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Product Description
Product Description
The remarkable Battle of Britain experiences of Spitfire pilot Brian Lane, DFC. Brian Lane was only 23 when he when he wrote his dramatic account of life as a Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Lane was an 'ace' with six enemy 'kills' to his credit and was awarded the DFC for bravery in combat. The text is honest and vibrant, and has the immediacy of a book written close the event, untouched, therefore, by the doubts and debates of later years. Here we can read, exactly what it was like to 'scramble', to shoot down Messerschmitts, Heinkels, Dorniers and Stukas and how it felt to lose comrades every day. Squadron Leader Brian Lane DFC was not only an exceptional fighter pilot but likewise a gifted leader, at all levels. In what was still a hierarchical and class conscious culture, 'Chiefy' Lane was different: he knew everyone under his command by first names, no matter how lowly their rank or status, and in the air he was always unflappable, calmly making the right tactical decision and in the process earning unlimited respect amongst pilots and aircrew. All these years later the survivors still speak of him with an unparalleled affection and respect bordering upon a holy reverence. High drama has never before been so characteristically understated, written, as it was, by the 'Finest of the Few'.
About the Author
Brian Lane came from Pinner in Middlesex. A former pupil of St Paul's who, having been sacked from his job in a light bulb producing factory, was accepted for a Short Service Commission in the RAF in 1936. He joined his first fighter squadron, No 66, flying Gauntlet biplanes at Duxford, in 1937. He fought over Dunkirk and throughout the Battle of Britain and at its peak he was made squadron leader of 19 Squadron after his CO was shot down and killed. He wrote his memoir in 1941 and published it under the pseudonym, 'B. J. Ellan' as Spitfire! The Experiences of a Fighter Pilot. It was a short-lived bestseller, the publisher at the time couldn't get enough paper from the War Ministry. He made his last combat flight on 13th December 1942, and was shot down over the cold and inhospitable North Sea, which became Brian Lane's only shroud and last resting place. FOREWORD BY DILIP SARKAR Fascinated by the Battle of Britain since childhood, Dilip Sarkar remains both moved and inspired by the story of Churchill's fabled Few, those young airmen who stood between freedom and a Britain dominated by Nazi Germany. Since the 1970s he has met and interviewed more Battle of Britain pilots than any other historian. He has researched the subject thoroughly and has published over twenty books, titles which include the only biographical works formally endorsed by the families of both Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader and Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson. In 2003, Dilip was made an MBE for services to aviation history, and elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society in 2006. He lives in Worcester.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The ''manuscript'' or rather diary entries and sundry notes to this book were actually written during the war.
Therefore not just another pilot's story but one also live with ''fresh'' recounts of subtle details apart from flying/fighting action and it does appeal to me a great deal.
Sadly the story ends in December 1942.
I found it great reading, forgetting to take a look at the photographs, (loads of them printed on glossy paper) inside until I opened it again today to check for details before submitting this review.
Therefore not just another pilot's story but one also live with ''fresh'' recounts of subtle details apart from flying/fighting action and it does appeal to me a great deal.
Sadly the story ends in December 1942.
I found it great reading, forgetting to take a look at the photographs, (loads of them printed on glossy paper) inside until I opened it again today to check for details before submitting this review.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the first hand account of the author's experiences flying in combat at the beginning of the war and the Battle of Britain. Written after the events, but still within the immediacy of these events, it never the less suffered from the war censor's pen and in its original form was devoid of the names or locations of where the events took place which would probably have made the book a difficult read.
Dilip Sarkar acting as an `un-censoring' editor has, by virtue of no small level of research, put names to all the blanks present in the original manuscript. This has produced a very easy, readable account of Brian lane's exploits which I would commend to anyone wanting to get a flavour of the fighting life of one of our departed heroes.
Dilip Sarkar acting as an `un-censoring' editor has, by virtue of no small level of research, put names to all the blanks present in the original manuscript. This has produced a very easy, readable account of Brian lane's exploits which I would commend to anyone wanting to get a flavour of the fighting life of one of our departed heroes.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
As good as they get
3 Jun 2010
Format:Paperback
I came across this beauty recently while on a trip to the UK and a more authentic account of the battle you will not find; "So Few" Mr. Churchill said-but no debt here as he would have you believe; rather few so lucky to be able to get on with the job whilst the less fortunate folk looked on and awaited their chance. I think he was really referring to our mess bills, anyway!" The date of publish tells it all; 1942. It is just not possible to write with this kind of detail fifty years after the fact. Some get close or compensate with style ('First Light' for example) but this really has to be placed alongside 'enemy coast ahead' or 'the last enemy', where it will be in very good company. Truly authentic and written at a time when the memory was fresh. I cannot understand how this has never been re-published, a remarkable picture of the fighting spirit of the RAF in the battle. Rarely does a book convey a sense of the man as here, made all the more poignant by reference to colleagues who went on to lead full and rewarding lives after the war while the author died as we see him here, a 1940 picture in time in 116 pages.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A First-Hand Account of Perhaps the Greatest Battle Ever
8 Feb 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Many years ago I saw a picture in one of my Battle of Britain books of an armourer working on a beautiful Spitfire with the squadron code QV-K. That plane was flown by the author of this book, and he scored some of his victories whilst* flying it. I had always wanted to find out more about this man who was one of "the Few" who stopped the Luftwaffe's blitz in the opening years of WWII. These are the words of a young Englishman who loved his country and ended up giving his life to protect it. I think the best thing about the book -- slight as it is with only 116 pages of text -- is that it was written while the events were still fresh in the author's memory. Anyone who collects books on the Battle should understand that their collection is not complete without this memoir.
By the way, I have to mention that the volume is filled with typos and punctuation marks showing up in random places. Still, it's well worth the time to enjoy this inspiring story filled with wit, courage and, ultimately, sacrifice.
* I had to put a "whilst" in here as the book is full of them.
By the way, I have to mention that the volume is filled with typos and punctuation marks showing up in random places. Still, it's well worth the time to enjoy this inspiring story filled with wit, courage and, ultimately, sacrifice.
* I had to put a "whilst" in here as the book is full of them.
0 of 6 people found the following review helpful
SPITFIRE
3 May 2011
Format:Paperback
A GREAT BOOK ON ONE OF THE GREAT LEADERS WHO LOST HIS LIFE CARRYING OUT MISSIONS WHICH TURNES OUT OF NOT MUCH BENEFIT TO THE DEFEAT OF GERMANY
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