Customer Reviews

Bader's Tangmere Spitfires: The Untold Story, 1941

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
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I've been a fan of Douglas Bader since I first picked up a copy of "Reach for the Sky" many years ago. I've since worn out three paperback copies of it and have been able to find a rare first edition. This new book will become a welcomed addition to my library. It is well written and holds one's interest at all times. The collection of photos just make it more so. A must have for a "Dogsbody" fan.

The writer did a good job, but it only deals with a short span of time in 1941. It would have been much better if Sarkar had written a book about Tangmere wings during the whole WW II, even if that would result in a much larger book. Anyway, the reading is easy and enjoyable, with greta appendix in the end.

Bader's influence on the Battle of Britain and his "Big Wing" theory are well covered in many books. This book (instead) focuses on the time after the BOB when the RAF began it's non-stop offensive of sweeps an circus missions into northern France. There is much on Bader here, but it is not strictly a bio of him. This work discusses many men of the Tangmere wing and does so with skillful balance. Sakar also tackles the timeless question of what exactly happened to Bader the day he was captured. He pokes holes in some of the old conclusions on the subject. Well written and a good read, however the focus is quite specific and detailed. More for the serious aviation historian than the casual reader

The frame time for this book is very short (APRIl through August, 1941) but it is a good book, The final chapter, about a recovery operation of a destroyed Spitfire , is a total waste of time. Anyway, we learn a little moer about RAF and its pilots, because men like Johnnie Johnson (RAF`s top scoring WW II ace) were in Bader's Wing. By the way, it's time to stop seing Bader as a "vissionaire" in aerial war tactics. His insights during Battle of Britain were always completly wrong. He didn't wanna cannon installed in fighters (he perfered machine guns!)

It's a good book, good research, the photos are great, the appendix is good, featuring the Tangmere WIng wins and losses from April 1941 through August 9, 1941 (the day Bader was shot down). But the writing style is little bit boring. It doesn't worth it.