Spitfire : a very British love story /

Nichol, John, 1963-

Spitfire : a very British love story / John Nichol. - London : Simon & Schuster, [2018]. - xiii, 434 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white, and colour) ; 24 cm.

Illustrations on lining papers.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The iconic Spitfire found fame during the darkest early days of World War II. But what happened to the redoubtable fighter and its crews beyond the Battle of Britain, and why is it still so loved today? In late Spring 1940, Nazi Germany's domination of Europe had looked unstoppable. With the British Isles in easy reach since the fall of France, Adolf Hitler was convinced that Great Britain would be defeated in the skies over her southern coast, confident his Messerschmitts and Heinkels would outclass anything the Royal Air Force threw at them. What Hitler hadn't planned for was the agility and resilience of a marvel of British engineering that would quickly pass into legend - the Spitfire. John Nichol's passionate portrait of this magnificent fighter aircraft, its many innovations and updates, and the people who flew and loved them, carries the reader beyond the dogfights over Kent and Sussex.

9781471159206 (hbk.) : 20.00 1471159205 (hbk.) : 20.00 9781471176883 (pbk)


Spitfire (Fighter plane)--History.
Warfare and Defence.
Warfare and Defence.

UG1242.F5

623.7464 NIC