Hurricane: The Last Witnesses

Ref: 5249

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{detailed description}2010 marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, one of the most important victories in Britain's long history. While the battle is often associated with the spitfire, the hurricane is the true hero of those crucial months of 1940. The RAF's first monoplane fighter aircraft, the Hurricane entered service before the Spitfire and was responsible for destroying more enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain than any other type. Around 60 per cent of claimed 'kills' fell to the guns of Hurricane pilots and the only Battle of Britain Victoria Cross, in fact the only VC awarded to a member of Fighter Command during the war, went to Flight Lieutenant Eric Nicolson of 249 Squadron. In a dogfight on 16 August 1940 Nicolson was badly wounded, his Hurricane engulfed in flames. While attempting to leave, Nicolson spotted a Messerschmitt ahead. He returned to the cockpit, which by now was a blazing inferno, and engaged the enemy, successfully shooting it down. The stories of the Hurricane pilots form the basis of Brian Milton's riveting new book. Having tracked down eighteen of the surviving former pilots who flew the aircraft during the Second World War, Brian has brought together a unique series of personal experiences from his 'Last Witnesses'. They tell the story of what it was like to fly and fight in this iconic aircraft, not only over the white cliffs of Dover during the Battle of Britain, but also during the Battle of France, the defence of Malta, in the intense heat of the North African desert, in the freezing temperatures of the Arctic wastes and in the suffocating humidity of the Far East. The Hurricane served in every theatre during the Second World War as a fighter, night fighter, ground-attack aircraft and even on board ship guarding vital convoys. The fascinating first-hand accounts of these gallant pilots form not only a history of the aircraft, but also a tribute to the many friends they lost in combat.
{Author / Publisher / Date}by Brian Milton
published by Andre Deutsch 2010 1st edn. 256pp illustrated, index 14x22
{condition}mint inc. d/j
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