Of Wind and Water

Ref: 3938

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Price: £11.50

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{detailed description}Thousands of young men from all corners of Britain and the Commonwealth flew as wartime aircrew in squadrons of the Royal Air Force, and the vast majority were anonymous performers in the aerial dramas whilst the aces of Fighter Command moved in the spotlight of centre stage, capturing the public imagination. Their duels with the Luftwaffe have been recorded for history's pages and the image of the RAF pilot has grown to knightly stature.
But what of the many others who flew achingly long patrols in the various combat theatres of World War II, the less glamorous airmen of RAF Coastal Command? Their records, by comparison with the exploits of the fighter pilots and, to a lesser degree, the various deeds of Bomber Command aircrews, have been but lightly documented.
Of Wind and Water is the chronicle of James Sanders, a New Zealand pilot who flew daylight reconnaissance and night-bombing sorties with the RAF's maritime force. The book takes us from his early days training in England to operations in the Mediterranean theatre, where he flew reconnaissance flights in search of enemy convoys en route from Italy to Rommel's army in the Western Desert. Incredibly, Sanders survived several major crashes during this period before being posted back to England as a General Reconnaissance instructor. Finally he qualified for a command and went on to operate perilous anti-shipping sorties off the Scandinavian coast.
This is a gripping tale of endurance, one man's account of many hours spent battling with dangerous conditions, often at wave-top height, where the prime enemy was the combined aggression of wind and water. Above all, it is a paean to Flight, a lyrical evocation of the joys and hazards of being airborne.
{Author / Publisher / Date}by James Sanders
Published by Airlife 1989 1st edition. 146pp illustrated with b&w phots and drawings, index. 16x23
{condition}fine, including d/j.
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