| Synopsis The never-before-told story of the American pilots-idealists,
adventurers, romantics-who joined the RAF before America entered the
war and helped save Britain in its darkest hour.
The few tells the dramatic and unforgettable story of eight young
Americans who joined Britain's Royal Air Force, defying their country's
neutrality laws and risking their U.S. citizenship to fight sideby-
side with England's finest pilots in the summer of 1940-over a year
before America entered the war. Flying the lethal and elegant Spitfire,
they became "knights of the air" and with minimal training but plenty
of guts, they dueled the skilled and fearsome pilots of Germany's
Luftwaffe. By October 1940, they had helped England win the
greatest air battle in the history of aviation. Winston Churchill once
said of all those who fought in the Battle of Britain, "Never in the
field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." These
daring Americans were the few among the "few." Now, with the narrative drive and human drama that made The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter national bestsellers, Alex Kershaw tells their story for the first time.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
With his customary narrative drive, Kershaw (The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-Day Sacrifice)
spotlights the handful of American pilots who joined the Royal Air
Force and its fighter squadrons during the Battle of Britain. They have
been overshadowed by or confused with the better-known Eagle Squadrons,
which formed in the autumn of 1940 with the tacit consent of the U.S.
government. Kershaw's "few" were a vanguard, enlisting individually to
operate the British Spitfire planes as early as May 1940, when England
stood alone and her odds of survival seemed long. Crusaders and
adventurers, the pilots ignored U.S. neutrality acts to fight from a
mixture of principled opposition to Nazism, vaguely defined Anglophilia
and sheer love of air combat at a time when it still seemed glamorous.
Scattered by ones and twos among different squadrons, each had his own
story, which Kershaw admirably contextualizes within the climate of the
Battle of Britain. Using personal vignettes to convey the extraordinary
routines of life in the cockpits, in the squadrons and in England,
Kershaw evokes the heroism of these pilots, only one of whom survived
the war whose tide they helped turn. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
WWII's Battle of Britain is so tense it is almost suspenseful in Scott
Brick's narration of a story that focuses on seven U.S. airmen who
risked life, limb, and citizenship to join the British Air Force during
the period of U.S. neutrality. Listeners are taken aboard Spitfires,
Messerschmitts, and bombers to see it all from the air. Brick is at his
best when voicing the memories of the American pilots, but Churchill,
Hitler, Goering, and others make appearances. Brick's German accents
are a bit stereotypical, but his British upper-crust fly boys and
earnest Americans are on target. Daily routines on base and tense air
combat scenes are filled with technical and military information. Still
the story moves at an amazing clip. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2007, Portland,
Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
In the summer of 1940, World War II was in its second year and Adolf
Hitler was planning to invade England. The U.S. had not yet entered the
war, but a few Americans joined Britain's Royal Air Force. Flying
Spitfire planes, they became known as the "knights of the air." In
doing so, they would break several neutrality laws and became what
Kershaw terms "outlaws in their own country." Kershaw, author of The Bedford Boys (2003) and The Longest Winter (2004),
tells the story of these pilots; 244 U.S. citizens eventually flew with
the RAF Eagle Squadrons. Only 1 survived the war. But according to the
RAF's official roster in 1940, just 7 Americans belonged to "the few."
These were the Americans who fought during the greatest air battle in
history, labeled the Battle of Britain. Like his other books, Kershaw
has written a rousing tale of little-known heroes. With 32 pages of
black-and-white photographs, The Few marks Kershaw as a master storyteller. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
American Profile, 1/22/07
"A stirring tale of adventure and derring-do that will make your spirits soar."
Library Journal, 10/15/2006
"[A] fine study...[Kershaw's] history hits the mark."
(BookPage, November 2006)
"Fascinating...[Kershaw gives] the reader an excellent feel for the precarious situation, both for the pilots and the world."
St. Petersburg Times, 11/12/2006
"One of the most affecting short histories I have read in many a month...[A] tribute to its subject."
San Antonio Express-News, 11/11/2006
"[Kershaw] delivers a vivid, well-researched story...[brings] a
complete picture of the battle itself, with detailed accounts from both
sides."
American Booksellers Association, 11/2/2006
"The Battle of Britain is masterly evoked and detailed in Alex
Kershaw's vivid, moving, and cinematic narrative...An affecting
tribute."
Richmond Times-Dispatch, 12/10/06
"Brings the thrills and terrors of pre-computerized air combat strikingly to life."
Daily Herald (Provo, UT), 11/23/06
"Thoroughly researched, deeply touching, and compellingly well-written."
St. Petersburg Times, 11/12/06
"One of the most affecting short histories I have read in many a month."
Roanoke Times, 11/19/06
"Kershaw's
attention to detail allows us to experience the dogfights and
bombings...and appreciate the indomitable English spirit."
About the Author
Alex Kershaw is the author of the widely acclaimed and best-selling books The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter, and two biographies: Jack London and Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa. He lives in Bennington, Vermont.
Product Details Hardcover: 344 pages
Carton Size: 10 books
Publisher: Da Capo Press (November 30, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0306813033
ISBN-13: 978-0306813030
Product Dimensions: 9.26 x 6.34 x 1.13 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds |
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