|
Books > Fiction > True stories > War / combat / elite forces
Robert Wilton Bungey was unquestionably an RAF hero. From the very
beginning of the Second World War he was patrolling Germany's
border with the AASF. In the retreat from France he survived
frantic day and night bombing missions flying obsolete, outclassed
Fairey Battles against overwhelming odds. Many others didn't
survive. When Fighter Command desperately needed pilots in the
Battle of Britain, he volunteered. He survived again when his
Hurricane was shot down near the Isle of Wight. Converting to
Spitfires, he commanded such aces as Jean 'Pyker' Offenberg, Paddy
Finucane and Bluey Truscott, his leadership from-the-front gaining
their trust and respect. While he was CO of 452 (RAAF) Squadron, it
topped Fighter Command's monthly tallies three times in a row.
Later, commanding RAF Hawkinge, he was linked with air-sea rescue
and Combined Operations Command. After more than three years of
active war service, he returned to Australia for Sybil, his English
bride waiting with a son he had never seen. But this story of
triumph against all the odds has an extraordinary ending: at once a
terrible tragedy and something of a miracle... Spitfire Leader is
illustrated with many photographs never before published.
Journalist and broadcaster Robert Kee was an RAF bomber pilot in
the Second World War. When his plane was shot down over
Nazi-occupied Holland, he was captured and spent three years and
three months in a German POW camp. From the beginning he was intent
on escape. After several false starts, he finally made it. First
published in 1947 as a novel, but now revealed to be an
autobiography, A Crowd Is Not Company recounts Kee's experiences as
a prisoner of war and describes in compelling detail his desperate
journey across Poland - a journey that meant running the gauntlet
of Nazism.
Storytelling is an art form, a descriptive account of an event, or
a succession of events. In this case, all 118 stories within its
pages are true and for the most part, describe a calamitous event
in each individual's life during the 2nd World War. They all add
emotion and physical details to plain facts. We all have the
story's to convey and when you think about them, the really good
ones will actually move us, and in this case, all of them will make
us think to some degree because they come from an era we often
cannot relate to. Some will shock you; others will bring you to
tears, some may even make you smile or laugh. All of them will
definitely make you ponder about your life, and what it could have
been like if Britain and her allies had not won the Second World
War.
Lancaster pilot Victor Wood's aircraft arrived too early over
Gelsenkirchen when the target was shrouded in darkness and the Main
Force miles behind.
His bomber was suddenly struck with terrifying force by flak and
turned upside-down. An engine was on fire, the unconscious
mid-upper gunner, slumped over his turret, was being sprayed with
petrol and their bombload had been struck by shrapnel. Could Vic
get his crew back to base safely?
Find out in Mel Rolfe's expertly researched and narrated book,
which records nineteen similarly exceptional stories as night after
night young men went off on sorties, knowing the unpalatable truth
that they might not see another dawn.
Using letters, diaries, and first-hand accounts together with
original photographs, here is the real story of Scotland's soldiers
in World War I. Scotland's response to the Great War has, up until
now, largely been marginalized or ignored. With a proportionally
higher number of volunteers than any other home nation, Scotland's
youth played a significant part in Britain's war effort. Here is
the first study of Scotland's response to the call to arms; the
true story behind the raising, the training, life in the trenches,
and the sacrifices faced by those battalions raised in Scotland.
This book focuses on the experiences of those who served in the
Scottish divisions. Charting the course of emotions from initial
enthusiasm in August 1914 through to outright disillusionment with
the continuation of the war in 1917, the author clearly shows how
life at the front line produced both physical and emotional changes
in those caught up in the horrors of trench warfare.
This is a collection of positive stories about wartime service
during one of the most negative and controversial periods in
American history. While the stories told here are relatively simple
and straight forward, they are also powerful, with the potential of
changing viewpoints, opinions, and even lives.
'IF YOU ENJOYED THE BIG SHOW YOU WILL LOVE FLAMES IN THE SKY. THIS
IS AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK. UNPUTDOWNABLE.' Rowland White From near
suicidal RAF attacks in 1939 through to the dawn of the jet age in
1945, FLAMES IN THE SKY captures the astonishing drama, intensity,
heroism and incomparable exhilaration of the World War Two air war
like no other book. This epic global struggle between Spitfires,
Hurricanes, Mustangs, Mosquitos, Messerschmitts, Zeros, Kamikazes
and more is brought vividly to life by a writer who was himself in
the thick of the action. Pierre Clostermann was one of the
outstanding Allied Aces of the Second World War, shooting down
scores of enemy aircraft, while friends and comrades lost their
lives in the deadly skies above Europe. FLAMES IN THE SKY was born
of his desire 'to do justice to their courage'.
Born on the Fourth of July, the New York Times bestseller (more than one million copies sold), details Ron Kovic's life story (portrayed by Tom Cruise in the Oliver Stone film version) - from a patriotic soldier in Vietnam, to his severe battlefield injury, to his role as the country's most outspoken anti-Vietnam War advocate, spreading his message from his wheelchair. This 40th anniversary edition includes a powerful and moving new introduction, setting this classic anti-war story in a contemporary context.
|
|