New(ish) book - Paddy Finucane and the Kenley Wing

[smithy]

Thought I'd put a heads up for this book:

Paddy Finucane and the Kenley Wing

Promises to have a fair bit in it about 485's activities in '41 and '42.

Haven't received my copy yet but will post my thoughts once I get my grubby paws on it.

Cheers,

Tim

[smithy]

Well I received this yesterday from Amazon UK and very pleased I am too. Anyone with more than a passing interest in 485 should pick this up as there is a lot in here about NZ's only Spitfire squadron and its involvement in the Kenley Wing and the offensive push over the skies of occupied Europe. Only niggle is that there is no index.

Along the same vein I also got Norman Franks' "Fighter Command's Air War 1941" which is a detailed look the RAF's Circus and Sweep ops over Fortress Europe in the year after the Battle of Britain. This is a fantastic book and awash with information. There's a few references to 485 in here but the scope of this is an attempt at a complete record of Fighter Command's activities over Europe in 1941. Superb book and well worth hunting down if the subject interests you.

All up two excellent books on a period which is often overlooked. 1941 was the year that the RAF's Fighter Command had to switch from being a defensive interceptor force to an offensive force. Both are excellent books although Anthony Cooper's "Paddy Finucane" contains much more Kiwi related information.

[McFly]

"THE SHAMROCK SPITFIRE tells the story of Irish fighter pilot Brendan “Paddy” Finucane, who at the age of just 21, became the youngest ever Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force, and one of its greatest and most celebrated fighter aces during World War Two."...