Fighter Boys

In the summer of 1940 the defence of Britain rested in the hands of the pilots of Fighter Command. The future of the country and arguably that of the free world depended on the skill and morale of a small group of mostly very young men. Their victory became celebrated as a classic feat of arms. But it was also a triumph of the spirit, in which the attitudes and outlook of the pilots played a crucial role. Despite the importance of this select band, remarkably little is understood about its real character. Drawing on contemporary diaries and letters, memoirs and interviews with many of the…