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Full Description
The biography of the RAF's top fighter pilot, Johnnie Johnson who shot down more enemy aircraft than any other RAF pilot during the Second World War. Johnnie Johnson is a character literally straight out of the pages of 'Boys Own'. By the end of the Second World War the RAF Spitfire pilot was a household name in Britain, feted by Churchill and Eisenhower. Although he missed the Battle of Britain when slow flying bombers were abundant and easy targets for fighters by 1945 he had notched up 38 enemy 'kills' - all fighters which took far more skill to shoot down - and officially the RAF's top-scoring fighter ace. One of his most impressive achievements was that despite over 1000 combat missions, he was never shot down. His Spitfire was damaged once and on his return to base he apologised to his fitter saying 'I was surrounded by six of them'. Aviation historian Dilip Sarkar spent many hours with Johnson in the final years of the great man's life, recording the last interviews Johnson would ever gave. The book is infused with breath-taking first hand accounts from Johnnie himself and many of his fellow Spitfire pilots also interviewed by the author and profusely illustrated with photographs from Johnson's personal albums.
Contents
Glossary Introduction 1 First Blood: Prelude to Excellence 2 The Bader Factor: Tangmere Wing 3 Bader's Bus Company: Still Running 4 Squadron Commander: Rhubarbs & JUBILLEE 5 Wing Commander (Flying): Greycap Leader 6 127 Wing: Tactical Air Force 7 Staff Appointment: 'My Closest Shave of the War' 8 144 Wing: Shot & Shell 9 D-Day: 'Looking Down into Hell' 10 Normandy: Overtaking the Sailor 11 Normandy: Top Scoring Fighter Wing 12 Normandy: Search & Destroy 13 127 Wing: The Long Trek 14 Johnnie Johnson: Top Scoring RAF Fighter Pilot 15 Conclusion: 'A Marvellous Life' Appendix: Johnnie Johnson's Aerial Combat Claims Acknowledgements Bibliography List of Illustrations Index
