Last of the Few
The Battle of Britain in the words of the pilots who won it.
- By The Editors
- AirSpaceMag.com, August 01, 2011
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Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIA at Kemble AIr Day 2008, Glouchestershire, England. Photograph courtesy Adrian Pingstone.
Pilot Officer David Crook
609 Squadron
It is an odd thing when you are being fired at by a rear-gunner that the stream of bullets seems to leave the machine very slowly and in a great outward curve. You chuckle to yourself, “Ha, the fool’s missing me by miles!” Then, suddenly, the bullets accelerate madly and curl in towards you again and flick just past your head. You thereupon bend your head a little lower, mutter, “My God,” or some other suitable expression, and try to kill the rear-gunner before he makes any more nuisance of himself.
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Comments (1)
The photos and excerpts from "The Last of the Few" are superb, vivid, and moving. I will certainly be adding this fine volume to my collection. One comment, however. The aircraft in the photo of the the fighter going down, presumably during The Battle of Britain, is described as a Hurricane. I believe it is a Spitfire. Note the somewhat thinner fuselage, and the thinner wing, which appears to be elliptical, the classic signature of the graceful Supermarine vs. the more workmanlike Hawker. Under the left wing, you can also see a small, cylindrical protrusion found only on the Spit. Though it was more than 70 years ago, I hope that pilot made it out.
Posted by Richard Moffa on October 27,2011 | 06:19 PM