Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Warm Beer: An American Fighter Pilot over Europe (World War II Commemorative S.) - Hardcover

Inhaltsangabe

With war on America's horizon in 1941, LeRoy Gover was determined to be a fighter pilot. Lacking the qualifications that would guarantee him U.S. Army Air Corps wings, the young Californian signed on with the Royal Air Force. By the end of the war, Gover was one of the most experienced American pilots in England, having flown with both the RAF and the Air Corps. Author Philip D. Caine skillfully weaves together the young flyer's letters and diary entries to create a vivid portrait of the kind of man who helped win World War II.
After training in the United States, Gover soaks in the atmosphere of indomitable, war-battered Britain, whose hospitable people are eager to show their appreciation to the curious Yank. There he flies the plane of his dreams, the sleek Spitfire. The reader climbs into Gover's cockpit for hair-raising missions, including the famous raid on Dieppe, after which Gover is the only squadron member still flying. Between combat flights, he unwinds by exploring England and Wales, with their thatched-roof cottages, air-raid comraderie, smoky pubs, and friendly young women. After transferring to an American unit and transitioning to the powerful P-47 Thunderbolt, he flies it on its first European mission.
By the end of his war, Gover had flown 159 combat missions and had received the Silver Star, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, and eight Air Medals. Of the thirteen men who graduated from his training class, he was one of only two still flying. A story of great courage, good humor, and a little luck, Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Warm Beer is a testament to the many other brave men who did not survive.

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