Fighter Boys

In the summer of 1940, the future of Britain and the free world rested in the hands of the young men of Fighter Command. For most of the 3,000 young British airmen involved, the Battle of Britain, fought in the skies, was their first real experience of combat - and for many, the last. Drawing on extensive new research - including diaries, letters, memoirs and interviews with many of the survivors - Patrick Bishop vividly evokes both the courage and coolness under fire that forged the legend of gentlemanly heroism of the Fighter Boys. This book also explores the darker side of life as a Fighter Boy: the risks, the killing and the fear, the loss of beloved friends. This is a unique study of their indomitable spirit, conveying with unprecedented force what it felt like to be a fighter pilot, in peace and in war.