MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 03233cam a2200445 i 4500
001 2015000803
003 DLC
005 20151218082710.0
008 150331s2015 nyua b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2015000803
020 $a9781633880221 (hardback)
020 $a9781633880238 (e-book)
040 $aDLC$beng$cDLC$erda$dDLC
042 $apcc
043 $ae-uk---$an-us---
050 00 $aD786$b.J594 2015
082 00 $a940.54/4941092313$223
084 $aHIS027100$aHIS027140$aHIS015000$2bisacsh
100 1 $aJohnson, David,$d1950-
245 10 $aYanks in the RAF :$bthe story of maverick pilots and American volunteers who joined Britain's fight in WWII /$cDavid Alan Johnson.
246 3 $aYanks in the Royal Air Force
264 1 $aAmherst, New York :$bPrometheus Books,$c2015.
300 $a281 pages :$billustrations ;$c24 cm
336 $atext$btxt$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$bn$2rdamedia
338 $avolume$bnc$2rdacarrier
520 2 $a"This is the story of American volunteer pilots who risked their lives in defense of Britain during the earliest days of World War II--more than a year before Pearl Harbor, when the United States first became embroiled in the global conflict. Based on interviews, diaries, personal documents, and research in British, American, and German archives, David Alan Johnson has created a colorful portrait of this small group--our nation's first combatants in World War II. As the author's research shows, their motives were various: some were idealistic; others were simply restless and looking for adventure. And though the Royal Air Force needed pilots, cultural conflicts between the raw American recruits and their reserved British commanders soon became evident. Prejudices on both sides and lack of communication had to be overcome. Eventually, the American pilots were assembled into three fighter units known as the Eagle Squadrons. They saw action and suffered casualties in both England and France, notably in the attack on Dieppe. By September 1942, after America had entered the war, these now-experienced pilots were transferred to the US Air Force, bringing their expertise and their British Spitfires with them. As much social as military history, Yanks in the RAF sheds new light on a little-known chapter of World War II and the earliest days of the sometimes fractious British-American alliance"--$cProvided by publisher.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 257-275) and index.
650 0 $aWorld War, 1939-1945$xAerial operations, British.
610 10 $aGreat Britain.$bRoyal Air Force$xHistory$yWorld War, 1939-1945.
610 10 $aGreat Britain.$bRoyal Air Force.$bEagle Squadron$xHistory.
650 0 $aFighter pilots$zUnited States$xHistory$y20th century.
650 0 $aAmericans$zGreat Britain$xHistory$y20th century.
650 0 $aFighter pilots$zGreat Britain$xHistory$y20th century.
651 0 $aGreat Britain$xRelations$zUnited States.
651 0 $aUnited States$xRelations$zGreat Britain.
650 7 $aHISTORY / Military / World War II.$2bisacsh
650 7 $aHISTORY / Military / Aviation.$2bisacsh
650 7 $aHISTORY / Europe / Great Britain.$2bisacsh
856 42 $3Cover image$u9781633880221.jpg