The iconic Spitfire found fame during the darkest early days of World War II. But what happened to the redoubtable fighter & its crews beyond the Battle of Britain, & 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 & Heinkels would outclass anything the Royal Air Force threw at them.

What Hitler hadn’t planned for was the agility & resilience of a marvel of British engineering that would quickly pass into legend – the Spitfire.

Bestselling author John Nichol’s passionate portrait of this magnificent fighter aircraft, its many innovations & updates, & the people who flew & loved them, carries the reader beyond the dogfights over Kent & Sussex.

Spanning the full global reach of the Spitfire’s deployment during WWII, from Malta to North Africa & the Far East, then over the D-Day beaches, it is always accessible, effortlessly entertaining & full of extraordinary spirit.

Product Information:
• ISBN: 9781471176883
• Author: John Nichol
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 434
• Dimensions: 23.5 x 15.5 x 3cm















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This book follows the story of one of the most iconic aircrafts from World War II. Illustrated with colour & black & white photographs, it gives you an insight into the contribution of the legendary Spitfire, from conception to production, as well as its pivotal role during the war. Also included are 5 pieces of classic memorabilia, with guidance documents, aircraft logbook, a collectable postcard & a permanent pass. A must-have for aviation enthusiasts. ...

It is 1940 & Britain is at war with Germany. In London, eighteen-year-old Susan Banks longs to do her duty. Her secret ambition is to learn to fly
- to serve her country & realise her dream. But she knows it is out of the question for a girl like her; a foundling, unwanted & unloved & dependent on strangers for her welfare. Just as she fears she will be trapped forever in a life of servitude & loneliness, she meets Tony Richards, a flying instructor based in Hampshire. & when she is forced to flee London, she heads out into the country. She is taken in by the kindly landlord of the local inn & his daughter. As Susan works hard to earn her keep, & her friendship with Tony
- now recalled to duty
- blossoms into love, she dares to hope that things are at last looking up for her. But then she receives devastating news
- Tony is missing in action. & Susan wonders if she'll ever see the man she loves again & realise her dream of becoming a Spitfire girl...



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We had returned to a different world. We had taken off in peace at nine-thirty & landed in war at noon. Jackie Moggridge was just nineteen when World War Two broke out. Determined to do her bit, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary. Ferrying aircraft from factory to frontline was dangerous work, but there was also fun, friendship & even love in the air.

At last the world was opening up to women...or at least it seemed to be. From her first flight at fifteen to smuggling Spitfires into Burma, Jackie describes the trials & tribulations, successes & frustrations of her life in the sky.

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Top-class pilots were crucial to the survival of Great Britain during the dark days of the Blitz, & playing a vital role in fending off the German attack was the women's section of the Air Transport Auxiliary, a close & dedicated circle of female pilots. In the midst of events that would shape history, these women risked their lives to ferry aircraft day & night from factory to the arena of war, & lasting friendships were born. Together, Edith Allam & her fellow pilots faced Nazi terror, class prejudice, & the forbidden romances of wartime
- yet their remarkable strength carried them through. Spitfire Girls evokes all the drama of this extraordinary period of history, & is a tribute to the heroism of these brave women, without whom the Battle of Britain might never have been won. Truly inspirational, it is a tale of adventure, courage & the relationships that define all of our lives.
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This is the story of how RJ Mitchell's design for a single-engined fighter became the legend that is the Spitfire. Earning both admiration & gratitude for its exploits in the Battle of Britain, this amazing aeroplane went on to become a versatile & adaptable asset that earned it the accolade of being the best fighter aircraft of WW2. ...

Written in 1940 in the heat of battle when the RAF stood alone against the might of Hitler's Third Reich, this work presents a personal account of one of the fiercest & most idealised air conflicts
- the Battle of Britain
- seen through the eyes of a pilot of the famous 609 Squadron, which shot down over 100 planes in that epic contest.

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Books History Books The story of the unsung heroines who flew the newest, fastest, aeroplanes in World War II – mostly in southern England where the RAF was desperately short of pilots. Why would the well-bred daughter of a New England factory-owner brave the U-boat blockades of the North Atlantic in the bitter winter of 1941? What made a South African diamond heiress give up her life of house parties & London balls to spend the war in a freezing barracks on the Solent? & why did young Margaret Frost start lying to her father during the Battle of Britain? They – & scores of other women – weren't allowed to fly in combat, but what they did was nearly as dangerous. Unarmed & without instruments or radios, they delivered planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary to the RAF bases from which male pilots flew into battle. At the mercy of the weather & any long-range enemy aircraft that pounced on them, fifteen of these women died, among them Amy Johnson, Britain's most famous flyer. But the survivors shared four unrepeatable years of life, adrenaline & love. The story of this 'tough bunch of babes' (in the words of one of them) has never been told properly before. The author has travelled to four continents to interview all the surviving women pilots, who came not just from the shires of Engl&, but also from the U.S.A, Chile, Australia, Poland & Argentina. Paid £ 6 a week, they flew up to 16 hours a day in 140 different types of aircraft, though most of them liked Spitfires the best. Product Information:  •†ISBN:† 9780008490607 •†Author:†  Giles Whittell •†Publisher:†  Harper Press •†Format:†  Paperback •†Pages:† 304 •†Dimensions:† 12.9 x 2.2 x 19.8 cm ...

Since its creation, the Spitfire has come to represent British engineering & military might. This book gives an insight into the contribution of the legendary Spitfire to British aviation history. Enjoy the wonderful pictures & fascinating facts about the conception, production & usage of this iconic aircraft. ...

Updated edition to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

It is difficult to overestimate the

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