What do you think?
Rate this book
Spitfire!: The Experiences of a Fighter Pilot
Lane was the author of Spitfire!, originally published in 1942 under the pseudonym B.J. Ellan. The book is a first hand account of his experiences as a front line Spitfire pilot and is one of only a few contemporaneous autobiographical accounts of the life of a Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot.
94 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 22, 2019
43 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 28, 2020
Authentic and gripping
Quite simply a dazzling account of the exciting but brutal, realities of life on a front line Spitfire squadron during the Battle of Britain.
The book possesses a number of strengths, chief among them being the compelling writing style which places the reader at the very heart of the conflict. No punches are pulled, and the unabashed enthusiasm for the virtues of the conflict possessed by the Author will resonate with anyone with even a passing interest in the Battle of Britain.
The other strengths worthy of note are the attention to detail and the structure of the narrative. Everything from downtime; the nervous tension at Dispersal, through to depictions of ERK's hanging onto the tail assembly of a Spitfire whilst the engine is run up are all beautifully and accurately depicted.
In this manner, the Author blends supreme tension with a gritty realism, shining a light on the less "glamorous" but absolutely vital aspects of squadron life in the process.
In summary, this book exposes the desperate reality faced by Great Britain 80 years ago. The torturous mental and physical exertions detailed by the Author are fortified by a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong. The Author's accounts of the personal; mechanical, and tactical failings add poignancy, contributing as they did to the life or death of those aerial gladiators in the skies above Britain. There is a marginality at play in this account which isn't always appreciated by others.
This book is highly recommended and should be considered the bulwark for studies in this field.
Quite simply a dazzling account of the exciting but brutal, realities of life on a front line Spitfire squadron during the Battle of Britain.
The book possesses a number of strengths, chief among them being the compelling writing style which places the reader at the very heart of the conflict. No punches are pulled, and the unabashed enthusiasm for the virtues of the conflict possessed by the Author will resonate with anyone with even a passing interest in the Battle of Britain.
The other strengths worthy of note are the attention to detail and the structure of the narrative. Everything from downtime; the nervous tension at Dispersal, through to depictions of ERK's hanging onto the tail assembly of a Spitfire whilst the engine is run up are all beautifully and accurately depicted.
In this manner, the Author blends supreme tension with a gritty realism, shining a light on the less "glamorous" but absolutely vital aspects of squadron life in the process.
In summary, this book exposes the desperate reality faced by Great Britain 80 years ago. The torturous mental and physical exertions detailed by the Author are fortified by a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong. The Author's accounts of the personal; mechanical, and tactical failings add poignancy, contributing as they did to the life or death of those aerial gladiators in the skies above Britain. There is a marginality at play in this account which isn't always appreciated by others.
This book is highly recommended and should be considered the bulwark for studies in this field.
January 30, 2020
One of "The Few "
A fascinating true life story of a pilot in the Second world war , all the highs and lows of combat . Seen from the perspective of the pilot a real sense of being there and with him in the cockpit of the "kite " . Recommended to any one who is interested in this period of the war .
A fascinating true life story of a pilot in the Second world war , all the highs and lows of combat . Seen from the perspective of the pilot a real sense of being there and with him in the cockpit of the "kite " . Recommended to any one who is interested in this period of the war .
May 21, 2020
Absolutely Brilliant
Awesome and brilliant, words cannot express how good this is. A must read. War is an evil act of our kind. To read these books is to show a little honour and respect to All the people caught up in the tragedy of war. So many so so young. Read this and and encourage others to do so too.
Awesome and brilliant, words cannot express how good this is. A must read. War is an evil act of our kind. To read these books is to show a little honour and respect to All the people caught up in the tragedy of war. So many so so young. Read this and and encourage others to do so too.
August 15, 2023
A defining account of the Battle of Britain, not least because Brian wrote this narrative between sorties. Sadly he would not survive the war, but fortunately his story does, and is a tribute to his service and the lives of The Few
September 20, 2019
Superb
One of the best stories I have read in a very long time,fast moving action from the first,it got better as each page was turned
One of the best stories I have read in a very long time,fast moving action from the first,it got better as each page was turned
March 10, 2020
Brilliant
Makes it real. Very descriptive and you feel like you are sitting on his wing. These were very brave men.
Makes it real. Very descriptive and you feel like you are sitting on his wing. These were very brave men.
September 2, 2020
I liked it.
July 31, 2020
A really excellent account written by a WWII pilot flying one of the best, and my favourite plane, in the world ever - the Spitfire.
Every page I was hearing the beautiful roar of the machine when it flies overhead - whether this memories from YouTube videos, historical videos and my imagination.
What impressed me was this must have been written at the time of happening as the pilot died very shortly after I believe. This is different to the previous book I read of a WWI fighter pilot which possibly that account may have been written at a later date, or the WWI pilot did not have a literary flair.
This WWII pilot clearly had some literary flair as each page was so well written, included more about the life of pilots rather than just flying and fighting.
Each page had a moment of comedy which made me laugh and really aided in my imagination of a little bit of what life must have been like then.
Highly recommended.
Every page I was hearing the beautiful roar of the machine when it flies overhead - whether this memories from YouTube videos, historical videos and my imagination.
What impressed me was this must have been written at the time of happening as the pilot died very shortly after I believe. This is different to the previous book I read of a WWI fighter pilot which possibly that account may have been written at a later date, or the WWI pilot did not have a literary flair.
This WWII pilot clearly had some literary flair as each page was so well written, included more about the life of pilots rather than just flying and fighting.
Each page had a moment of comedy which made me laugh and really aided in my imagination of a little bit of what life must have been like then.
Highly recommended.
October 28, 2019
Spitfire is about a WWII fighter pilot named Brian Lane, I chose to read this book because two of my great grandparents fought in World War two. Brian Lane was British spitfire pilot who participated in the battle of Dunkirk. He was a Commissioned Officer of his squadron, and was married. Lane flew many missions, his squadron was tasked with patrolling for bombers taking part in the Blitzkrieg. They also protected convoys crossing the English channel. There squadron of 16 shot down around 120 enemy planes. Overall it was a good book, it was very interesting and had a lot of action, but at some points it was kind of hard to understand due to some of the abbreviations being used. Like when he says that one of his Squad-mates got a D.F.M. (I had to look this one up, It means a Distinguished Flying Medal). The writer used lots of description effectively with the dogfights and when he was describing the parts of a plane in the first pages of the book. He did not include much dialogue or reflection though. this is due to the fact that he MIA in 1942 while in a dogfight.
November 3, 2019
Apparently written "in his spare moments" by a Spitfire pilot between patrols over Southeast England in the 1940's, this book has a feel of authenticity that is refreshing after the film/TV hype that followed the war. Although mainly descriptive of his "day to day" life there are some interesting introspections when the pilot feels a little strange when he realises that he enjoys killing although he is clearly a civilised and cultivated man.
Altogether a fascinating read.
Altogether a fascinating read.
August 10, 2020
This was an action packed narrative of several of the author’s flights between Great Britain and Belgium early in the war. It conceivably could have been used to recruit succeeding young pilots with its daring and bravery.
August 15, 2020
A cracking good book about the experiences of Spitfire pilot from 1940 to the spring of 1942. What it was like trying to halt the German bombers and fighters as they attacked Britain. If you enjoy reading books about war and the men who fight in it I recommend this book.
June 10, 2025
This is a fantastic autobiographical view of the Battles of Britain. Written anonymously at the time, the author was added after the war. This book is about being a fighter pilot!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews