Book Recommendations on Pilot Memoir's

[SteelValkyrie]

Recently I've expanded my (now overflowing) collection of books, after reading a pdf someone posted of Norbert Hannig's experiences as a 190 pilot. I find a personal account of what pilots experienced to be a more gripping read than the likes of Yakovlev Aces of WW2 by Osprey which I struggle to read in long stints.

 

Currently I'm reading "They Gave me a Hurricane" by Charles "Tich" Palliser who fought in the BoB & Malta, and a book of interviews with various pilots called "The Last Zero Fighter". Both are extremely interesting in their own way and I recommend them highly if you are interested in the theater of war they're based in.

 

At the moment I've got my eyes on "Roar of the Tiger: From Flying Tigers to Mustangs", though it's pricing up at £28 for a decent second hand copy..

 

If you guys have any suggestions on books written by pilots from any nation please let me know! (but not my other half as she is already pretty disgruntled at the stack of books accumulating in the corner)

 

 

[HBPencil]

From the perspective of NZ pilots with the RAF I'd suggest these:

- 'From North Africa to the Arakan' by Alan Peart, RNZAF. He flew Spitfires with 81sqn, joining just after the Torch landings so flew over Africa, Sicily, Italy and then Burma. So he fought in the Siege of Imphal and of course that epic dogfight over the Broadway strip, for which he's quite well known.

 

- 'Blue Arena' by Robert 'Spud' Spurdle. He saw a huge amount of service and it makes for great reading, especially as he's brutally honest and pulls no punches... indeed in the preface he admits he knew he'd step on quite a few toes when writing his book. As such some readers may be uncomfortable with his views on the RNZAF top brass and the USAAF in general. Anyway, he started ops in late 1940 (with an RAF commission) on Spits and flew on the channel front (apart from a stint as cam-ship Hurri pilot, crossing the pond several times but never scrambled) until returning to NZ and doing a tour on P-40s in the Solomons in 1943. Then back to the UK, commanding 80sqn on Spit IXs when they converted to Tempests and moved to Holland. Pulled off ops in early '45 but became a forward air controller with the Army during the Rhine crossings till the end of the war. Needles to say he saw, and did, a lot!

[Gosshawk]

It's been more than 7 years but whatever, the book "Red star against the swastika" is an incredible book following one is the few IL-2 pilots who survived the war, it's available on Amazon and is definitely a good read

[Freycinet]

Great yarn:

https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Starboard-Seat-David-McIntosh/dp/0773730893