The Few: The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Save Britain in the Summer of 1940 - Softcover

Kershaw, Alex

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0306815729 ISBN 13: 9780306815720

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2007

Synopsis

The Few tells the dramatic and unforgettable story of eight young Americans who joined Britain's Royal Air Force, defying their country's neutrality laws and risking their U.S. citizenship to fight side-by-side with England's finest pilots in the summer of 1940-over a year before America entered the war. Flying the lethal and elegant Spitfire, they became "knights of the air" and with minimal training but plenty of guts, they dueled the skilled and fearsome pilots of Germany's Luftwaffe. By October 1940, they had helped England win the greatest air battle in the history of aviation. Winston Churchill once said of all those who fought in the Battle of Britain, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." These daring Americans were the few among the "few." Now, with the narrative drive and human drama that made The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter national bestsellers, Alex Kershaw tells their story for the first time.

About this title

Review:

"A powerful reminder of the human cost of war."

"A moving story of uncommon valor." -- James Bradley

"Few books describe the costs of war so soberly and so vividly."

"The true story that inspired Saving Private Ryan."

"A heroic, inspiring story that deserves to be told."

"The poignant story of twenty-one young men... who died in the D-Day invasion."

About the Author:

Alex Kershaw is the author of the widely acclaimed and bestselling books The Bedford Boys, The Longest Winter, and The Few, and two biographies: Jack London and Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0306815729
• ISBN 13: 9780306815720
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360