Author(s): Anthony Cooper
A year after the start of the Battle of Britain, the Kenley Wing was one of the six Allied fighter wings taking the war to the Luftwaffe in the RAF’s cross-channel air offensive over France.
Comprised of three Spitfire fighter squadrons, the Australian No. 452, the New Zealand No. 485, and the British No. 602, the Kenley Wing was typical of the wartime RAF in its cosmopolitan make-up, with pilots from all three countries as well as Ireland and Canada.
The wing’s famous ace pilots in late 1941 included the Irishman, ‘Paddy’ Finucane, the Canadian, Johnny Kent, the Australian, ‘Bluey’ Truscott, and the New Zealanders, Al Deere and ‘Hawkeye’ Wells.
The most famous of them all was the charismatic Finucane, a flight commander with 452 (Australian) Squadron, who dominated the wing’s scoring to become for a time the RAF’s greatest public relations asset. This book tells the story of how Finucane’s victories created the legend of the Kenley Wing in 1941.
BOOK ISBN | 9781781555125 |
FORMAT | 234 x 156 mm |
BINDING | Hardback |
PAGES | 272 pages |
PUBLICATION DATE | 15 July 2016 |
TERRITORY | World |
ILLUSTRATIONS | 32 black-and-white photographs |