Spitfire Women of World War II
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Review
‘Superb…At long last these magnificent women have the tribute they deserve.' Sir Ranulph Fiennes
‘Thrilling…true adventure stories.’ The Times
’The breadth of Whittell’s research leaps off the page in telling encounters with the now-aged survivors.’ Scotsman
‘Extraordinary stories.’ Daily Mail
‘Giles Whittell’s affectionate book reads like a Boy’s Own adventure turned on its head…and uncovers some exceptional tales.’ Financial Times
‘Reading it is a bumpy flight as well as an exciting one…the author’s enthusiasm carries the day.’ TLS
'Extraordinary stories of women who had little fear and minimal concern for the enormous step they were taking in banging “Good grief, it's a girl!” condescension on the head.' Good Housekeeping
‘An eye-opening and at times very moving illustration of the courage and sacrifice of women who deserve to be remembered alongside their more celebrated male counterparts.’ Literary Review
Review
'Superb!At long last these magnificent women have the tribute they deserve.' Sir Ranulph Fiennes 'Thrilling!true adventure stories.' The Times 'The breadth of Whittell's research leaps off the page in telling encounters with the now-aged survivors.' Scotsman 'Extraordinary stories.' Daily Mail 'Giles Whittell's affectionate book reads like a Boy's Own adventure turned on its head!and uncovers some exceptional tales.' Financial Times 'Reading it is a bumpy flight as well as an exciting one!the author's enthusiasm carries the day.' TLS 'Extraordinary stories of women who had little fear and minimal concern for the enormous step they were taking in banging "Good grief, it's a girl!" condescension on the head.' Good Housekeeping 'An eye-opening and at times very moving illustration of the courage and sacrifice of women who deserve to be remembered alongside their more celebrated male counterparts.' Literary Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
No idea what these bad reviews are about - I found the book absolutely fascinating, well-researched and engagingly written. Nothing can take away from the sheer guts these women had, and the book inadvertently gives a vivid picture of just how much death permeated everyday life during the War: colleagues, friends, loved ones - and one's self, of course - could cease to exist at any moment, frequently quite horribly. It very eloquently shows women living under such terrific strain while behaving with almost incomprehensible bravery in fulfilling their own missions.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
By coincidence I'd just read Diana Barnato Walker's autobiography when I came across this book. Very much enjoyed the additional insights from other pilots and also it helped that the author was also able to put things in historical context. I found the book a real "page-turner" and full of amusing stories and gossip.
I enjoyed reading it even more than I did DBW's own account and also Jeffrey Quill's and Alex Henshaw's biographies which I also read in the past few months.
I enjoyed reading it even more than I did DBW's own account and also Jeffrey Quill's and Alex Henshaw's biographies which I also read in the past few months.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is not a technical book about flying, but a piece of social history about a small group of women who were determined to utilise their flying skills, both for the personal experience it gave them and to assist the war effort. The battles with authority and prejudice represented the social attitudes of the time. The ferry pilots flew without radios and other aids and had only a brief period to learn a new aircraft from notes they nwere given for each aircraft. The women pilots were not taught how to fly on instruments, a particular hazard when flying in bad weather. Although some it appears were taught on an ad hoc basis by male pilots who were had the opportunity to assist them. They were a singular group of women, some insular and some forceful, all brave, a number lost their lives. They flew missions on practically a daily basis, including taking aircraft in poor condition to be broken up. A situation that proved highly dangerous on occasion and called for a high level of skill when things went wrong. All of them wanted to fly a Spitfire, and some undoubtedly would have made good operational pilots. Although this was never considered.
I would have liked a bit more of the politics of the situation in the Air Minstry as background. But still a fascinating piece of war and social history.
I would have liked a bit more of the politics of the situation in the Air Minstry as background. But still a fascinating piece of war and social history.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Book was ok ,had expected a lot more
Book was ok, had expected a lot more. The stories told were not inspiring, proberly least interesting book written about peoples wartime experiences I have read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Pops and abbey
Remarkable women
I read this after watching the television programme and I was enthralled by both. It was fascinating to read the reminiscences of the women of today looking back at their... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Olivej
Interesting subject - poorly presented
The book contains many interesting annecdotes of distinctive women in wartime, but these are frustratingly put together lacking any logical structure or sequence.
Published 9 months ago by Stuart W. Pole
Women of the Air Transport Auxillary
This is the story of the Women of the Air Transport Auxillary. These were the skilled pilots who delivered aircraft from the factory to the operational units. Read more
Published 13 months ago by RayB
A good read.
Purchased book for my wife who read it with enthusiasm and clearly enjoyed it. Maybe one day I will read it myself.
Published 14 months ago by Robert Park
Very enjoyable except...
A very enjoyable book. I bought the Kindle version and it loses a star for not having any photographs. Why? It's not as if its difficult to add photos to a Kindle book.
Published 14 months ago by J. R. Clarke
Forgotton heroines
I was looking for an interesting book on WW2, something a bit unusual and came across this book. After reading the reviews i decided it may be worth a look, and I am so pleased I... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Col Blimp
Spitfire Women - unsung heroines
This is an excellent and moving read describing the, possibly, little known contribution made by women pilots from all over the world in transporting aircraft during the second... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Hugh
One for all the enthusiasts
I'm defnitely a flying enthusiast, and a history enthusiast, and I loved this book. It does focus on the 'first 8' women, as well as the first that came from North America. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2009 by Laura Shapland
Unmissable for anyone interested in aviation history
This is one of the most fascinating stories I have read this year, no it's not highly technical (There are many technical Tours de Force on the Spitfire). Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2008 by Andrew R. Spark
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