Spitfire into Battle

Ref: 4947

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{detailed description}These are the fighting memoirs of a great Spitfire leader, who flew ahead of his pilots into battle over England, France, Malta, Sicily and Italy. through four years of the Second World War.
As a pre-war RAFVR pilot Duncan Smith completed his training during the first year of war. From contacts with pilots seasoned over France and in the Battle of Britain 'Smithy', as he was popularly known, became convinced that effective air fighting required a combination of strong leadership and teamwork. To him the essence of survival as a fighting unit was the ability to recognise when to fight and when to give the slip to overwhelming odds to fight more successfully another day. When, after victory in the Battle of Britain, an early decision was made by RAF Fighter Command to carry the war into enemy territory by making fighter sweeps and escorted bomber strikes on targets in occupied Europe, 'Smithy's' pilots provided the escorts and also started to develop tactical attacks on ground targets.
The first half of the book describes two years of these frontline operations. In December 1942 Duncan Smith was posted to Fighter Command School of Tactics to pass on the skills he had learnt, but very soon felt he must get back into the cockpit.
After four months he succeeded in getting himself posted to Malta under Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, and after a further four months transferred to Desert Air Force, where the highly skilled new techniques of joint operations in close support of the Army were being developed. It was largely on the successes achieved in Sicily, Italy and the south of France by Desert Air Force that Tactical Air Force built its system for shattering Hitler's armies after D-Day.
{Author / Publisher / Date}by Group Captain Duncan Smith
published by John Murray 1981 1st edn. 235pp illustrated, index, appendix 14x23
{condition}very good in good d/j
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