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The Silver Spitfire

The Legendary WWII RAF Fighter Pilot in his Own Words

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The Silver Spitfire

By: Tom Neil
Narrated by: Roger Davis
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A brilliantly vivid Second World War memoir by one of 'the Few' Spitfire fighter pilots.

Following the D-Day landings, Battle of Britain hero Tom Neil was assigned as an RAF liaison to an American fighter squadron. As the Allies pushed east, Neil commandeered an abandoned Spitfire as his own personal aeroplane. Erasing any evidence of its provenance and stripping it down to bare metal, it became the RAF's only silver Spitfire.

Alongside his US comrades, he took the silver Spitfire into battle until, with the war's end, he was forced to make a difficult decision. Faced with too many questions about the mysterious rogue fighter, he contemplated increasingly desperate measures to offload it, including bailing out mid-Channel. He eventually left the Spitfire at Worthy Down, never to be seen again.

THE SILVER SPITFIRE is the first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire. Air Forces Armed Forces Military Military & War World War II War US Air Force Aviation
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Critic Reviews

An icon of battle as well as one of the most successful pilots, Neil is uniquely qualified to tell a story that is both the ultimate military epic and also distinctly personal.
Tom Neil is one of the last of the Few
The first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire.
Amusing and enjoyable.
One of the great heroes of the Battle of Britain (JAMES HOLLAND)
All stars
Most relevant
This tells the story of a prior RAAF Ace, who was assigned to a US squadron as a liaison officer. He mainly just flew around on his own non-war related issues, occasionally seeing some of the devastation of the final months of the war on the western front, but not taking part in any of it. Some interesting stories here and there, but disappointing in terms of action stories.

Not much action.

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I have heard of the silver spit before and was intrigued about the whole story. This book did not disappoint. Very well read as well. I was taken there!

What a great story!

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This is a good read by a very likable and interesting author about his days serving as an RAF pilot in WW2.

Overall, the author is a good story teller, but does get bogged down in detail sometimes.

Based on the title, I was expecting an action packed book about a spitfire, and instead received a pleasant story about what this nice chap had for lunch each day during the war.

It's still a very good and worthwhile read. Its a day-in-the-life first-person narrative, which I must admit, I did ultimately enjoy all the same.

A story about a likable character in WW2

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Narration is somewhat monotone but the story speaks for itself. The detail of the Authors memory is astounding.

Fabulous story

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if you're after a thrill a minute account of battles this is not your book.
if you're after a great account of a man's life in WW2 then this is it. Great stories and descriptions of many aircraft and people.
I loved it.

The Silver Spitfire. A great account.

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