Six Weeks Of Blenheim Summer - An RAF Officer's Memoir Of The Battle Of France 1940

"As I write, I can clearly recall the stinging heat of a burning Blenheim, smells, tastes, expressions, sounds of voices and, most of all, fear gripping deep in me''.My grandfather, Alastair Panton was an RAF reconnaissance pilot flying Bristol Blenheims in the Battle of France during the summer of 1940. His role was to look for the enemy and provide photographs to help commanders planning defence and attack. During those fateful weeks, his life was filled with extraordinary drama. Alastair witnessed much of which human beings are capable – including atrocity and despair but also hope, courage and even laughter – and he showed no small measure of courage himself. He was shot down four times.I know this not because Alastair spoke of it, but because afterwards he wrote an account called Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer. I found my grandfather’s memoir in an old brown envelope, nestled in a box among some of my father’s wartime model aeroplanes shortly after he died in August 2012. After reading the transcript I felt compelled to get it published, to remember Alastair and also as a mark of gratitude to the many brave and courageous Airmen and Women who served alongside of him.Flying Officer Alastair Panton RAF was just 23 when his squadron was deployed across the English Channel as part of the Allied defensive efforts in France. They were increasingly desperate days.Pushed back to the beaches as the German blitzkrieg rolled through the Low Countries and on into France, by 4 June 1940, the evacuation of the Allied forces from Dunkirk had just been completed. A little over two weeks later France surrendered.Flying vital, dangerous, low-level Operations throughout the campaign in direct support of the BEF on the ground in an unarmed Bristol Blenheim was never going to be easy, but with the Luftwaffe's aerial supremacy, it rapidly became almost suicidal. At the height of the fighting he was involved in his squadron's Aircrews lost 2 aircraft for every day. Six Weeks Of Blenheim Summer Is A Vivid And Unique Memoir Of Life As An Raf Reconnaissance Pilot In France During The Hellish Summer Of 1940, As The Germans Marched Into First Belgium And Then France. It Brings To Life The Fear, Loneliness, Pain And Terrible Sadness Panton And His Comrades Came To Live With During Those Long Weeks; As Well As Drawing On The Bravery, Camaraderie And Humanity Which Made Those Unpredictable Days More Bearable. The Aeroplane Alastair Panton Captained Throughout This Intense Period Was A Bristol Blenheim Mark Iv And This Is Very Much The Story Of A Pilot And His Plane. His Saw His Blenheim As His Friend And Hero. It Was The Vehicle From Which He And His Crew Were Able To Spot The Enemy And Subsequently Save Lives. Neither Did His Blenheim Let Him Down When It Was Shot At, Early On In The Campaign; It Withstood Intense Bombardment And Allowed Him To Make Safe Landings On Several Occasions And Thus Dramatically Rescue His Crew Members. Panton Describes Six Weeks Of Blenheim Summer, Culminating In The Dunkirk Evacuation Of The British Expeditionary Force, As A Story Of Failure. The Author Witnessed Fear, Despair And The Expectation Of Death On A Daily Basis. Whilst He Survived, So Many Of His Friends And Comrades Did Not. The Grief Never Left Him. This Extraordinary Book, Written In The Aftermath Of The War, Was Brought To Light After Panton's Death By His Granddaughter, Victoria Bacon Who Edits And Introduces It.--publisher's Description. Alastair Panton And Victoria Panton Bacon. Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer is a vivid and lyrical memoir of life as an RAF reconnaissance pilot in France during the hellish summer of 1940. It brings to life the fear, loneliness and pain that Alastair Panton and his comrades came to live with during those long weeks, as well as the bravery, camaraderie and humanity that made those unpredictable days more bearable. The aeroplane Panton captained throughout this intense period was a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV. He saw the Blenheim as his friend and saviour. It was the vehicle from which he and his crew were able to spot the enemy and save lives, repeatedly withstanding shooting and bombardment to facilitate dramatic landings and rescues. Yet despite these heroic adventures, culminating in his being shot down a fourth time, captured and made a prisoner of war, Panton describes Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer as a story of failure. Whilst he survived, so many of his friends and comrades did not, and this grief never left him. Panton's extraordinary book, written in the aftermath of the war but discovered posthumously, is edited and introduced by his granddaughter Victoria Panton Bacon. A candid and gripping read, this is very much the story of a pilot and his plane. An utterly unique portrait of one man and his Blenheim plane, a must read.