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Product Description
When The Big Show was first published, paper rationing meant that the text had to be heavily cut. Now, for the first time, this international bestseller has been returned to its complete, and breathtaking, original state. Pierre Clostermann was a Free French fighter ace who flew with the RAF during the Second World War. Over the course of five years he engaged in hundreds of dog-fights, shot down scores of Luftwaffe planes, escorted American bombers on some of the most dangerous raids of the war, and watched many of his friends falling to their deaths in the skies over the Channel. The Big Show, his incredible account of the air war over Britain and France, has become one of the most famous memoirs of the Second World War. Now in its original state, it contains everything one could wish for in a war memoir: wonderfully observed descriptions of wartime Britain, frighteningly evocative stories of in-the-cockpit action, an amazing cast of characters, and all the drama and bravery of a man fighting a desperate war thousands of feet above the ground. An undeniable classic.
About the Author
Pierre Clostermann earned his pilot's license in 1937 at the age of 16. When war broke out in 1939 he was studying engineering in the USA. He volunteered for the Free French forces and joined No. 341 'Alsace' Squadron of the RAF. He ended the war commanding a flight of Tempests and with nearly 30 'kills'. He won the DSO, DFC and Bar. After the war, Clostermann went into politics and worked for Dassault and Cessna and founded his own aviation company. He returned to action for 18 months during the Algerian war. Today, he is France's most highly decorated officer.
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I was like a cat on hot bricks. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
I was like a cat on hot bricks. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably the best pilots account of WW2,
By
This review is from: The Big Show (Hardcover)
Pierre Glosterman was a French pilot who choose to fight for the RAF in WW2 rather than the Free French. Despite reaching the rank of Wing Commander & recieving a host of medals by Britain he was disgracefully treated by the post-war French Government (because he fought for the brits). When he tried to join the French airforce he was only offered the rank of sous-lieutenant (pilot officer) a disgusting snub for one of the most experienced combat pilots to survive the war.
His book was written based on diaries he wrote at the time rather thanmemories & as a result is extremely accurate. He charts the rise of the RAF as the war progressed starting with Mark V Spitfires v Focke Wolfe'sover Calais & ending up flying Mark V Tempests against the new German Jet sover Germany itself. I first read this when I was 12 & am delighted that its back in print. I still vividly remember reading about his high altitude interception of an Me109 over Scapa Flow (Orkney) in a Mark 8 high altitude Spitfire. Hepursued & downed the german in a near vertical dive from over 40,000 feet. In the course of that his Spitfire nearly exceeded the sound barrier which caused almost fatal damage to the airframe. His account of the subsequent forced landing in a Spitfire with a jammed canopy is real edge-of-the-seat stuff as is his account of crash landing a Tempest just days after watching a friend burn to death doing the same. Buy this book! There's very few like it. I've edited this to add in a new paragraph: the original version of the book was edited because of 'post war paper shortages'. Reading this version you realise that was a shocking lie. This is the unedited version which includes some pretty catty comments about De Gaulle and Montgomery, a few amazing allied cockups and one incident when Glostermann who really should have been rested and is strung out on the amphetamines needed to keep him flying has to be stopped from shooting down a B17 that ditches its bombs over a french town. This new version of the book tell you EXACTLY how WW2 was fought and won and is much better than the original sanitised version.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Big Show (Hardcover)
Like the other critics I love this book.But how many aircraft did he shoot down and how many was he officially credited with? In one of the originals 23 and now 33. Shores has Closterman with c 19. This latest version is the best. A larger picture of Closterman is created, more irreverant to authority, the issue of losing track of Mouchotte and the criticsm that ensued creates an inpiring picture of a very brave, idiosyncratic fighter pilot. A great book
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
2004 publication is enlightening,
By
This review is from: The Big Show (Hardcover)
Pierre Clostermanns The Big Show or Le Grande Cirque as it is in French,is re published in hardback. This news sent me straight to the orderbutton ! I have the original book, which is an all time favourite. Thenew version contains more than I had expected, in 'new'chapters whichdetail his arrival in Britain initially, and go on to include severalother chapters, here and there throughout the book. At the end are detailsof wartime aircraft both British and German, and operational information.The original preface is now at the back, replaced by a new preface forthis 2004 edition written by the man himself. The original is hard tocome by, but is included here in it's entirety. The only thing missing aresome of the photographs from the original, but these have been replacedwith different ones. All in all, for those who know the book well, this is well worth a look,and for those who do not, I urge you to read it. If you have ever read Antoine de St Exupery, Pierre Clostermann's bookwill be for you.
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