The Story of 609 Squadron

It went to war with two Spitfires and a Battle, a ground staff mainly of volunteers and just twelve 'week-end' pilots. After fifteen months seven of the twelve were dead and the rest exhausted, yet it had been the first Spitfire squadron to claim a hundred victories. It landed twice in France as fighter escort to Winston Churchill; and when its Spitfires were withdrawn 609 reached its second century on Typhoons.
It started and ended as a squadron of Yorkshiremen, yet became perhaps the most international brotherhood in arms since the Crusades. If few of them discovered what Riding was, warriors from the United States, Poland, the Commonwealth, France, Norway and above all Belgium. flew, lived, laughed and often died together in mutual devotion to the West Riding Squadron. Between 1936 and 1957 it had twenty-one Commanding Officers, three of them Belgian. To them 609 was Six-Cent-Neuf.
The author served for three years as its Intelligence Officer and was mentioned in Despatches. He also kept its war diary and knew most of its changing wartime personalities. With the help of the survivors he has brought a unique squadron back to life in a tale that is outstanding of its kind.


by Frank H. Ziegler
Published by Crecy 1993 (of Macdonald 1971 1st edition) 352pp illustrated, index, appendix. 14x22 mint, d/j slightly rubbed.





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jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "new edition" "previously unpublished photographs" etc.)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.