Spitfire ace of aces : the true wartime story of Johnnie Johnson

Johnnie Johnson is a character literally straight out of the pages of ' Boys Own'. By the end of the Second World War the RAF Spitfire pilot was a household name in Britain, feted by Churchill and Eisenhower. Although he missed the Battle of Britain, when slow- flying bombers were abundant and easy targets for fighters, by 1945 he had notched up 381/2 enemy 'kills' - all fighters, which took far more skill to shoot down - and was officially the RAF's top-scoring fighter ace. One of his most impressive achievements was that, despite participating in over 1,000 combat missions, he was never shot down. His Spitfire was damaged once, and on his return to base he apologised to his fitter, saying, 'I was surrounded by six of them.' Aviation historian Dilip Sarkar spent many hours with Johnson in the final years of the great man's life, recording the last interviews Johnson ever gave. The book is infused with breathtaking firsthand accounts from Johnnie himself and many of his fellow Spitfire pilots, also interviewed by the author, and profusely illustrated with photographs from Johnson's personal albums. "Johnnie Johnson is a character literally straight out of the pages of 'Boys Own.' By the end of the Second World War the RAF Spitfire pilot was a household name in Britain, feted by Churchill and Eisenhower. Although he missed the Battle of Britain, when show-flying bombers were abundant and easy targets for fighters, by 1945 he had notched up 38 1/2 enemy 'kills'--all fighters, which took far more skill to shoot down--and was officially the RAF's top-scoring fighter ace."--Back cover The only official biography, written with the co- operation of Johnson's family. A remarkable pilot, he flew 1000 missions, was never shot down and notched up 38 enemy 'kills' the highest total of any RAF pilot. Johnnie Johnson is a character literally straight out of the pages of 'Boys Own' The biography of the RAF's top fighter pilot, Johnnie Johnson who shot down more enemy aircraft than any other RAF pilot during the Second World War.