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Ralph Barker - That Eternal Summer: Untold True Stories from the Battle of Britain Kindle Edition
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In the balmy summer of 1940, Britain's most critical battle of the Second World War was fought out over the fields and towns of southern England.
In this book, Ralph Barker unearths twelve little known but unforgettable stories of men whose names may be unfamiliar but without whose selfless tenacity, Britain would not have survived. The restoration of squadron morale after the debacle in France, the misunderstanding of the RAF's role at Dunkirk, the harnessing of the 'ace' mentality to the attritional contest - all these are recounted, together with the inside story, related here for the first time.
Barker writes masterfully of the award of Fighter Command's only VC; of the 'mad Irishman' who knocked down his adversary with his wing tip in mid-air; of the fight to the death over Hyde Park Corner which stopped London's traffic; and of the poignant tragedy of the nineteen-year-olds who sold their lives dearly when thrown in at crisis point with scant preparation to plug ever-widening gaps. The bomber crews, too, are not forgotten, their losses being even greater than those of the fighter pilots; nor are those left behind to mourn, like 'Bunny' Lawrence, who lost both of his brothers within twenty-four hours at the climax of the Battle.
In this unusual and moving book, Ralph Barker has written a worthy and exhilarating tribute to the indomitable few.
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About the Author
Ralph Barker was born in Middlesex in 1917. He joined the editorial staff of Sporting Life in 1934 and later went into banking. He had some early success as a writer, and several of his sketches were performed at the Windmill Theatre. In 1940 he joined the RAF as a wireless operator and air gunner. After completing his training, he served with torpedo bomber squadrons, taking part in dangerous missions to attack ships bringing supplies to German forces. He left the RAF in 1946 to return to banking, but rejoined two years later. He went on to broadcast with the British Forces Network and work for the Air Ministry. Barker began to establish himself as a serious author on RAF subjects and his first book, Down in the Drink, was published in 1955. This was followed in 1957 by The Ship-Busters, inspired by his wartime experiences. He was subsequently invited to write The Last Blue Mountain, which was first published in 1959. He retired as a flight lieutenant in 1961 and became a full-time writer. Cricket was Barker's lifelong passion, and he played for the RAF and various Surrey clubs. His first cricket book, Ten Great Innings, was published in 1964, followed in 1967 by Ten Great Bowlers. Barker continued to write non-fiction titles on mainly cricketing and aviation themes, including a compendium of England-Australia Test matches and authoritative histories of the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. His final book, Men of the Bombers, was published in 2005. He died in 2011.
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In this book, Ralph Barker unearths twelve little known but unforgettable stories of men whose names may be unfamiliar but without whose selfless tenacity, Britain would not have survived. The restoration of squadron morale after the debacle in France, the misunderstanding of the RAF's role at Dunkirk, the harnessing of the 'ace' mentality to the attritional contest - all these are recounted, together with the inside story, related here for the first time.
Barker writes masterfully of the award of Fighter Command's only VC; of the 'mad Irishman' who knocked down his adversary with his wing tip in mid-air; of the fight to the death over Hyde Park Corner which stopped London's traffic; and of the poignant tragedy of the nineteen-year-olds who sold their lives dearly when thrown in at crisis point with scant preparation to plug ever-widening gaps. The bomber crews, too, are not forgotten, their losses being even greater than those of the fighter pilots; nor are those left behind to mourn, like 'Bunny' Lawrence, who lost both of his brothers within twenty-four hours at the climax of the Battle.
In this unusual and moving book, Ralph Barker has written a worthy and exhilarating tribute to the indomitable few.
Product details
- ASIN : B085WZMCZB
- Publisher : Lume Books (13 Mar. 2020)
- Language : English
- File size : 3083 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 198 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1790845947
- Best Sellers Rank: #21,236 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
About the Author
Ralph Barker was born in Middlesex in 1917. He joined the editorial staff of Sporting Life in 1934 and later went into banking. He had some early success as a writer, and several of his sketches were performed at the Windmill Theatre. In 1940 he joined the RAF as a wireless operator and air gunner. After completing his training, he served with torpedo bomber squadrons, taking part in dangerous missions to attack ships bringing supplies to German forces. He left the RAF in 1946 to return to banking, but rejoined two years later. He went on to broadcast with the British Forces Network and work for the Air Ministry. Barker began to establish himself as a serious author on RAF subjects and his first book, Down in the Drink, was published in 1955. This was followed in 1957 by The Ship-Busters, inspired by his wartime experiences. He was subsequently invited to write The Last Blue Mountain, which was first published in 1959. He retired as a flight lieutenant in 1961 and became a full-time writer. Cricket was Barker's lifelong passion, and he played for the RAF and various Surrey clubs. His first cricket book, Ten Great Innings, was published in 1964, followed in 1967 by Ten Great Bowlers. Barker continued to write non-fiction titles on mainly cricketing and aviation themes, including a compendium of England-Australia Test matches and authoritative histories of the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. His final book, Men of the Bombers, was published in 2005. He died in 2011.
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11 Comments
sorted byThe first combat use of the B-17 came not with the USAAC (U.S. Army Air Forces after 1941), but with the Royal Air Force.
Lacking a true heavy bomber at the start of World War II, the RAF purchased 20 B-17Cs. Designating the aircraft Fortress Mk I, the aircraft performed poorly during high-altitude raids in the summer of 1941.
These arrived in England on 14 April 1941 and were issued to No. 90 Squadron, who used them operationally for the first time on 8 July against Wilhelmshaven.
The Americans had strongly urged that the aircraft should not be used operationally as they were still suffering from teething troubles, but this advice was ignored and they were introduced in an attempt to provide a
high-altitude bombing force. During the next three months No. 90 Squadron encountered problem after problem, losing several aircraft to enemy fighters and unexplained crashes, which eventually led to the Fortress I being withdrawn from European operations by the RAF in September.
After eight aircraft were lost, the RAF transferred the remaining aircraft to Coastal Command for long-range maritime patrols. Later in the war, additional B-17s were purchased for use with Coastal Command and the aircraft was credited with sinking 11 u-boats.