The Silver Spitfire - Hardcover

Neil, Tom

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 147133614X ISBN 13: 9781471336140

Publisher: Windsor, 2013

Synopsis

During the build up to the Allied invasion of Northern Europe, Battle of Britain hero Tom 'Ginger' Neil was assigned as an RAF liaison to an American fighter squadron. Acting as a British representative, Neil was tasked with negotiating and overcoming the countless culture clashes that existed between the two allies. From encountering unfamiliar planes and uncomfortable attitudes towards the British to meeting the King of Yugoslavia and General George Patton and falling in love, Neil's time with the Americans was anything but dull. As the Allies pushed east, Neil commandeered an abandoned Spitfire as his own personal aeroplane. Erasing any evidence of its provenance and stripping it down to bare metal, it became the RAF's only silver Spitfire. Love affair and culture clashes on hold, he took the silver Spitfire into battle alongside his US comrades until - with the war's end - he was forced to make a difficult decision. Faced with too many questions about the mysterious rogue fighter, he contemplated increasingly desperate measures to offload it, including bailing out mid-Channel. He eventually left the Spitfire at Worthy Down, never to be seen again. The Silver Spitfire is the first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire. (Large Print Edition)

About this title

Review

An icon of battle as well as one of the most successful pilots, Neil is uniquely qualified to tell a story that is both the ultimate military epic and also distinctly personal. (MILITARY TIMES)

Tom Neil is one of the last of the Few (BEST OF BRITISH, DAILY EXPRESS)

The first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire. (ROYAL AIR FORCE NEWS)

Amusing and enjoyable. (GOOD BOOK GUIDE)

Tom Neil is one of the last of the Few (Best of British, DAILY EXPRESS)

Book Description

A brilliantly vivid WWII memoir by one of 'the Few' fighter pilots.

Edition details

• Publisher: Windsor
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 147133614X
• ISBN 13: 9781471336140
• Binding: Hardcover