{"product_id":"9781471159237-spitfire","title":"Spitfire","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Very British Love Story\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpitfire: A remarkable aircraft flown by very brave men. This is their story.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e NON FICTION BESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003e WHSmith NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The best book you will ever read about Britain's greatest warplane' Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eFighter Boys\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine’ Rowland White, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eVulcan 607\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'As the RAF marks its centenary, Nichol has created a thrilling and often moving tribute to some of its greatest heroes' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMail on Sunday magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe iconic Spitfire found fame during the darkest early days of World War II. But what happened to the redoubtable fighter and its crews \u003ci\u003ebeyond\u003c\/i\u003e the Battle of Britain, and why is it still so loved today?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In late spring 1940, Nazi Germany’s domination of Europe had looked unstoppable. With the British Isles in easy reach since the fall of France, \u003cb\u003eAdolf Hitler \u003c\/b\u003ewas convinced that Great Britain would be defeated in the skies over her southern coast, confident his \u003cb\u003eMesserschmitts\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eHeinkels \u003c\/b\u003ewould outclass anything the \u003cb\u003eRoyal Air Force\u003c\/b\u003e threw at them. What Hitler hadn’t planned for was the agility and resilience of a marvel of British engineering that would quickly pass into legend – the \u003cb\u003eSpitfire\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bestselling author \u003cb\u003eJohn Nichol’s\u003c\/b\u003e passionate portrait of this magnificent fighter aircraft, its many innovations and updates, and the people who flew and loved them, carries the reader beyond the dogfights over Kent and Sussex. Spanning the full global reach of the \u003cb\u003eSpitfire’s\u003c\/b\u003e deployment during WWII, from \u003cb\u003eMalta \u003c\/b\u003eto \u003cb\u003eNorth Africa\u003c\/b\u003e and the \u003cb\u003eFar East\u003c\/b\u003e, then over the \u003cb\u003eD-Day\u003c\/b\u003e beaches, it is always accessible, effortlessly entertaining and full of extraordinary spirit.         \u003cbr\u003e                       \u003cbr\u003e Here are \u003cb\u003eedge-of-the-seat stories and heart-stopping first-hand accounts \u003c\/b\u003eof battling pilots forced to bail out over occupied territory; of sacrifice and wartime love; of aristocratic female flyers, and of the mechanics who braved the Nazi onslaught to keep the aircraft in battle-ready condition. \u003cb\u003eNichol takes the reader on a hair-raising, nail-biting and moving wartime history of the iconic Spitfire populated by a cast of redoubtable, heroic characters that make you want to stand up and cheer.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31825578885217,"sku":"9781471159237","price":8.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_31840010.jpg?v=1735578262","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781471159237-spitfire","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}