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DirFX - The Few: The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain

The Few: The American
List Price: $25.00
Our Price: $18.62
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Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5449410922
EAN: 9780306813030
ISBN: 0306813033
Label: Da Capo Press
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2006-10-23
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Studio: Da Capo Press

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Editorial Reviews:

The never-before-told story of the American pilots--idealists, adventurers, romantics--who joined the RAF before America entered the war in order to fight Hitler and save Britain

By the summer of 1940 World War II had been under way for nearly a year. Hitler was triumphant and planning an invasion of England. But the United States was still a neutral country and, as Winston Churchill later observed, "the British people held the fort alone." A few Americans, however, did not remain neutral. They joined Britain's Royal Air Force to fight Hitler's air aces and help save Britain in its darkest hour.

The Few is the never-before-told story of these thrill-seeking Americans who defied their country's neutrality laws to fly side-by-side with England's finest pilots. They flew the lethal and elegant Spitfire, and became "knights of the air." With minimal training and plenty of guts they dueled the skilled pilots of Germany's Luftwaffe in the blue skies over England. They shot down several of Germany's fearsome aces, and were feted as national heroes in Britain. By October 1940, they had helped England win the greatest air battle in the history of aviation. At war's end, just one of the "Few" would be alive. The others died flying, wearing the RAF's dark blue uniform-each with a shoulder patch depicting an American eagle. As Winston Churchill said, "Never in the fieldof human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."


Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: quick appraisal of "The Few"
Comment: I enjoyed the book immensely. It is well written, and the author makes you feel you get to know the characters personally, both the Americans and the Germans. It is a quick read, and well worth the time. These guys were truly heroes.
I passed it on to my father-in-law who rarely reads books. But he loved it. I am now about to buy another copy for an old vet who is recovering from an operation. He is an Air Force veteran and will love it.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: Hard To Believe
Comment: Yes. It is a good book. Well researched and informative. But I can't believe that nobody mentioned the FACT that the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939, NOT September 1st, 1940 as Mr. Kershaw states on page 59 of his book. If Mr. Kershaw is English, as one reviewer states, shame on him. Further shame on DaCapo's editors. Any high school graduate should know this. Cheers.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: Too Few Too Thin
Comment: I just did not think there was much here in this book. It felt like a puffed up magazine article. The book focuses very tightly on the Americans who fought with the RAF before America entered the war, and I think that was too tight a focus. The book stays tightly on the scene in England, but it would have been better if we had learned more about the other foreign pilots who fought for a country other than their own. If it had to focus on just the Americans, than maybe taking the scene back to the home front would have been a good idea. I am sure each dogfight is a little different but reading about one aerial combat after another got to be too much for me.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: My Book Review
Comment: For a WWII history buff, this book gives the reader an insight to what lengths Americans went to in order to help allies prior to the US entry into WWII. Also gives an idea of the dangers and short life span of a fighter pilot during the "Blitz".

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: One of the Best
Comment: To date, this is the best book I have read about The Battle of Britain. As an American, it holds special interest as we had 'dogs in the hunt'. It is a story of exceptional courage told by an excellent author, Alex Kershaw. "The Few" may be the only history book you just can't put down.


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