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Spitfire
- A Very British Love Story
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
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Spitfire
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Publisher's Summary
'The best book you will ever read about Britain's greatest warplane.' Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of Fighter Boys.
‘A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine. By focussing on the men (and women) who flew the Spitfire, John Nichol has brought a fresh and powerful perspective to the story. And by recording their bravery, humility, camaraderie, tragedy and sheer joy in flying their beloved Spits he has done them - and us - a valuable service’ Rowland White, bestselling author of Vulcan 607
'As the RAF marks its centenary, Nichol has created a thrilling and often moving tribute to some of its greatest heroes.' Jon Dennis, Mail on Sunday magazine.
'A stirring portrait of a piece of aviation art in motion flown by the bravest of the brave. Nichol's Spitfire is still a sky-borne prima ballerina that kicks like Bruce Lee.' RAF News
'A superb and compelling book. Brilliantly written with some incredible and astonishing stories; it is gripping, moving, emotional and sometimes humorous – just perfect' Squadron Leader (Ret) Clive Rowley, former Officer Commanding RAF Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight
'A superb journey through the remarkable tale of that British icon, the Spitfire. Brilliantly and engagingly written, this is the most readable story of the aircraft and her pilots that I have ever had the pleasure to read in a period spanning some forty-odd years of personal study and research. Truly stunning.' Andy Saunders, Editor, Britain at War Magazine.
The perfect complementary narrative to the bestselling memoir by Geoffrey Wellum – First Light.
Achtung, Spitfire!
The iconic Spitfire found fame during the darkest early days of World War II. But what happened to the redoubtable fighter and its crews beyond the Battle of Britain, and 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 and Heinkels would outclass anything the Royal Air Force threw at them. What Hitler hadn’t planned for was the agility and 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 and updates, and the people who flew and loved them, carries the reader beyond the dogfights over Kent and Sussex. Spanning the full global reach of the Spitfire’s deployment during WWII, from Malta to North Africa and the Far East, then over the D-Day beaches, it is always accessible, effortlessly entertaining and full of extraordinary spirit.
Here are edge-of-the-seat stories and heart-stopping first-hand accounts of battling pilots forced to bail out over occupied territory; of sacrifice and wartime love; of aristocratic female flyers, and of the mechanics who braved the Nazi onslaught to keep the aircraft in battle-ready condition. Nichol takes the reader on a hair-raising, nail-biting and moving wartime history of the iconic Spitfire populated by a cast of redoubtable, heroic characters that make you want to stand up and cheer.
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about Spitfire
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 23-06-2021
Awesome book
If you love Spitfires you will love this book. The complete story of all Spitfire marks.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Matthew D. Jackson
- 09-05-2022
wonderful history of the iconic aircraft
excellent and enthralling , covers the planes history from creation and throughout world war 2
the pilots , the battles and personal moments that make this such a great history
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-12-2023
Brilliant!
A fantastic book and superbly read. It reads like a novel with gripping tales of war stories and recounts, many of the stories get the heart rate up as if you were in the cockpit of the plane! A great book and a masterpiece to read. Recommend to any WW2 or air war enthusiasts.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- mike tibbitts
- 14-06-2020
Pretty vague with weird narration
Not really about Spitfires as such, no real technical details etc or even discussions of the many different types but anecdotes about the pilots, their backstories, partners etc. sometimes interesting, sometimes not. Action sequences are generally good, but other sections can be long and overly wordy not making for great or particularly interesting listening. There are stretches of up to an hour at a time which dont even talk about Spitfires, but pilot relationships, B17 rides or phases of the war etc.
Additionally, the tone and pacing of the narrator is really odd. Almost every sentence is delivered with long pauses for emphasis like it is the most important thing in the world, even when it is something utterly inconsequential and unimportant, it gets pretty tiresome.
Not a bad book, but not as good or as insightful as I'd hoped.
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