BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1940) - Respecting THE FEW.

[Smithy]

Just got all 4 photograph collection books.
Plan to spend the whole evening with my nose in them.

Good job mate! Poor Dorthe won't get any sense out of you for the next few days

 

[Spitfire]

.....eh...you were saying, Smithy???lol

 

[Spitfire]

RIP Bob Doe, Battle of Britain hero.

This morning saw the sad loss of Wing Commander Bob Doe - Battle of Britain Spitfire and Hurricane hero. RIP.
The Few are getting fewer - let us never forget.

 

[Windsock]

Painful news Soren, but inevitable.

This has reminded me to call a couple of old WWII Pilot mates tomorrow for a chin wag (or as one of them calls it "hanger doors open").

 

[kampkatz]

Is there a published obit on this hero?

 

[aswatland]

This is really sad news indeed. Here's a link to his obituary in the Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obi...bituaries/7294353/Wing-Commander-Bob-Doe.html

 

[Smithy]

I had heard about this through the BoBHS. Very sad news indeed.

For those interested in learning more about Bob's experiences, may I suggest his autobiography, "Bob Doe: Fighter Pilot".

Good job posting this Søren :eusa_clap

 

[KilroyCD]

One of our true heroes has passed. My he rest in peace.

High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

 

[Hondo]

Its sad but thats life, we'll all face that one day.
Death be not proud! RIP

 

[Smithy]

Heads up lads!

James Holland's "The Battle of Britain" has just been released. He's written the very, very good "Fortress Malta" and "Italy's Sorrow" and the excellent Battle of Britain novel, "The Burning Blue" amongst others.

Based on his earlier efforts this should to be a great one for us BoB nuts and I personally think promises to be an absolute corker.

 

[Spitfire]

Preordered it fom Amazon - unfortunately it did not arrive before my trip to London. Now I has something to look forward to instead.

 

[Pip]

Slightly off-topic I'm afraid chaps, but have any of you read Geoffery Wellum's autobiography 'First Light'? If so, the BBC are releasing a documentary on it to coincide with the Battle of Britain 70th anniversary in September.

I have spent the last week on the set doing some of the main background work and it looks very very promising!

Something to look forward to hopefully

 

[Smithy]

Slightly off-topic I'm afraid chaps, but have any of you read Geoffery Wellum's autobiography 'First Light'? If so, the BBC are releasing a documentary on it to coincide with the Battle of Britain 70th anniversary in September.

I have spent the last week on the set doing some of the main background work and it looks very very promising!

Something to look forward to hopefully

Pip, without doubt my favourite BoB pilot memoir, I've read it about three times now.

There's been some talk about this in the BoB Historical Society since it was announced last year. Sounds excellent and looking forward to it immensely.

 

[Chas]

Not meaning to tinkle on anyone's parade, but what is different about this book (or expected to be) that hasn't already been covered?

The BoB, after D-Day, has got to be the most written-about battle in WW2. Pretty well-trod ground, isn't it?

I'm going to open a humungulous can of worms and suggest that SeaLion never would have come off, even if the Germans had managed to take out Fighter Command.

 

[Spitfire]

Not meaning to tinkle on anyone's parade, but what is different about this book (or expected to be) that hasn't already been covered?

The BoB, after D-Day, has got to be the most written-about battle in WW2. Pretty well-trod ground, isn't it?

I'm going to open a humungulous can of worms and suggest that SeaLion never would have come off, even if the Germans had managed to take out Fighter Command.

A woman comes into a huge store.
Looking for a gift for her husband, she asks in the information for gifts.
The man behind the counter suggests a book.
Oh no - she says - he's got one of those.

Because different writers, writes differently and from different angles.
Because new facts are still being digged up.
And because it's bloody interesting - at least to some of us.

Regarding your last statement: Yes, you are opening a can of worms!
Of course you are welcome to think whatever you like - even if it goes up against all known historans and historical facts and documents. But why bother?
And why bother us?
Are you a man with a mission or just another troll...

 

[Spitfire]

Just bought these 4 new titles:

Bought the last one at Duxford this sunday. Really great (coffetable???) book - stuffed with original maps, memos, letters, combatreports - all wrapped up in an amazing layout!

 

[Smithy]

Not meaning to tinkle on anyone's parade, but what is different about this book (or expected to be) that hasn't already been covered?

The BoB, after D-Day, has got to be the most written-about battle in WW2. Pretty well-trod ground, isn't it?

That's a bit of a daft thing to say. New information becoming available and new interpretations are the basis of history writing.

And new information is constantly coming to light concerning the BoB. Look at the titles released by Andy Saunders of late and particularly his "Finding the Few" of last year. My good friend Ken Wynn is releasing his 3rd edition of "Men of the Battle of Britain" this year and it is going to be 30% larger than the previous edition, and how much of it is going to be new unpublished information? 30%.

Obviously if the BoB is not of great interest to you then you could get by just reading one of Townshend Bickers, Bishop, Bungay or even Wood and Dempster's offerings. But for those with a particular interest in a subject, new information and new interpretations are also going to be of interest, and eagerly awaited.

I'm going to open a humungulous can of worms and suggest that SeaLion never would have come off, even if the Germans had managed to take out Fighter Command.

With Sealion, the fact of the matter was that an actual ground invasion of Britain was not necessarily needed. If the Luftwaffe had of been able to decimate the RAF then German air superiority over the Channel and southern England could ultimately have forced a British conditional ceasefire, or at the very least severely hampered Britain's ability to wage a war against Germany. Dowding acknowledged this, and Hitler also preferred a conditional ceasefire of Britain, that is why he was still repeating his 19th July appeal for one in leaflets in August.

Either way, 2917 brave men made sure that we never had to face the possibly of either a conditional British ceasefire or even the possibility of a German invasion.

 

[Smithy]

Søren, I have that Richard Overy offering on order. Heard good things about it as well.

Did you splash out on anything else at Duxford?

 

[Pip]

Quite a fan of Dickie Overy's book, it's a good read and certainly doubles up as something to steady tables and chairs

Dickie is a good friend of one of my lecturers at university so managed to meet him and get it signed, he's a very nice chap really and knows his beans! In addition to that, and unfortunately I'm not on commission, but the Battle of Britain Experience book is now on offer on Amazon.co.uk/com for £15!

P.S. Will dig out a few of the photos I took on set to give you a little taste of what is to come

 

[Spitfire]

Søren, I have that Richard Overy offering on order. Heard good things about it as well.

Did you splash out on anything else at Duxford?

Besides a good and solid suntan, meeting Andrew and Paddy, the occasional pint of Spitfire and lots of great flying (3 Hurricanes together!!!) - that's about it.