The thrilling story of
Britain’s premier fighter station in action from the Great War to the
present day. From its days as an RAF base, through the years hosting the
USAAF to its role as a museum.
The
great fighter base at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, was founded in 1919 as a
training station. It became an active base for fighters protecting
London in 1923. By 1930 it was expected that any invasion of Britain by
Germany would come over the flat beaches of East Anglia, so Duxford was
uprated to be a key link in the defensive system.
When
the Battle of Britain broke out in 1940 Duxford was the base for
Douglas Bader and his “Duxford Big Wing” of 60 Spitfires and Hurricanes.
Time and again Bader and his men went up to fight the vast swarms of
German aircraft heading for London and more than once were almost all
that stood between Hitler and outright victory.
In
1943 Duxford was handed to the USAAF to serve as a base for fighters
escorting daylight bombing raids. Fighers based at Duxford flew all the
way to Berlin and back.
After
the war, Duxford remained a fighter base until 1961. Thereafter it has
served as a film studio, flying club and most recently as the home for
the Imperial War Museum’s aircraft collection.
This book takes the reader on a thrilling journey through the history of Britain’s premier fighter base - RAF Duxford.
Visit the website page for this book to learn more, watch an interview with the author and bo buy your copy
About the Author
Michael
lives only 5 miles from Duxford. He says “My wife and I always say that
the first sign of spring is not the sound of the cuckoo, but the sound
of the Spitfires flying over our house as Duxford begins to prepare for
the summer displays."
Michael
began writing regular articles and reviews for educational magazines
while he was a young teacher. His writing output was prolific and varied
and continued as his professional career progressed, but after more
than 20 years as a head teacher and several published books, he decided
to take early retirement in order to spend more time writing.
However,
the anticipated concentrated writing time had to be put on hold because
shortly after retirement Michael and his wife established a small
independent school for 3 to 7-year-olds, which they ran for the next 13
years.
In
spite of this renewed educational activity, Michael still found time to
continue to his regular writing, chiefly for the educational market,
but it was shortly after selling their school that Michael found time to
pursue his long-term interest in military history and the RAF in
particular.
The
result is this new book that looks at RAF Duxford, its historic role
and some of the amazing personalities who served there during the
station’s long history.
Thursday 2 August 2012
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