Description
Saunders has been involved with historic aviation for 30-plus years, is a frequent contributor to the aviation press, and is the author of several books. His specialist area is the air war over Europe, 1939-1945, and in his latest text he turns his attention to the August 9, 1941 final flight of British WWII ace pilot, Douglas Bader. There has been much debate and controversy among historians about who shot Bader down--his German opponents, as Bader himself maintained, or one of his own side. In this text, Saunders develops his hypothesis that Bader may have been the victim of "friendly fire." Illustrated with b&w and color photographs, the text will appeal to historians and general readers intrigued by this mysterious event. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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On 9th August 1941 one of the greatest icons of the Second World War, Douglas Bader, was shot down, captured and later incarcerated. But by whom, and how? Was it by one of his deadly German opponents, as Douglas Bader himself maintained, or was it by one of his own side? There has been much debate and controversy among historians and in 2003 the author of this book revealed for the first time that Bader may have been victim to ‘friendly fire’. That revelation was followed by interest in the national press and later by a TV documentary. In this book aviation historian Andy Saunders develops his hypothesis, backed up by strong evidence and a wealth of statistics, and separates fact from fiction. He expertly dissects all the material relating to the day itself, and subsequent events. He has also continued the quest to find the legendary fighter pilot’s aircraft, which holds vital clues. And he has startling new material to divulge here also. This book will fascinate all who read it and will be seen by most observers to be the final word on one of the great mysteries of the entire war.
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