight and over London. This sort of thing reminds us how hard it can be to quench the bravery and energy of youth.

[Julie Whiteley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read

I found the description of the events that happened to the writer both frightening and sad. He experienced some horrific things and life seemed cheap. Brave young men died for our country and more should be explained to my and other generations about just what life was like back then

[Luke Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This account has been taken from the author's journal written each day during the first years of WW2. It is a personal account of his experiences and not a history of the conflict. It is a great read, and very interesting to hear the personal experiences of a pilot who flew Spitfires and faced immense danger on a daily basis. Great read!

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Crookin "Spitfire-pilotti" (Koala, 2010) julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran jo vuonna 1942, eli vain pari vuotta kuvaamiensa tapahtumien jälkeen. Sodan loppua kirjailija ei ehtinytkään nähdä, sillä hän katosi joulukuussa 1944 harjoituslennolla. Hänen ruumistaan ei koskaan löydetty.

Lyhyehkössä muistelmateoksessaan Crook antaa aikalaiskuvauksen loppukesästä ja syksystä 1940, jonka maailma tuli muistamaan taisteluna Englannista. Crook lensi ikonisella Spitfire-hävittäjällä apuilmavoimien 609:ssa laivueessa, saavutti kuusi ilmavoittoa (plus ampui alas yhden oman Blenheimin), mutta näki toisaalta myös yhden jos toisen pilottitoverinsa saavan surmansa taistelujen tiimellyksessä.

Ei yhtään hassumpi aikalaiskatsaus hävittäjälentäjän elämään.

[Nick Boldrini · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting and fast paced read about the authors experience in the Battle of Britain. Interspersed with life details and his feelings about the jolt of losses as comraes are killed, as well as the partying that seems to be part of the image of the Few - fighting by day, partying at night -this gives a vivid insight into the mindeset and lifestyle of at least on of them.