Spitfire; Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II, Weapons Book No. 6

New York: Ballantine Books, 1969. First Printing [stated]. Trade paperback. Good. 22 cm, 160 pages. Wraps. Illustrations. Bibliography. The cover has some wear and soiling. This is one of Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II, Weapons Book No. 6. Introduction by Air Vice-Marshal "Johnnie" Johnson. Studies the development and combat history of the famous R.A.F. fighter that won acclaim in the summer of 1940 during the Battle of Britain. John Vader (1919 - 2005) Australian author, living in the UK in the late 1960s and 1970s, most of whose work has been nonfiction, much of it dealing with military matters. John Vader saw World War II service with 6th AIF in Libya, Greece and Syria. He later transferred to the RAAF and flew Spitfires in the Pacific theater. Vader is reputed to have walked away from two Spitfire crashes, and flown a Wirraway bomber so low the propeller blades were bent. These combined experiences informed his war history writings. In the late sixties Vader went to London to work as a journalist; he wrote articles for Purnell's Magazine and became editor of a weekly journal. It was at this stage he was commissioned to write Spitfire (1969). It was followed by Pacific Hawk (1970), Anzac (1971) and New Guinea The Tide is Stemmed (1971), some of which were included in the Ballantine/Purnell Illustrated History of World War 2 series. His only science fiction novel, Battle of Sydney (1971), is an Alternate History of World War Two in which Australia is invaded by Japan; in the end the Invasion is unsuccessful. Some of Vader's war-themed books have been translated into Turkish, Japanese, Dutch, French and Portuguese. An illustrated guide to the Supermarine Spitfire, used by the Royal Air Force and Allies in World War II, with an introduction by Air Vice Marshal and flying ace James Edgar Johnson. "Men came from every corner of the free world to fly and fight in Spitfires. Men from countries where freedom had a meaning in their minds. A babel of tongues chattered in her cockpit, and all came to love her for her thoroughbred qualities. Today there are only a handful of Spitfires still flying, and seldom can be heard that nostalgic whistling call as she arcs across the sky. But occasionally, after all these years, I am privileged to fly in that familiar cockpit again when the song of her Merlin engine brings back a hundred memories of those valiant years." —Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson, from the Introduction. The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined Mk 24 using several wing configurations and guns. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the war. The Spitfire remains popular among enthusiasts; around 70 remain airworthy, and many more are static exhibits in aviation museums throughout the world. The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928. Mitchell developed the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing (designed by Beverley Shenstone) with innovative sunken rivets to have the thinnest possible cross-section, achieving a potential top speed greater than that of several contemporary fighter aircraft, including the Hawker Hurricane. Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief designer, overseeing the Spitfire's development through many variants. During the Battle of Britain (July-October 1940), the public perceived the Spitfire to be the main RAF fighter; however, the more numerous Hurricane shouldered more of the burden of resisting the Luftwaffe. Nevertheless, the Spitfire was a better fighter aircraft than the Hurricane. Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes, probably because of the Spitfire's higher performance. During the battle, Spitfires generally engaged Luftwaffe fighters—mainly Messerschmitt Bf 109E-series aircraft, which were a close match for them. After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire superseded the Hurricane as the principal aircraft of RAF Fighter Command, and it was used in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific, and South-East Asian theaters. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire operated in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber, and trainer, and it continued to do so until the 1950s. The Seafire was an aircraft carrier-based adaptation of the Spitfire, used in the Fleet Air Arm from 1942 until the mid-1950s.