Enemy in the Sky — My 1940 Diary
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Characteristics
| ISBN-10 | 0-89141-086-4 |
| Book cover finish(es) | Hardcover ( square back binding ) |
| Author(s) | Sandy Johnstone |
| Publisher | Presidio Press |
| Number of pages | 192 |
| Published date |
First American edition 1979 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Collection / Series | Selection of the Military Book Club |
| Size | 16 x 23 x 2 cm |
| Categorie(s) | • AVIATION MILITAIRE • SECONDE GUERRE MONDIALE • BIOGRAPHIES |
Description
In 1940 Great Britain faced one of the most critical periods in its history when Germany launched its air power across the English Channel. For a few nightmarish weeks the fate of the nation lay in the hands of its fighter pilots, "Churchill's Few."
During those pivotal days Sandy Johnstone commanded the 602nd (City of Glasgow) Squadron stationed at Westhampnett. He kept a detailed diary of the squadron's activities. Flying their Spitfires, the pilots of the 602nd pitted themselves against the German threat, fighting for control of the airspace over their homeland. Johnstone himself was credited with eight kills and four probables.
At the beginning of the year the squadron was in Scotland. Britain had been lulled by the phony war period, and every sighting of an enemy plane was an event. The 602nd, together with Edinburgh's 603rd Squadron, claimed the first German aircraft to be shot down over British soil. As the year wears on, the tone of the diary changes — the leisurely pace of the first few months gradually alters as the menace comes nearer. Days of hectic scrambling and daily combat with Heinkels and Messerschmitts are grippingly recorded.
Eventually the Battle of Britain was won. The 602nd Squadron's outstanding role in the victory, clearing the skies of enemy aircraft, is brilliantly brought to life again through the pages of this remarkable diary.