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Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer: One Pilot’s Extraordinary Account of the Battle of France
'DESERVES TO JOIN REACH FOR THE SKY AND THE LAST ENEMY AS ONE OF THE GREAT RAF BOOKS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR' - ANDREW ROBERTS
As I write, I can clearly recall the stinging heat of aburning Blenheim, smells, tastes, expressions, sounds of voices and, most ofall, fear gripping deep in me. Flying Officer Alastair Panton was just twenty-three when his squadron deployed across the Channel in the defence of France. They were desparate days. Pushed back to the beaches as the German blitzkrieg rolled through the Low Countries and into France, by June 4th 1940 the evacuation ofthe Allies from Dunkirk was complete. A little over two weeks later France surrendered. Flying vital, dangerous, low-level missions throughout the campaign in support of the troops on the ground, Panton's beloved but unarmed Bristol Blenheim was easy meat for the marauding Messerschmitts. At the height of fighting he was losing two of his small squadron's crews to the enemy every day. Discovered in a box by his grandchildren after his death in 2002, Alastair Panton's Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer is a lostclassic. One of the most moving, vivid and powerful accounts of war inthe air ever written. And an unforgettable testament to the courage, stoicism, camaraderie and humanity of Britain's greatest generation. 'ONE CAN'T HELP FEELING AWE AND REVERENCE. THERE ARE ENOUGH ADVENTURES HERE FOR A LIFETIME'
LOUIS DE BERNIERES 'SIMPLY WONDERFUL. ONE OF THE BEST ACCOUNTS OF WWII I HAVE EVER READ'
JOHN NICHOL
As I write, I can clearly recall the stinging heat of aburning Blenheim, smells, tastes, expressions, sounds of voices and, most ofall, fear gripping deep in me. Flying Officer Alastair Panton was just twenty-three when his squadron deployed across the Channel in the defence of France. They were desparate days. Pushed back to the beaches as the German blitzkrieg rolled through the Low Countries and into France, by June 4th 1940 the evacuation ofthe Allies from Dunkirk was complete. A little over two weeks later France surrendered. Flying vital, dangerous, low-level missions throughout the campaign in support of the troops on the ground, Panton's beloved but unarmed Bristol Blenheim was easy meat for the marauding Messerschmitts. At the height of fighting he was losing two of his small squadron's crews to the enemy every day. Discovered in a box by his grandchildren after his death in 2002, Alastair Panton's Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer is a lostclassic. One of the most moving, vivid and powerful accounts of war inthe air ever written. And an unforgettable testament to the courage, stoicism, camaraderie and humanity of Britain's greatest generation. 'ONE CAN'T HELP FEELING AWE AND REVERENCE. THERE ARE ENOUGH ADVENTURES HERE FOR A LIFETIME'
LOUIS DE BERNIERES 'SIMPLY WONDERFUL. ONE OF THE BEST ACCOUNTS OF WWII I HAVE EVER READ'
JOHN NICHOL
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2014
11 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Alastair Dyson Panton
1 bookAlastair Dyson Panton was educated at Bedford School before going on to RAF Cranwell as a Flight Cadet in 'B' Sqn in 1936. A year later, he was a newly minted Pilot Officer in No. 53 Squadron, flying the twin-engine Bristol Blenheim IV.
Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Panton's unit was sent to France as part of the RAF's Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF), flying reconnaissance missions over Germany. No. 53 Squadron was heavily engaged in action during the Battle of France, with Panton being shot down twice. Notwithstanding that, he managed to return to Britain, where, after a few days' rest, he was sent back to France in June 1940 as acting squadron commander of a Blenheim squadron. Panton and his crew were the last of the squadron to escape to Britain following the French surrender to Germany.
A month later, Panton's luck ran out. He was carrying out an operation against an oil depot in Ghent, Belgium on July 14, 1940 in Blenheim IV, N3551, when he was brought down and taken prisoner.
Postwar, Danton served in the RAF, serving in a variety of commands both at home and overseas until his retirement on December 18, 1971. He passed away, aged 86, in 2002.
Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Panton's unit was sent to France as part of the RAF's Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF), flying reconnaissance missions over Germany. No. 53 Squadron was heavily engaged in action during the Battle of France, with Panton being shot down twice. Notwithstanding that, he managed to return to Britain, where, after a few days' rest, he was sent back to France in June 1940 as acting squadron commander of a Blenheim squadron. Panton and his crew were the last of the squadron to escape to Britain following the French surrender to Germany.
A month later, Panton's luck ran out. He was carrying out an operation against an oil depot in Ghent, Belgium on July 14, 1940 in Blenheim IV, N3551, when he was brought down and taken prisoner.
Postwar, Danton served in the RAF, serving in a variety of commands both at home and overseas until his retirement on December 18, 1971. He passed away, aged 86, in 2002.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 11, 2015
This book approaches perfection in a way that I've rarely known among books I have owned. Hardback, its cover artwork is reminiscent of one from the 1940s with silhouettes of 2 aircraft flying over well-ordered farmland with a barn and silo in the background flanked by a tree in spring bloom. Its texture is light to the touch, inviting the reader to look inside and read to his/her heart's content.
"Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer" is the byproduct of a granddaughter's labor of love and homage to her grandfather, Alastair Panton, who had, before his death in 2002, written a memoir of the time he served as a reconnaissance pilot in 53 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of France in 1940. Panton's granddaughter had found the memoir among her grandfather's personal effects after his death, read it, and resolved to bring it to a wider public "both to remember Alastair, and as a mark of gratitude to the many brave and courageous men who served with him."
The memoir begins on May 11, 1940, one day after the German invasion of France and the Benelux countries. Panton is flying a Bristol Blenheim IV twin-engined airplane on a photo-reconnaisance mission over the advancing German lines, on behalf of British Army intelligence. Suddenly, he and his crew, Sergeant Bence --- who operated the top, hydraulically-operated gun turret --- and Sergeant Christie, his navigator --- are attacked by 6 German fighters (ME 109s). Panton dodged and turned his aircraft to escape further damage. Christie is wounded in the head and Bence is gravely wounded in the thigh. Panton manages to crash land his aircraft, harried all the while by the Messerschmitts. He gets Christie, semi-conscious, out of the burning aircraft and, with a break in the flames around an unconscious Sergeant Bence, rushes back into the Blenheim and gets him safely out and away from the burning petrol and exploding ammunition.
Luckily for Panton and his crew, they had landed a short distance from a house with "a two-car garage in one side of which was a small Renault saloon. The first door of the house was half-open and, when my pull on the wrought-iron handle brought no response, I entered." He finds the house in a state of hurried abandonment, with freshly made food on the dinner table. He gathers what food and drink he can find and walks over to the Renault whose tank was full and the ignition key in the lock. Panton goes on to write: "With the bed-sheets piled on the seat beside me, the two flagons of wine and water on the floor, my flying boots clumsy on the pedals, and at the wheel of a left-hand-drive car for the first time, I was soon back in the field, bumping across the grass to where I had left Christie and Bence under the hedge."
Panton and his unconscious crew begin their uncertain trek across Belgium to Brussels, set on finding the hospital there where his crew can promptly receive the best medical treatment. Upon arrival, Panton falls seriously ill with fever and lapses into unconsciousness for several days.
Before the end of the month, Panton manages to get back to his squadron --- which is in the process of quitting France --- flies back to Britain, where he is given 5 days' leave, and takes part in assisting in the evacuation of Franco-British forces from Dunkirk, flying reconnaissance and bombing missions against the advancing Germans. On one of these missions, which entailed attacking targets "west and south-west of Nieuwpoort [Belgium]", Panton and his new crew (Farrow, the navigator, a Scotsman - and Stride, the gunner, a Canadian) had just dropped their bombs and was flying low over the crowded beaches of Dunkirk, waggling his wings, when his Blenheim was struck by friendly fire and hurriedly crash landed on the beach, where, nearby a Catholic padre had been celebrating Mass. Panton, Farrow, and Stride are soon evacuated back to Britain with the remaining soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).
Panton is given little respite, though his squadron has been stood down, in light of the heavy losses it had sustained over the past month. He is brought back from leave and sent back to France on June 4, 1940 to assume command of a detached reconnaissance flight of Blenheims, whose flight commander and crew had been killed in action the previous day. The story that then follows is one of hopelessness and desperation as Panton's unit faithfully carries out its duties. Defeat becomes more certain with each passing day as the Germans spread out across France like an irresistible tide, enter Paris --- which had been declared an open city --- on June 14, 1940 --- and France sues for peace 4 days later. Yet, through it all, as a reader, I was deeply moved by the devotion of Panton's unit --- flight crews and support personnel alike --- in fulfilling the missions given to it by the RAF and what remained of the British Army in France. Panton is a skilled writer, and in his words, the reader sees it all. He brings the past back to life.
"Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer" is the byproduct of a granddaughter's labor of love and homage to her grandfather, Alastair Panton, who had, before his death in 2002, written a memoir of the time he served as a reconnaissance pilot in 53 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of France in 1940. Panton's granddaughter had found the memoir among her grandfather's personal effects after his death, read it, and resolved to bring it to a wider public "both to remember Alastair, and as a mark of gratitude to the many brave and courageous men who served with him."
The memoir begins on May 11, 1940, one day after the German invasion of France and the Benelux countries. Panton is flying a Bristol Blenheim IV twin-engined airplane on a photo-reconnaisance mission over the advancing German lines, on behalf of British Army intelligence. Suddenly, he and his crew, Sergeant Bence --- who operated the top, hydraulically-operated gun turret --- and Sergeant Christie, his navigator --- are attacked by 6 German fighters (ME 109s). Panton dodged and turned his aircraft to escape further damage. Christie is wounded in the head and Bence is gravely wounded in the thigh. Panton manages to crash land his aircraft, harried all the while by the Messerschmitts. He gets Christie, semi-conscious, out of the burning aircraft and, with a break in the flames around an unconscious Sergeant Bence, rushes back into the Blenheim and gets him safely out and away from the burning petrol and exploding ammunition.
Luckily for Panton and his crew, they had landed a short distance from a house with "a two-car garage in one side of which was a small Renault saloon. The first door of the house was half-open and, when my pull on the wrought-iron handle brought no response, I entered." He finds the house in a state of hurried abandonment, with freshly made food on the dinner table. He gathers what food and drink he can find and walks over to the Renault whose tank was full and the ignition key in the lock. Panton goes on to write: "With the bed-sheets piled on the seat beside me, the two flagons of wine and water on the floor, my flying boots clumsy on the pedals, and at the wheel of a left-hand-drive car for the first time, I was soon back in the field, bumping across the grass to where I had left Christie and Bence under the hedge."
Panton and his unconscious crew begin their uncertain trek across Belgium to Brussels, set on finding the hospital there where his crew can promptly receive the best medical treatment. Upon arrival, Panton falls seriously ill with fever and lapses into unconsciousness for several days.
Before the end of the month, Panton manages to get back to his squadron --- which is in the process of quitting France --- flies back to Britain, where he is given 5 days' leave, and takes part in assisting in the evacuation of Franco-British forces from Dunkirk, flying reconnaissance and bombing missions against the advancing Germans. On one of these missions, which entailed attacking targets "west and south-west of Nieuwpoort [Belgium]", Panton and his new crew (Farrow, the navigator, a Scotsman - and Stride, the gunner, a Canadian) had just dropped their bombs and was flying low over the crowded beaches of Dunkirk, waggling his wings, when his Blenheim was struck by friendly fire and hurriedly crash landed on the beach, where, nearby a Catholic padre had been celebrating Mass. Panton, Farrow, and Stride are soon evacuated back to Britain with the remaining soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).
Panton is given little respite, though his squadron has been stood down, in light of the heavy losses it had sustained over the past month. He is brought back from leave and sent back to France on June 4, 1940 to assume command of a detached reconnaissance flight of Blenheims, whose flight commander and crew had been killed in action the previous day. The story that then follows is one of hopelessness and desperation as Panton's unit faithfully carries out its duties. Defeat becomes more certain with each passing day as the Germans spread out across France like an irresistible tide, enter Paris --- which had been declared an open city --- on June 14, 1940 --- and France sues for peace 4 days later. Yet, through it all, as a reader, I was deeply moved by the devotion of Panton's unit --- flight crews and support personnel alike --- in fulfilling the missions given to it by the RAF and what remained of the British Army in France. Panton is a skilled writer, and in his words, the reader sees it all. He brings the past back to life.
April 23, 2025
This was a pearl of a book, quite unexpected, you tend to think that all the aviation biographies of the second world war have already been written, but now the grandchildren of these war heroes have begun publishing , some better than others, and this one is definitely one of the better. The blurb compares it to Reach for the sky; I wouldn’t say that, this is much better.
It’s rare to read anything about the Bristol Blenheim, sadly because it was an important work horse, despite obsolescence from the beginning of the war. One thing I hadn’t thought about was its very long range, and also that at least this pilot liked it, though even he wished it was 100 mph faster.
It’s such a very well written book, the author was a wonderful story teller, and to top it all, there are three little short story jewels included. I won’t say about what, because that would be a spoiler.
Highly recommended, of course for those interested in aviation, but anyone would enjoy the short stories, they’re just so good.
It’s rare to read anything about the Bristol Blenheim, sadly because it was an important work horse, despite obsolescence from the beginning of the war. One thing I hadn’t thought about was its very long range, and also that at least this pilot liked it, though even he wished it was 100 mph faster.
It’s such a very well written book, the author was a wonderful story teller, and to top it all, there are three little short story jewels included. I won’t say about what, because that would be a spoiler.
Highly recommended, of course for those interested in aviation, but anyone would enjoy the short stories, they’re just so good.
January 5, 2023
Although Panton wrote these memories many years after the war, this has the pleasurable immediacy of a lot of war diaries that were written as it happened. I suspect there was a good editor involved.
It is a story of failure, as he says, an interesting contrast to the tales of heroism and success of other RAF pilots. His story is divided, as his memories seem to be, into three segments: pre-Dunkirk, the interlude of Dunkirk (a relative success), and the final weeks of retreat and defeat on the Continent.
His gentle, good-natured storytelling is delightful. The incidents he recalled range from intensely dramatic, such as being shot down three times and once baling out with a burning parachute, to charmingly normal, like having to gather his crews and give them a pep talk on personal hygiene while living hand-to-mouth in a France full of frightened refugees and confused Allied troops.
Editor or no, Panton had the knack of wartime writing.
Reread in 2022 via audio: this was just as good a listen as it was a read. His voice, via the narrator, was so measured and gentle, whether he is watching while a mother and baby are killed by German planes in a column of refugees in Belgium, or recounting a moment of wonder at thousands of candles in a church in France, while in retreat with the rest of the expeditionary forces.
He describes what he calls Conflicting Feelings Factor (CFF): the strange and alienating sensation of enjoying small moments in amongst dreadful ones, or vice versa. Being in a pub in England after a day of flying reconnaissance over German troops in France, sitting in his aunt's garden in Aberdeenshire in the morning, knowing he will have to go back to the war in an hour. Again, I think much of this story enjoys the benefit of an old man looking back on his youth, and yet there's such a feel of truth to it all. He was only 23 when this happened, and whom amongst us was not a poet and a philosopher at 23?
It is a story of failure, as he says, an interesting contrast to the tales of heroism and success of other RAF pilots. His story is divided, as his memories seem to be, into three segments: pre-Dunkirk, the interlude of Dunkirk (a relative success), and the final weeks of retreat and defeat on the Continent.
His gentle, good-natured storytelling is delightful. The incidents he recalled range from intensely dramatic, such as being shot down three times and once baling out with a burning parachute, to charmingly normal, like having to gather his crews and give them a pep talk on personal hygiene while living hand-to-mouth in a France full of frightened refugees and confused Allied troops.
Editor or no, Panton had the knack of wartime writing.
Reread in 2022 via audio: this was just as good a listen as it was a read. His voice, via the narrator, was so measured and gentle, whether he is watching while a mother and baby are killed by German planes in a column of refugees in Belgium, or recounting a moment of wonder at thousands of candles in a church in France, while in retreat with the rest of the expeditionary forces.
He describes what he calls Conflicting Feelings Factor (CFF): the strange and alienating sensation of enjoying small moments in amongst dreadful ones, or vice versa. Being in a pub in England after a day of flying reconnaissance over German troops in France, sitting in his aunt's garden in Aberdeenshire in the morning, knowing he will have to go back to the war in an hour. Again, I think much of this story enjoys the benefit of an old man looking back on his youth, and yet there's such a feel of truth to it all. He was only 23 when this happened, and whom amongst us was not a poet and a philosopher at 23?
July 9, 2018
One of my favourite Airfix kits as a child was the 1:72 scale Mark IV Blenheim, and I am currently going through a phase of reading and enjoying first hand accounts of the second world war (torpedo bombers in Malta, the man who sunk the Bismark, and the tank men).
So I was doubly drawn to this slim volume on the shelf of Waterstones.
Panton is a fresh and frank witness to a disasterous aftermath to Dunkirk that I had previously seen through the eyes of the Tank men.
Dunkirk was not the end of the Battle for France. Many French troops evacuated with the British at Dunkirk were returned to France through Cherbourg or LeHarve to continue the battle for weeks more fighting alongside British forces.
Panton's exploits testify to the randomness and the chaos of war. Being shot down weeks before Dunkirk, saving his injured crew and then enduring days of confused evacuation and hospital care - the sublime kindness of some, the insane pedantry of others.
After Dunkirk he returned to France to provide reconnaissance service to the British and French forces that were still fighting, flying from temporary and shifting airfields and liaising with RAF and army colleagues in a lifestyle that could have graced a Biggles story by WE Johns. But this is real.
Panton is a skilled narrator of his own story and I started and finished the book in the course of an afternoon and an evening. Eminently readable and very gripping.
However, what strikes home most poignantly is how very few of the airmen named in Panton's book survived the war.
So I was doubly drawn to this slim volume on the shelf of Waterstones.
Panton is a fresh and frank witness to a disasterous aftermath to Dunkirk that I had previously seen through the eyes of the Tank men.
Dunkirk was not the end of the Battle for France. Many French troops evacuated with the British at Dunkirk were returned to France through Cherbourg or LeHarve to continue the battle for weeks more fighting alongside British forces.
Panton's exploits testify to the randomness and the chaos of war. Being shot down weeks before Dunkirk, saving his injured crew and then enduring days of confused evacuation and hospital care - the sublime kindness of some, the insane pedantry of others.
After Dunkirk he returned to France to provide reconnaissance service to the British and French forces that were still fighting, flying from temporary and shifting airfields and liaising with RAF and army colleagues in a lifestyle that could have graced a Biggles story by WE Johns. But this is real.
Panton is a skilled narrator of his own story and I started and finished the book in the course of an afternoon and an evening. Eminently readable and very gripping.
However, what strikes home most poignantly is how very few of the airmen named in Panton's book survived the war.
February 19, 2017
What a fantastic read. Loved it. From someone who was there and did it all.
March 28, 2024
So glad I stumbled across this! A fascinating account of an RAF reconnaissance pilot’s 6 weeks in the summer of 1940. He was shot down 3 times, once by the British Army. Evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk, and survived bailing out of his plane with his parachute on fire, the author seemed to have nine lives. All of this is told in a very matter of fact manner.
I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII or the RAF.
I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII or the RAF.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2018
An important RAF memoir
Sad and heart lifting at the same time, a modest memoir as ever for that generation. But it helps our understanding of what they all achieved
Sad and heart lifting at the same time, a modest memoir as ever for that generation. But it helps our understanding of what they all achieved
August 11, 2018
I love these personal contemporary stories of WWII.
November 15, 2023
3.5/5. A first hand account that covers the regularly overlooked Battle of France, with an extra family tie-in as the forward is written by the authors grandaughter. Panton chose to write down his stories after being pressured by his family after years of regailing his war stories verbally, and I’m glad he did. It is rare, as rather than covering the usual adventures of Spitfire and Hurricane pilots, Panton was flying the Blenheim primarily as a recon aircraft. The novel highlights the importance of the photographs and intel gathered during a time when communication had broken down and the world wasn’t ready for the new fast method of war: Blitzkrieg.
Written many years after the war, the author admits that some of the conversations aren’t verbatim, but the flights / missions are. Although it’s not going win any awards for it’s prose or rich narrative, there is a charm to the way events and situations are described. That humble warmth comes through in his interactions with other members of the RAF, armed forces and the French civilians. His humility runs throughout, especially when being thanked by other individuals, and his feelings of guilt for some he didn’t thank or worried what happened to them once they were forced to leave an area or indeed France. It also focuses on the well reported disdain the soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk had, believing the RAF were’t providing any cover and how Panton deals with that when he does meet people that dismiss his efforts. Panton on instructions to do a flypast over the beach after his mission to raise morale is tinged with cruel irony when he is shot down by ground fire from his own side, forced to join the ranks lined up on the beach.
There is a lot of tragedy in his tale with some deeply troubling sights he observed whilst on missions (a strafing run seen from the ground as a baby falls and their head cracks open, and a later scene where Panton is following close in on a low level bomb run whose bombs send a German soldier into the air upto his cockpit height, the individual confused appearing to be still running mid-air - the latter is both tragic and comedic in the image if paints) which must have lasted his entire life. The contrast between his warm demeanour and the things he observed only make their sudden appearances all the more brutal.
The ebb and flow of daily life was greatly focused on. Enjoying fine dining and welcoming hospitality where he is billeted, it’s interesting to see the shift in the people as France begins to fall and the civilians start to realise their fate and what little the RAF can do to stop it. Eventually, Panton is in tents (sometimes having to fly and setup new bases daily as the Germans advance at an alarming rate) with no water of cooking facilities, giving lectures on personal hygiene to his men, washing in streams and grabbing frying pans so they can cook.
The camaraderie between the pilots who seem to enjoy their experience on the whole. The relationship between the air and ground crews have come across as stronger than I’ve read in any other account. Finally, the surreal nature of what he coins CFF (conflicting feelings factor) where he can be in combat in the morning over France, having a pint in a Dorset pub in the afternoon and up in Scotland staying at his Aunt Bessie’s house the next morning.
The last couple of pages show that Panton was shot down later in 1940 (he was shot down and survived a surprising amount of times, including his terrifying description of his parachute being on fire on one jump!) and spent the remainder of the war as a PoW, so his war was a few weeks around the Battle of France. I imagine there is a wealth of stories from his experience in a camp as his anxieties of the wars progress plays on him. I would have liked to have seen a chapter on two on this.
The book is dedicated to the 4,000 servicemen and civilians that were tragically killed in the sinking of the RMS Lancastria (a Cunard liner) which much to the dismay of Panton took the lives of most of the crew he knew. The sinking of this ship was something I didn’t know about and was censored at the time, official graves and telegrams saying they died in France. To this day, the wreck has not been designated as a war grave and (AFAIK) there is no memorial in situ or on the coast for this.
Written many years after the war, the author admits that some of the conversations aren’t verbatim, but the flights / missions are. Although it’s not going win any awards for it’s prose or rich narrative, there is a charm to the way events and situations are described. That humble warmth comes through in his interactions with other members of the RAF, armed forces and the French civilians. His humility runs throughout, especially when being thanked by other individuals, and his feelings of guilt for some he didn’t thank or worried what happened to them once they were forced to leave an area or indeed France. It also focuses on the well reported disdain the soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk had, believing the RAF were’t providing any cover and how Panton deals with that when he does meet people that dismiss his efforts. Panton on instructions to do a flypast over the beach after his mission to raise morale is tinged with cruel irony when he is shot down by ground fire from his own side, forced to join the ranks lined up on the beach.
There is a lot of tragedy in his tale with some deeply troubling sights he observed whilst on missions (a strafing run seen from the ground as a baby falls and their head cracks open, and a later scene where Panton is following close in on a low level bomb run whose bombs send a German soldier into the air upto his cockpit height, the individual confused appearing to be still running mid-air - the latter is both tragic and comedic in the image if paints) which must have lasted his entire life. The contrast between his warm demeanour and the things he observed only make their sudden appearances all the more brutal.
The ebb and flow of daily life was greatly focused on. Enjoying fine dining and welcoming hospitality where he is billeted, it’s interesting to see the shift in the people as France begins to fall and the civilians start to realise their fate and what little the RAF can do to stop it. Eventually, Panton is in tents (sometimes having to fly and setup new bases daily as the Germans advance at an alarming rate) with no water of cooking facilities, giving lectures on personal hygiene to his men, washing in streams and grabbing frying pans so they can cook.
The camaraderie between the pilots who seem to enjoy their experience on the whole. The relationship between the air and ground crews have come across as stronger than I’ve read in any other account. Finally, the surreal nature of what he coins CFF (conflicting feelings factor) where he can be in combat in the morning over France, having a pint in a Dorset pub in the afternoon and up in Scotland staying at his Aunt Bessie’s house the next morning.
The last couple of pages show that Panton was shot down later in 1940 (he was shot down and survived a surprising amount of times, including his terrifying description of his parachute being on fire on one jump!) and spent the remainder of the war as a PoW, so his war was a few weeks around the Battle of France. I imagine there is a wealth of stories from his experience in a camp as his anxieties of the wars progress plays on him. I would have liked to have seen a chapter on two on this.
The book is dedicated to the 4,000 servicemen and civilians that were tragically killed in the sinking of the RMS Lancastria (a Cunard liner) which much to the dismay of Panton took the lives of most of the crew he knew. The sinking of this ship was something I didn’t know about and was censored at the time, official graves and telegrams saying they died in France. To this day, the wreck has not been designated as a war grave and (AFAIK) there is no memorial in situ or on the coast for this.
August 3, 2017
I hesitate to use the word "enjoy" on a narrative that does not hold back from some of the more unpleasant sides of war in the air. Air Cdre Panton relates his view of the Battle of France as a Blenheim pilot mostly performing reconnaisance patrols, the times he was shot down, the injuries he and his crews sustained, and a number of misadventures surrounding medical provision, escape and evasion from the Germans, and issues on the Home Front caused by the apparent lack of RAF presence over Dunkirk.
The style is easy to read, conversational inasmuch as he could be sat beside you telling you his account as written. It was written by At Cdre Panton at the behest of his children, who had grown up fascinated by his war stories and wished to learn more of his flying at this critical and sometimes overlooked phase of the war.
Included in this edition are three short stories penned in the first person, but fictional, giving a view into life as a PoW in a Stalag Luft. Each is wonderfully told and a welcome addition to the main book.
A postscript by Air Cdre Panton's granddaughter talks about his attitude towards the war and the Germans, giving further insight into the man. His animosity later in life is not evident in the main text, surprising considering that the book is written long after the event. It was written 40 years after the Battle of France, and does not pretend to be a totally accurate record. However, when possible, he included verbatim from notes and orders that he had access to.
Air Cdre Panton's book stands as a testimony to those crews who flew in the Battle of France and over Dunkirk, young men called upon to fight against an aggressive and hardened enemy force, with little in the way of clear goals or strategy.
The style is easy to read, conversational inasmuch as he could be sat beside you telling you his account as written. It was written by At Cdre Panton at the behest of his children, who had grown up fascinated by his war stories and wished to learn more of his flying at this critical and sometimes overlooked phase of the war.
Included in this edition are three short stories penned in the first person, but fictional, giving a view into life as a PoW in a Stalag Luft. Each is wonderfully told and a welcome addition to the main book.
A postscript by Air Cdre Panton's granddaughter talks about his attitude towards the war and the Germans, giving further insight into the man. His animosity later in life is not evident in the main text, surprising considering that the book is written long after the event. It was written 40 years after the Battle of France, and does not pretend to be a totally accurate record. However, when possible, he included verbatim from notes and orders that he had access to.
Air Cdre Panton's book stands as a testimony to those crews who flew in the Battle of France and over Dunkirk, young men called upon to fight against an aggressive and hardened enemy force, with little in the way of clear goals or strategy.
September 3, 2022
Put simply, this is one of the best WWII pilot's autobiographies I've read - and I've read plenty over the last seven decades!
What made it so compelling was the straightforward, self-effacing tone of the whole book. No heroics; no drama, even when surrounded by tumultuous events and failure; just a recounting of what could be termed an "ordinary" pilot trying to do his best in very testing circumstances. The occasional insight into the author's fears and concerns, especially for his brother in the ill-fated 51st Highland Div, gave the book sufficient depth without becoming in any way an angstfest.
What I especially enjoyed was the superb relationship he fostered with the non- commissioned ranks, given extra poignancy by his fears for Sgt Hallows and his men in the latter stages of the withdrawal. The author was clearly an intelligent, human soul who appreciated the qualities of his fellow serviceman - and recognised the shortcomings of a few others!
And authenticity was added by airing his contemporary observations on the general (although not invariable) attitude of the French public to the British forces. We live in an era where unpleasant truths are airbrushed away so the unvarnished views of a young man who was there are instructive. As, I think, Hugh Trevor Roper once said "The French have never forgiven us for not surrendering in 1940."!
Some reviews here have commented unfavourably on the lack of detail with regard to the actual action, flying technicalities, etc. I think that that is to miss the point of this book. There are plenty of books giving a great depth of detail on virtually every aspect and phase of the European air war. But there's only one book giving a very personal account of Alastair Panton's six weeks in France. I found it superb.
What made it so compelling was the straightforward, self-effacing tone of the whole book. No heroics; no drama, even when surrounded by tumultuous events and failure; just a recounting of what could be termed an "ordinary" pilot trying to do his best in very testing circumstances. The occasional insight into the author's fears and concerns, especially for his brother in the ill-fated 51st Highland Div, gave the book sufficient depth without becoming in any way an angstfest.
What I especially enjoyed was the superb relationship he fostered with the non- commissioned ranks, given extra poignancy by his fears for Sgt Hallows and his men in the latter stages of the withdrawal. The author was clearly an intelligent, human soul who appreciated the qualities of his fellow serviceman - and recognised the shortcomings of a few others!
And authenticity was added by airing his contemporary observations on the general (although not invariable) attitude of the French public to the British forces. We live in an era where unpleasant truths are airbrushed away so the unvarnished views of a young man who was there are instructive. As, I think, Hugh Trevor Roper once said "The French have never forgiven us for not surrendering in 1940."!
Some reviews here have commented unfavourably on the lack of detail with regard to the actual action, flying technicalities, etc. I think that that is to miss the point of this book. There are plenty of books giving a great depth of detail on virtually every aspect and phase of the European air war. But there's only one book giving a very personal account of Alastair Panton's six weeks in France. I found it superb.
December 4, 2020
A very interesting first-hand tale of those first few months in France before and just after the evacuations at Dunkirk from the point of view of a pilot flying Blenheims doing mainly reconnaissance missions from grass strips.
Amazing how the grow crews serviced & maintained the aircraft in such basic conditions.
Interesting to hear how the local population in France (& in England) treated him knowing he was fighting for their country. Some wanted him to go away and didn't want to know there was actually a war being fought for them. The kinda head-in-sand mentality that seems to prevail with any crisis (e.g. current Covid where basic preventative measures & recommendations are not followed because the ignorant would rather remain ignorant don't want to acknowledge there is a crisis!).
Also interesting to hear how the BEF thought they were not being supported by the RAF and openly booed them whenever they were seen.
Excellent narration by Jonathan Keeble. Would like to give this 4.5 stars.
Amazing how the grow crews serviced & maintained the aircraft in such basic conditions.
Interesting to hear how the local population in France (& in England) treated him knowing he was fighting for their country. Some wanted him to go away and didn't want to know there was actually a war being fought for them. The kinda head-in-sand mentality that seems to prevail with any crisis (e.g. current Covid where basic preventative measures & recommendations are not followed because the ignorant would rather remain ignorant don't want to acknowledge there is a crisis!).
Also interesting to hear how the BEF thought they were not being supported by the RAF and openly booed them whenever they were seen.
Excellent narration by Jonathan Keeble. Would like to give this 4.5 stars.
January 5, 2023
Reread in 2022 via audio: this was just as good a listen as it was a read (book review) His voice, via the narrator, was so measured and gentle, whether he is watching while a mother and baby are killed by German planes in a column of refugees in Belgium, or recounting a moment of wonder at thousands of candles in a church in France, while in retreat with the rest of the expeditionary forces.
He describes what he calls Conflicting Feelings Factor (CFF): the strange and alienating sensation of enjoying small moments in amongst dreadful ones, or vice versa. Being in a pub in England after a day of flying reconnaissance over German troops in France, sitting in his aunt's garden in Aberdeenshire in the morning, knowing he will have to go back to the war in an hour. Again, I think much of this story enjoys the benefit of an old man looking back on his youth, and yet there's such a feel of truth to it all. He was only 23 when this happened, and whom amongst us was not a poet and a philosopher at 23?
He describes what he calls Conflicting Feelings Factor (CFF): the strange and alienating sensation of enjoying small moments in amongst dreadful ones, or vice versa. Being in a pub in England after a day of flying reconnaissance over German troops in France, sitting in his aunt's garden in Aberdeenshire in the morning, knowing he will have to go back to the war in an hour. Again, I think much of this story enjoys the benefit of an old man looking back on his youth, and yet there's such a feel of truth to it all. He was only 23 when this happened, and whom amongst us was not a poet and a philosopher at 23?
October 7, 2024
A short but excellent read about the early days of the Second World War.
Panton piloted Blenheim light bombers for the RAF during the battle of France and writes candidly about his experiences amid the chaos of the time.
This book is not heavy on operational experiences, but rather relates what it was like to be in France in the summer of 1940, fighting not only the Germans but also the logistics, misinformation and even the French themselves.
Panton spent time stationed on both the Continent and in England, and the attitudes of those around him, especially the British army and public towards the RAF, is fascinating.
This book provides a rare look at a part of the war not often covered and is highly recommended.
Panton piloted Blenheim light bombers for the RAF during the battle of France and writes candidly about his experiences amid the chaos of the time.
This book is not heavy on operational experiences, but rather relates what it was like to be in France in the summer of 1940, fighting not only the Germans but also the logistics, misinformation and even the French themselves.
Panton spent time stationed on both the Continent and in England, and the attitudes of those around him, especially the British army and public towards the RAF, is fascinating.
This book provides a rare look at a part of the war not often covered and is highly recommended.
May 27, 2018
A quick read but no worse for that. Aa a personal memoir of a particular period of the war this very well conveys the chaos of the fall of France and the author's role in air reconnoissance when aircraft were basic. I think the saddest part is the loss of so many people who the author trained and flew with, it also leaves one wondering what happened during is years of captivity after being shot down. There is so much "more" in personal accounts than in drier histories of the war.
March 13, 2019
Fascinating account of an RAF Blenheim pilot during the chaos of the fall of France
A really good description of what it was like to be in a Blenheim during the fall of France. Fascinating insights, but underplays through the self effacing style the sheer heroism of Panton and his crew. The ending is abrupt too - I am left wondering about the final mission, and what happened afterwards.
A really good description of what it was like to be in a Blenheim during the fall of France. Fascinating insights, but underplays through the self effacing style the sheer heroism of Panton and his crew. The ending is abrupt too - I am left wondering about the final mission, and what happened afterwards.
July 4, 2018
Fascinating and moving..
Enjoyed reading this excellent account filled with humour,gallantry,friendship and of course tradegy.Nevertheless an uplifting and honest appraisal of those incredibly hectic and truly momentous weeks of that summer of 1940.
All that is left to say is to ahead and read or listen to it.
Enjoyed reading this excellent account filled with humour,gallantry,friendship and of course tradegy.Nevertheless an uplifting and honest appraisal of those incredibly hectic and truly momentous weeks of that summer of 1940.
All that is left to say is to ahead and read or listen to it.
April 26, 2020
This was a brief and riveting historical account of BEF pilot around Dunkirk.
It was particularly suspenseful when he and 2 other pilots had to abandon their plane and he found his parachute on fire!
Some of the dialogue was a little scratchy but it's probably what was actually said.
It was particularly suspenseful when he and 2 other pilots had to abandon their plane and he found his parachute on fire!
Some of the dialogue was a little scratchy but it's probably what was actually said.
February 17, 2021
An amazing and moving true story, giving a real insight into what it was like to be in France during May & June 1940. Brilliantly told, very personal and really well read by the narrator. An immersive and honest tale, highly recommended.
March 8, 2025
Exceptional Personal War Memoir
This was a captivating read, describing, without emotion or drama, the bravery and termination of a small band of RAF personnel to continue their work while France collapsed around them.
An enjoyable and informative read.
This was a captivating read, describing, without emotion or drama, the bravery and termination of a small band of RAF personnel to continue their work while France collapsed around them.
An enjoyable and informative read.
June 22, 2018
Fascinating look at what life was like for a reconnaissance pilot in WW2 over a period of 6 weeks as France fell to the Germans.
August 9, 2018
Very English. Very of the time. Quite brief but well written and compelling. Recommended.
September 28, 2022
I couldn’t stop reading this book. Highly recommended.
August 9, 2023
A Barn Burner
A fast read of what it was like to fly recon for the RAF during the fall of France in 1940. The perspective is unique and the book is well written.
A fast read of what it was like to fly recon for the RAF during the fall of France in 1940. The perspective is unique and the book is well written.
September 30, 2025
Brilliant account of the battle of France.
October 19, 2025
I enjoyed reading a real life account from an raf officer in ww2 because my gf was in raf. It was A tale that promised not to always be positive so I was gripped by what could possibly happen...
June 17, 2019
4+* This was actually a very good read! I’ll definitely be recommending it to some WWII/aeroplane buffs I know.
There is some language content - Grandpa generation swearing – especially in the one sentence from the Aussie pilot where every second word was bleeding :P no F-bombs
There is some language content - Grandpa generation swearing – especially in the one sentence from the Aussie pilot where every second word was bleeding :P no F-bombs
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