I grew up reading a lot of WW2 pilot memoirs and have started to revist them.
Fighter Pilot, Enemy Coast Ahead, Bring Back My Stringbag, Carrier Pilot, Wings Of The Navy, The Big Show and countless others. Two stick in my mind but I can’t remember either by name and its driving me insane.:confused:
one was by a Blenheim Pilot flying from Malta, the second about a P-39 aircobra pilot, the title was the name of his aircraft but if I recall he never painted the name on it…… it was an unusual book, low key and he seemed to talk down his part in the war if I recall.
I know as soon as I hit “post” one will come back but I’ve been racking my brains for a couple of days…. do the vague hints above ring any bells at all?
By: Dan Johnson - 2nd August 2008 at 02:41
Got a PM from Baz V – thank you, Nanette by Edwards Park – I just hope its as good as I remember…..
thanks to all – much appreciated !
Nanette is as good as you remember. Probably top of my list of fighter pilot memiors and I’ve read a million of em 🙂
By: Frazer Nash - 2nd August 2008 at 01:48
Ted Park also wrote “Angels 20”, which is an account of him flying P39s and then P47s in New Guinea. Again, an unusual book, but a good read. Published in 1994 by University of Queensland Press.
By: BSG-75 - 1st August 2008 at 22:04
The only P-39 book I know is “God is My Co-pilot”.
Got a PM from Baz V – thank you, Nanette by Edwards Park – I just hope its as good as I remember…..
thanks to all – much appreciated !
By: BSG-75 - 1st August 2008 at 21:58
Ah, that’s the one. The Airacobra pilot doesn’t do anything for the old grey cells though. RAF or USAAF?
USAAF, pacific, its driving me mad…. had small line drawings in it, and I can remember one passage about how the P-400 felt different when the cannon fired over the P-39… I can see the **** book in my mind, white cover, it was really unusual, downplayed himself, no kills etc etc…. you just now you’ll see a eureka post from me at 4:15 am when I wake up and it hits me…!
By: T-21 - 1st August 2008 at 20:30
The only P-39 book I know is “God is My Co-pilot”.
By: slicer - 1st August 2008 at 20:04
Ah, that’s the one. The Airacobra pilot doesn’t do anything for the old grey cells though. RAF or USAAF?
By: BSG-75 - 1st August 2008 at 19:53
Was it Roy Nesbitt? Ron Gillman?? It does ring a bell.
The Shiphunters – R E Gillman
£2.06 now from second hand sites… thank you !!!
one to go…. bugging me even more, I was reading it on the way into my english o level (odd what you remember…) and had it take away from me !
By: slicer - 1st August 2008 at 19:49
Was it Roy Nesbitt? Ron Gillman?? It does ring a bell.
By: john_txic - 1st August 2008 at 19:18
“one was by a Blenheim Pilot flying from Malta”
Would that be a 107 Sqn pilot? Seem to recall a series of articles by him in Aeroplane Monthly yonks ago. But as to name and title……… ????
By: BSG-75 - 1st August 2008 at 19:17
Hmmm..Enemy Cost Ahead. Would that one be about paying the price of freedom, perhaps!!!
🙁 and to think I help the kids with homework……
it was Blenheims for certain not Beauforts, hardback had a photo on the front, of a Blenheim flying over s ahsip, its driving me mad now….!
By: slicer - 1st August 2008 at 19:05
Hmmm..Enemy Cost Ahead. Would that one be about paying the price of freedom, perhaps!!!
By: Denis - 1st August 2008 at 18:31
I have a book called ‘Torpedo leader on Malta’ by Wing commander Gibbs. The aircraft were Bristol Beauforts, was it this one ?
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August 1, 2008 at 4:41 pm