The Spitfire Story: Told By Those Who Designed, Maintained and Flew the Iconic Plane

by Jacky Hyams

The Spitfire Story, published in association with Imperial War Museums, is a fascinating anthology of first-hand stories from Spitfire heroes and heroines, as well as the people behind the scenes.

The Spitfire is the world’s most iconic aeroplane. Coming into its own during the Battle of Britain, it became famous during the Second World War as the only plane that could match the enemy fighters in the sky.

Yet, even today, the history of the Spitfire contains many hitherto hidden or little-known stories of the men and women behind the plane; not only the gifted creators and inventors who brought the Spitfire to life, or the brave fighter pilots from many countries who triumphed in battle, but also the thousands of other people whose lives were affected by their personal connection to it – engineers, ground crew, factory or office workers, and their families.

The Spitfire Story recounts the memories and stories of these people, from the birth of the iconic Spitfire in the 1930s to the present day. Among these accounts is the extraordinary tale of the fighter pilot who only discovered, fifty years on, the tragic truth of his last Spitfire flight, the businessman whose blank cheque changed the course of the war, the ninety-five-year-old Royal Air Force engineer who was determined to be reunited with his beloved Spit before he died, and the little girl who inspired the plane’s creation – and went on to marry a movie star.

Using documents, letters and photographs from the Imperial War Museums’ unparalleled archive, plus exclusive first-hand interviews, these stories of the Spitfire are a revelatory collection of small but significant histories, to be treasured by all who love and admire the iconic plane.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military History

256 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2019

About the author

History, especially the 20th Century, is a real passion for me. Yet I didn't start writing about it until quite recently because my career as a journalist and editor took up all my waking hours! I started out as a feature writer, in Sydney Australia, on magazines like Woman's Day, Cosmopolitan and Rolling Stone and my career as a columnist and movie writer took me all over the world for many years until I arrived back where I started, in London, England and various editing jobs on mass market magagines like Bella and Me. Then I freelanced for many years for many major newspapers and magazines. In 2005, I decided there was a real need for an informative self help book for families with older parents and my first book, Time to Help Your Parents was published by Piatkus. At that point, I realised that non fiction writing was even more enjoyable than I'd imagined and since then, I've written six more titles, including The Real Life Downton Abbey and Bombsites & Lollipops -- which some Goodreaders seem to be enjoying!

Reviews

[David Tice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly light reading. A series of short reminiscences from those who flew or worked on the Spitfire during WW2. Some interesting, such as mechanics or ATA pilots who are rarely included with pilots in these types of books. There is some repetition with stories that are very similar. Also, almost no mention of those using Spitfires outside of the Cross-Channel European Theater - e.g., Italy, Mideast, Far East theaters. All that aside, well written and a quick read so no reason not to recommend it for those with an interest in the Spitfire.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant book, chock full of stories from the men and women who flew, built and maintained these planes. A warts and all book on this much loved iconic plane. Brought into the modern era with the new pilots flying the 2 seater variants and charity pilots.
I would’ve liked a bit more on BBMF pilots flying them but it didn’t stop it being a thoroughly good read.

[meliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great stories that bring the history of WWII in England to life and the spirit around the Spitfire. Occasionally the writing was a little awkward (e.g., change of voice in the middle of a story from 1st to 3rd) but for the most part it was fantastic and engaging. I learned a lot from these intimate oral histories

[Stephen John Scoffield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supreme Story

A great insight into the lives of the people and personal who flew and maintained an iconic aircraft . A very worthwhile read of an aircraft most people will have heard of at some point .

[Blue Sapphire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another incredible and interesting book! I loved hearing all the stories about everyone who flew, serviced or maintained a Spitfire! They came from all over the world and settled all over the world. Amazing inspiring stories

[Xan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Curiosidades sobre la trastienda de la batalla: las tripulaciones de tierra y las mujeres piloto que trasladaban los aviones desde las fábricas.

Solo para entusiastas del Spitfire.

[Aykut Ünal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes you want to jump in a Spitfire! The reader gets to know all the story behind the aircraft, with flyer, designer, mechanic accounts. Great book to read.

[Kirk Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spitfire

I really enjoyed this book I will now have to read more books on spirited I say thank you to the people who flew and maintained those aircraft

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spitfires are my favourite plane. This was a wonderful collection of stories from people who worked with them. Very interesting and an enjoyable read.

[Emily mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and inspirational. A testament to our heroes of ww2. Well written 👏

[Mark Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small stories of variety of people involved with Spitfires during World War 11.

[Scott Pardon]

Great collection of stories about the Spitfire..

[Mr C Cawood · Rating 5 out of 5]

spitfire no need for other words

Excellent stories from real people who were there. I’m sure there is enough material for several books out there. A reccomended read

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely must for anyone wanting to learn about the history of the spitfires and stories behind them. It is very thought provoking about the men and women you wouldn't necessarily first think of during the war.

[Lee Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this very cheaply in a discount book shop, because it looked quite interesting. Almost as soon as I started reading it, I went down with COVID, so felt pretty awful - thankfully, it didn't tax my brain too much, and proved easy and quite enjoyable to get through.

If you already know a lot about the Spitfire and its history, you probably won't learn much from this book, but as a fairly accessible, non-specialist introduction, it does the job, focusing on the human stories behind the plane's design, development, operation and retirement. It feels a bit disjointed in places, but it contains some moving and inspirational stories. I do wonder if perhaps it rather unhelpfully fuels the sorts of sentiments behind British exceptionalism and a rose-tinted view of the past, but I'll leave you to decide if that's a problem. I wanted an interesting and accessible read, and that's what I got, so no complaints there. Nothing particularly special, but it did what it set out to do.

[Nathan Kornegay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book about the lives involved with designing, testing, maintaining and flying the Spitfire. As an engineer working on modern fighters, it was surreal reading about the challenges facing Britain’s during WW2 and the amazing obstacles they overcame to win the war. The Spitfire was one of the main reasons, but the stories of the people behind the machine are truly incredible.