Buy this book on-line

ROSS, HAMISH: : FREEDOM IN THE AIR: A Czech Flyer and his Aircrew Dog

UK.BARNSLEY,S. YORKSHIRE.PEN & SWORD AVIATION/PEN & SWORD BOOKS LTD.,2007.

ISBN 1844155900.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.NMINT/NMINT. Wrapped+ protected from day of issue/purchase,so no owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,matt,with colour tinted contemporary photographs to front panel,white+grey letters, similar letters to spine/backstrip,rear panel with 5 montage'd contemporary b/w autobiographical photographs of subject and his dog,amongst others; with negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners - no nicks,tears or splits present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean without blemish; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - unread,apart from my own collation. Publisher's brigh,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered with exception of top,rear tip with tiniest dink,original plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/ backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers. UK,8vo HB +dw/dj,1st edn,viii-xipp+4-227pp [paginated] includes a foreword by Jaroslav Beranek (Military History Institute,Prague), acknowledgements,Pts I-IV comprising 3,4,4 and 3 chapters respectively,16pp contemporay b/w autobiographical photographs in 1 block,between pp116/17,notes,a bibliography and an index; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,contents list/table,and individual Pts separator pages. During WW2 more than 3,500 Czechoslovak airmen served in the RAF.More than 500 were killed.They formed the core of future Czechoslovak squadrons serving in the RAF as well as the Czechoslovak Brigade.Czech airmen and soldiers were stationed in Cholmondeley,Cheshire.During the war years 3,563 Czechs and Slovaks served with 4 Czechoslovak squadrons.These airmen,after the Commonwealth nations,represented the second largest national contribution (after the Poles) to the Allied Forces during the Battle of Britain.There were 88 Czech pilots who took part in the Battle and 8 of them lost their lives. This biography tells of the life of a Czech airman who escapes from the Nazi invasion,fights with the French and finally arrives in Britain to fly as an air-gunner with the RAF during World War II.He returns to his homeland after World War II but escapes back to the UK again when the communists gained control.He rejoined the RAF and rose to the rank of Warrant Officer. The unique part of this is that from his time in France,throughout World War II and until half way through his second tour with the RAF he was inseparable from his Alsatian dog,an animal that became famous and was awarded the Dickin Medal (animal equivalent of the VC.The animal flew with his owner on many bomber raids,became the squadron mascot and was officially a serving RAF dog.It played an amazing part in the second escape from the Czech communists regime when the author was lucky to make it over the border to the US zone in Germany. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destination can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

Bibliophile Bookbase for antiquarian books, maps and prints.