Winged Crusaders: The Exploits of 14 Squadron RFC & RAF 1915-45 - Tapa dura

This is a well-written account by the Hon Sec of the 14 Squadron Association which is full of detail and illustrated with a good selection of photographs and maps and is recommended to all with an interest in RAF squadron histories. -Bookshelf The good news is that it is a well-written and, within the constraints imposed by its page count, comprehensive narrative account of the history...It is admirably detailed. - Royal Air Force Historical Society Journal Napier's book is a model of what a squadron history should be. Well illustrated chapters fully describes the unit's activities not only through the First and Second World Wars, but also the inter-war years when it flew operations in Transjordan and Palestine. Napier's well-written text is complemented by extensive footnotes and appendices, including a very useful list of references and all the aircraft flown during the period covered. This excellent book will appeal to former squadron members, historians and modellers alike. Britain At War

Formed in 1915, and still operational today, 14 Squadron is one of the RAF's longest serving and most senior Squadrons. Spending the first thirty years of its operational life in the Middle East, the history of this Squadron is a rich one, but one which, until now, has gone largely unrecorded. Napier effectively brings together all the historical scraps and shreds of stories which make up the collective history of this unit, from 1915 -1945, a period of great military and social upheaval. The author himself attests to the fact that the work is not merely about the aeroplanes operational history during this period, or the stark military facts (although enthusiasts of both these areas will find much here); rather, the work concerns itself to a large extent with the people who flew such aircraft. Recording the dramatic trials and tribulations of the people who were 14 Squadron, Napier provides a sympathetic and engaging account of this period of Military History.