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A review by komet2020
Fighter Pilot: A Personal Record of the Campaign in France 1939-1940 by Diana Richey
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
FIGHTER PILOT is Paul Richey's account of his experiences with a frontline Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter squadron in France from the earliest days of the Second World War, culminating with the Battle of France of May-June 1940, in which Richey (who also spoke fluent French) and his squadron mates, suddenly finds themselves in the thick of the action against the full might of the Luftwaffe in the wake of the Blitzkrieg Hitler unleashed on Western Europe.
Originally published anonymously in 1941, Richey later updated the book several times after the war to give the reader a fuller sense of the life he experienced as a young pilot flying Hawker Hurricanes and the many personalities, both within the squadron and among the civilian and military figures in the RAF leadership in France with whom he often interacted.
The book is also richly supplemented with photos of Richey, his squadron mates and the planes they flew, their French Air Force compatriots and the aircraft they flew, people outside of the RAF with whom Richey became acquainted in France during the period covered in the book, as well as some photos of the German airmen and planes Richey faced in combat.
What I most like about Paul Richey's writing is how relatable it is and how well it conveys to the reader the tempo of life in the early months of the war, which went from the somewhat somnolent pace of the Phoney War period to the frenetic and chaotic atmosphere which characterized the Battle of France. A battle in which Richey faced overwhelming odds in aerial combat, was severely wounded, and barely managed to escape back to Britain when the French collapse was imminent.
Originally published anonymously in 1941, Richey later updated the book several times after the war to give the reader a fuller sense of the life he experienced as a young pilot flying Hawker Hurricanes and the many personalities, both within the squadron and among the civilian and military figures in the RAF leadership in France with whom he often interacted.
The book is also richly supplemented with photos of Richey, his squadron mates and the planes they flew, their French Air Force compatriots and the aircraft they flew, people outside of the RAF with whom Richey became acquainted in France during the period covered in the book, as well as some photos of the German airmen and planes Richey faced in combat.
What I most like about Paul Richey's writing is how relatable it is and how well it conveys to the reader the tempo of life in the early months of the war, which went from the somewhat somnolent pace of the Phoney War period to the frenetic and chaotic atmosphere which characterized the Battle of France. A battle in which Richey faced overwhelming odds in aerial combat, was severely wounded, and barely managed to escape back to Britain when the French collapse was imminent.