The Silver Spitfire: The Astonishing Life of a WWII Fighter Pilot in His Own Words
Feb 2013 · Hachette UK
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About this ebook
Following the D-Day landings, Battle of Britain hero Tom Neil was assigned as 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.
Following the D-Day landings, Battle of Britain hero Tom Neil was assigned as 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, ...
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Ratings and reviews
14 reviews
Gregor Hay
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June 3, 2014
Telling one pilots story of his posting to an American Air Force unit and the relationships he made along the way as well as his misappropriation of a Spitfire which he used as his personal steed.
Alan Scammell
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September 13, 2019
Absolutely brilliant,very good informative book of the plane,and the man who flew it.
Diane Laurie (DeeBee)
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August 14, 2023
fantastic read, I will be reading his other books. very hard to put down.
About the author
Tom Neil joined No. 249 Squadron flying Hurricanes just before the start of the Battle of Britain. He flew 141 combat missions (few pilots reached 50), mostly from North Weald airfield in Essex, and is credited with the destruction of more than 17 enemy aircraft. After the war, he remained with the RAF until 1964, retiring with the rank of Wing Commander. Having served for some years in the British Embassy in Washington at the height of the Cold War, he returned to the US as a businessman before relocating to Norfolk, where his career included running an art gallery. He is the author of many books, including his acclaimed memoir THE SILVER SPITFIRE. He and his wife Eileen, who was a Fighter Command plotter when they met during the war, were married for almost 70 years and had three sons, two of whom became pilots in the Services. Tom Neil died in July 2018 at the age of 97.
Tom Neil joined No. 249 Squadron flying Hurricanes just before the start of the Battle of Britain. He flew 141 combat missions (few pilots reached 50), mostly from North Weald airfield in Essex, and is credited with the destruction of more than 17 enemy aircraft. After the war, he remained with t...
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