One moment the sky would be full of aircraft wheeling and positioning
for the best shot at the enemy; a sky full of danger and menace. The
next instant there would just be a clear blue empty sky with the sun
shining down on a calm and beautiful landscape. Such was the phenomenon
experienced by pilots who fought in the key battles of France and
Britain in the Summer of 1940.
These air battles were certainly the most important ever fought in
defence of the country and have deserved the millions of words that have
been written about them. However, as the number of surviving veterans
dwindles to single figures, interviews with some of 'The Few' who
actually fought the battle are of increasing importance and rarity.
This book tells the story of nineteen men and women who were there.
Through a series of filmed interviews their stories were preserved,
allowing them to tell the part they played in the nation's defence in
their own words. It is the transcriptions of these interviews that form
the basis of this unique collection of accounts.
The nineteen stories are riveting and insightful, yet full of modesty
and humour. The veterans talk about not being very good or just being
followers of the aces - but underneath it all is a great pride that day
after day they flew sortie after sortie against an enemy who had never
been beaten until that moment. They talk of aerial battles perhaps three
or four times each day; of the aircraft that carried them into battle
without faltering; of the social life in their precious moments of quiet
and peace; but most of all they talk about comradeship, friends and
colleagues. Some friendships lasted barely a few days while others
continued for decades.
Three of the interviewees epitomise the men from fifteen other countries
who joined the RAF to fight. Others represent the thousands of ground
crew, WAAFs, ATA, drivers, plotters, radar operators, airfield
defenders, controllers, aircraft builders, cooks and associated
personnel without whom the Royal Air Force would have been unable to
maintain the fight against Germany.
