Spitfire!

The Experiences of a Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot

By: Brian Lane

Write A Review

Paperback | 15 June 2009

At a Glance

Paperback
160 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20 x 12.5 x 1.5

Paperback

RRP $24.95

$23.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $6.00 with

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

The remarkable Battle of Britain experiences of Spitfire pilot Brian Lane, DFC. Brian Lane was only 23 when he when he wrote his dramatic account of life as a Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Lane was an ''ace'' with six enemy ''kills'' to his credit and was awarded the DFC for bravery in combat. The text is honest and vibrant, and has the immediacy of a book written close the event, untouched, therefore, by the doubts and debates of later years. Here we can read, exactly what it was like to ''scramble'', to shoot down Messerschmitts, Heinkels, Dorniers and Stukas and how it felt to lose comrades every day. Squadron Leader Brian Lane DFC was not only an exceptional fighter pilot but likewise a gifted leader, at all levels. In what was still a hierarchical and class conscious culture, ''Chiefy'' Lane was different: he knew everyone under his command by first names, no matter how lowly their rank or status, and in the air he was always unflappable, calmly making the right tactical decision and in the process earning unlimited respect amongst pilots and aircrew. All these years later the survivors still speak of him with an unparalleled affection and respect bordering upon a holy reverence. High drama has never before been so characteristically understated, written, as it was, by the ''Finest of the Few''.

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $89.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

True War Stories Series	p. 2
Foreword	p. 7
Dramatis Personae	p. 13
Author's Note	p. 15
How to Shoot a Line	p. 16
Luck: 1935-August 1939	p. 19
First Blood: September 1939-25 May 1940	p. 23
Dunkirk - First Patrol: Morning, 26 May 1940	p. 27
More Patrols: Afternoon, 26 May 1940-27 May 1940	p. 33
First Wing Patrol: 28 May 1940-30 May 1940	p. 39
Dawn Patrol: Dawn, 1 June 1940	p. 43
Dunkirk the Last Patrols: Morning, 1 June 1940-4 June 1940	p. 48
Nocturne Militaire: 5 June 1940-30 June 1940	p. 55
'A' Flight Has Some Luck: 1 July 1940-23 August 1940	p. 63
A Question of Ammunition: 24 August 1940	p. 68
Sad Promotion: 25 August 1940-13 September 1940	p. 72
Der Tag! 14 September 1940	p. 78
Out of Control: 15 September 1940-27 September 1940	p. 86
Quiet Days: 28 September 1940-15 November 1940	p. 90
The Day's Work: 16 November 1940-13 March 1941	p. 95
In the Pale Moonlight: 14 March 1941	p. 100
More Moonlight: 15 March 1941	p. 105
Almost Like Old Times: 16 March 1941-8 April 1941	p. 110
Conclusion	p. 115
List of Illustrations	p. 117
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Spitfire!

The Experiences of a Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Memoirs

Touching the Sky

The extraordinary story of an Australian trailblazer who became the longest flying female airline pilot in the world

The Weird Little Girl Who Talked to Ghosts . . .

Bush Doctor

A memoir from the beautiful, rugged heart of outback Australia

Start With Yourself

A New Vision for Work & Life

True Crime

A Memoir - the jaw-dropping and moving story of the godmother of forensic crime and creator of Scarpetta

Future Relic

Failures, Disasters, Detours, and How I Made a Career as an Artist

Annastacia Palaszczuk

The Politics of Being Me, from the former Premier of Queensland

Being Patient

Close Encounters in Cancer World

A Different Kind of Power

The internationally bestselling memoir

Call Girl Confidential

Millions of followers. Hundreds of clients. One hell of a story.

Ghost Stories

A Memoir - 'What a kind, honest book. What a gift of love' David Mitchell

Stripped Down

Unfiltered and Unapologetic

Joyful, Anyway

Finding Delight in Impossible Times

A Year at Awakino Station

Childhood

A memoir of growing up, parenting, teaching, and discovering what children need most

All the Young Men

How One Woman Risked It All To Care For The Dying

Mother Mary Comes to Me

Longlisted for the 2026 Womens Prize for Non-Fiction

Even the Good Girls Will Cry

My 90s Rock Memoir

Periodic Bitch

Out of the Ashes

A young woman's survival of White Island, and the mother's love that saved her

Monsters in the Archives

My Year of Fear with Stephen King

Memorial Days

Shortlisted for the 2026 Stella Prize

Flamingos Aren't Born Pink

A moving and uplifting memoir on heartbreak, grief and finding joy, by Brisbane radio personality and podcaster

Unbothered

The Art of Letting Go to Find Yourself

This product is categorised by

Longlisted for the 2026 Womens Prize for Non-Fiction