First of the Few
Regular price
€29.60
First of the Few covers air operations during the month or so before the 'official' start of the Battle of Britain, 5 June to 9 July 1940, a period normally overlooked. The Battle of France commenced 5 June and the handful of RAF Hurricane and Battle squadrons that remained in France were heavily engaged as were Spitfire, Hurricane and Blenheims flying in support from the UK. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe commenced intermittent nocturnal raids over eastern and north-eastern counties of England, resulting in the first night actions by RAF Blenheim night fighters. In the other direction, RAF night bombers were making forays over Germany and the occupied Low Countries. During the first week of July, Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft were overflying the south-east coastal areas and harrying shipping in the Channel. All of these actions are highlighted in First of the Few, many of the RAF aircrews experiencing combat for the first time survived as the 'first of the few' to participate in the forthcoming defence of Britain. The scene was thus set for one of the greatest battles in history - one that was to save the world from Nazi domination - the Battle of Britain.
Brian Cull is a full-time writer/researcher with twenty-five plus published titles to his credit on Second World War aviation history. He lives with his wife, Val, in Bury St Edmunds, a charming and historical town in Suffolk, with the countryside just down the road. Formerly a very active cricketer, he now resorts to TV and Internet coverage. He shares his daily routine with Val, his cat, and three pet rabbits. Cull's first book for Fonthill Media was Fighters over the Aegean: Hurricanes over Crete, Spitfire over Kos, Beaufighters over the Aegean 1943-44.