BLOOD, SWEAT AND VALOUR Formed in 1916, 41 Squadron is one of the oldest Royal Air Force squadrons in existence. The unit saw service in the First World War, on Policing Duties in the Aden Protectorate during the 1930s, throughout the Second World War, and more recently in the First Gulf War and Yugoslavia. Until now, however, its History has not been written. Blood, Sweat and Valour, by author and 41 Squadron Historian Steve Brew, is the first comprehensive study of this illustrious squadron, concentrating on its wartime activity between August 1942 and May 1945. The work examines the unit’s role within battles, operations, offensives and larger strategies, and details experiences made by the pilots and ground crew participating in them. The Squadron’s actions are often revealed for the first time, through records that have previously not been available. The author has drawn heavily on unpublished primary sources, including a large number of logbooks, interviews and personal accounts. 41 Squadron’s own archive was made exclusively available to him for the purpose of writing this work. Blood, Sweat and Valour evokes the feeling of the period, portraying not only a factual account but also one that captures the colour of life on a Second World War fighter squadron, with a balance between material of a documentary nature and narrative action, intertwining fact with personal recollections of events, serious events with humour, and sobering statistics with poignant after-thought. Blood, Sweat and Valour has been consciously written as an authoritative point of both historical and biographical reference. A specific emphasis is placed on the pilots, who earned the enviable reputation that 41 Squadron still enjoys today, and biographies of each are included in the work. Twenty-five per cent of the Squadron’s 325 World War II pilots were drawn from the Commonwealth, and included 33 Australians (10%), 24 Canadians (7%), and 19 New Zealanders (6%). 41 Squadron’s pilots claimed 200 aircraft destroyed in the air and one on the ground, 61 aircraft probably destroyed in the air, 109 aircraft damaged in the air and 22 on the ground, and 53 V1 flying bombs destroyed and one damaged. Countless ground targets were also destroyed or damaged. The pilots were awarded three DSOs, 21 DFCs, one DFM and one Mention in Despatches for their World War II service. Sixty-four pilots were killed in action or in accidents, at least 56 sustained wounds in action or injuries in accidents, and another 21 became Prisoners of War. These figures equate to a total casualty rate of approximately 41.5%. The Foreword is written by Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harper KCB, who is currently serving with NATO in Brussels and commanded 41 Squadron 1994-1997. Title: BLOOD, SWEAT AND VALOUR Subtitle: 41 Squadron RAF, 1942-1945 Author: Steve Brew Publisher: Fonthill Media ISBN: 978-1-78155-193-6 Cover: Hard cover with dust jacket Pages: 992 Pictures: Over 300 B&W images, plus caricatures, sketches, aircraft profiles, maps and tables
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 12:51:15 +0000
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