This work presents the 20th-century's air battles in the words of those who fought them. Beginning with the jousts over the Western Front in 1914 up to the furious jet-driven sorties over Bosnia in 1999, these accounts give an experience of combat dogfights in the shell-blasted skies of war. It is about a form of combat that has changed beyond recognition. It gives details of the dauntingly high mortality rates among airmen, and insights into many other facets of a pilot's life from training to bailing out over enemy territory, what it was like to be interned and an account of being shot down in a blazing spitfire.
Jon E. Lewis is a historian and writer, whose books on history and military history
are sold worldwide. He is also editor of many The Mammoth Book of anthologies, including the bestselling On the Edge and Endurance and Adventure.
He holds graduate and postgraduate degrees in history. His work has appeared in New Statesman, the Independent, Time Out and the Guardian. He lives in Herefordshire with his partner and children.
Praise for his previous books:
England: The Autobiography:
'A triumph' Saul David, author of Victoria's Army
The British Soldier: The Autobiography:
'this thoughtful compilation . . . almost unbearably moving.' Guardian
'Compelling tommy's eye view of war.' Daily Telegraph
'What a book. Five stars.' Daily Express