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 field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Hard To Believe:
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.
Too Few Too Thin:
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... more info
My Book Review:
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".
One of the Best:
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.
