A History of RAF Drem at War is a comprehensive history of the Second World War airfield at Drem located near Edinburgh. When war broke out in 1939, among the first targets attacked by the Luftwaffe was the Royal Navy base at Rosyth. Spitfires at Drem were scrambled to protect this vital installation and were engaged in some of the first air battles over Britain. By mid-1940, much of the fighting had gravitated to the south of England. Spitfires and Hurricanes based at Drem would continue to patrol the skies over the Firth of Forth until the end of the war.Night fighter squadrons were also based at Drem, first flying the Blenheim and later the Mosquito. The Fleet Air Arm also had a presence at Drem with a squadron for the training of night fighter pilots. The airfield ended the war on a high note when three Ju 52s arrived with German generals to surrender their forces in Norway. Like many other military airfields, Drem closed shortly after the end of hostilities and the runways were ploughed up and returned to agriculture.
| BOOK ISBN |
9781781555231 |
| FORMAT |
248 x 172 mm |
| BINDING |
Paperback |
| PAGES |
224 pages |
| PUBLICATION DATE |
15 February 2016 |
| TERRITORY |
World |
| ILLUSTRATIONS |
75 black-and-white photographs |
Malcolm Fife is a professional photographer with a strong interest in history. His first published articles were illustrated features for the Scots Magazine. This was followed by his book The Nor Loch-Scotland's Lost Loch, a history of the body of water that once existed underneath Edinburgh Castle. After this, he wrote a number of publications on individual airfield histories followed by an account of Scottish aerodromes in the First World War. British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century is Malcolm Fife's first book for Fonthill Media.
