- Publisher: History Press
- Year: 2020
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 272pp
- Illustrated: Yes
- Dimensions: 195x129mm
- Condition: New
- Weight: 0.3kg
- ISBN: 9780750993401
- Product code: 541804
One of the Few
A Story of Personal Challenge through the Battle of Britain and Beyond
Johnny Kent , Intro. Alexandra Kent New Paperback Illustrated
Postscript summary
One of the most successful RAF squadrons during the Battle of Britain in 1940 was 303 Polish Squadron, manned by exiled Poles but led by Johnny Kent, a Canadian pilot who had joined the RAF in the mid 1930s and had already won the Air Force Cross for his work as a test pilot before the war began. His memoir, first published in the 1970s, is presented here in an expanded edition with additional biographical information and photographs.
Product information
Full publisher description
New and updated edition: the original autobiography is enhanced by the addition of family photos and extracts from unpublished letters and writings by the author, and a moving and informative new introduction and epilogue by Alexandra Kent, Johnny Kent's daughter, who presents the father she knew, not only a distinguished and brave war hero but a man who suffered with the scars of war.
'I turned into the attack ... The German formation split up and a general melee ensued, grey shapes with black crosses on them flashed past only feet away, next the brown and green of a Hurricane flashed across the sights ... so confused was the fight that one had little or no chance to see if one's fire had taken effect before having to take wild evasive action to avoid either the enemy's fire or a collision.'
Group Captain Johnny Kent joined the RAF in the 1930s and went on to become a flight commander of one of the most successful fighter squadrons of the Second World War. In this role, he helped the famous 303 Polish Squadron play a decisive part in the Battle of Britain, and this earned him the highest Polish military award, the Virtuti Militari, as well as the affectionate nickname 'Kentowski'.
Group Captain Kent's fascinating memoirs, originally published in 1971, tell the story of his life in the RAF, from his struggles as a boy on the Canadian Prairies to get into the air, detailing his experiences as a test pilot in Farnborough and his constant efforts to excel at what he did. In this new edition, alongside the classic tale of derring-do, Kent's daughter provides supplementary material that places his extraordinary story into the broader context of his life as a son, husband and father. Poignant questions are raised about what it meant to be 'One of the Few' - for both the men themselves and those to whom they were closest.
'I turned into the attack ... The German formation split up and a general melee ensued, grey shapes with black crosses on them flashed past only feet away, next the brown and green of a Hurricane flashed across the sights ... so confused was the fight that one had little or no chance to see if one's fire had taken effect before having to take wild evasive action to avoid either the enemy's fire or a collision.'
Group Captain Johnny Kent joined the RAF in the 1930s and went on to become a flight commander of one of the most successful fighter squadrons of the Second World War. In this role, he helped the famous 303 Polish Squadron play a decisive part in the Battle of Britain, and this earned him the highest Polish military award, the Virtuti Militari, as well as the affectionate nickname 'Kentowski'.
Group Captain Kent's fascinating memoirs, originally published in 1971, tell the story of his life in the RAF, from his struggles as a boy on the Canadian Prairies to get into the air, detailing his experiences as a test pilot in Farnborough and his constant efforts to excel at what he did. In this new edition, alongside the classic tale of derring-do, Kent's daughter provides supplementary material that places his extraordinary story into the broader context of his life as a son, husband and father. Poignant questions are raised about what it meant to be 'One of the Few' - for both the men themselves and those to whom they were closest.
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541804
One of the Few
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/History
/History/Military History
/History/Military History/Categories/World War Two
/History/Military History/Categories/Military Memoirs
/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs
/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Autobiographies & Memoirs
/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Autobiographies & Memoirs/Military History Autobiographies & Memoirs
One of the most successful RAF squadrons during the Battle of Britain in 1940 was 303 Polish Squadron, manned by exiled Poles but led by Johnny Kent, a Canadian pilot who had joined the RAF in the mid 1930s and had already won the Air Force Cross for his work as a test pilot before the war began. His memoir, first published in the 1970s, is presented here in an expanded edition with additional biographical information and photographs.
Paperback
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0
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rrp_info:£12.99
productId:171595
bic_code:BGHA, HBWQ, JWG
BGHA, HBWQ, JWG
£12.99
Intro. Alexandra Kent, Johnny Kent
General
195x129mm
History Press
Yes
Paperback
Second World War
