Paperback
Fighter Boys: The Pilots Behind the Battle of Britain
By Patrick Bishop
In the summer of 1940, the future of Britain and the free world depended on the morale and skill of the young men of Fighter Command. This is their story.
The Battle of Britain is one of the most crucial battles ever fought, and the victory of Fighter Command over the Luftwaffe has always been celebrated as a classic feat of arms. But, as Patrick Bishop shows in this superb history, it was also a triumph of the spirit in which the attitudes of the pilots themselves played a crucial part. Reaching beyond the myths to convey the fear and exhilaration of life on this most perilous of frontlines, Patrick Bishop offers an intimate and compelling account that is a soaring tribute to the exceptional young men of Fighter Command.
”'I know of no more thoughtful nor yet more moving study of their achievement.” - Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph
”'A living, breathing monument to the fighter boys.” - Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
”'As a vivid chronicle of who the Battle of Britain pilots were, what motivated them, and why they were ultimately successful, 'Fighter Boys' is unsurpassed.” - Daily Telegraph
”'No one reading this book can possibly doubt the heroism of those involved…there can’t be a finer history.” - James Holland, New Statesman
”'Powerful yet restrained, at times almost unbearably touching.” - T. J. Binyon, Evening Standard