Birth of The Few

Birth of The Few tells the story of the first Luftwaffe air raid on mainland Britain during World War Two. On 16 October 1939, 12 Junkers Ju 88s, led by Hauptmann Helmut Pohle attacked ships of the Royal Navy in the Firth of Forth at Rosyth. Their target was HMS Hood and other capital ships. This was also the day that the Spitfire was used in combat for the very first time, resulting in Patsy Gifford of 603 Squadron making the first kill by a pilot in defence of the British Isles. His victim, Sigmund Storp, became Britain's first German prisoner-of-war. Ten minutes later George Pinkerton of 602 Squadron shot down the aircraft piloted by Helmut Pohle.
This book looks at the events leading up to the raid, the events on the day itself and the consequences that followed. The author has drawn on interviews with the captured Luftwaffe pilots, the surviving British pilots, eye-witnesses on the ground and in the ships under attack. The idea for the book came originally from Sir Hugh Dundas, Battle of Britain fighter ace, who passed on his research notes to the author before his death in 1995.



by Henry Buckton
Published by Airlife 1998 1st edition. 160pp illustrated, index, appendix. 16x24 fine, including d/j.




see terms and conditions for further delivery info.

Note:
"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "new edition" "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.

other titles which may be of interest:
(these books may be in different sections of our store; use the section navigation on the right of this page, or your browser's "back" button to return here)

Spitfire The Combat History £17.50 find out more