
The Silver Spitfire
The Legendary WWII RAF Fighter Pilot in his Own Words
Tom Neil(Author)
Weidenfeld & Nicolson (Publisher)
Published on 28. February 2013
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-297-86813-2 (ISBN)
Description
During the build up to the Allied invasion of Northern Europe, Battle of Britain hero Tom 'Ginger' Neil was assigned as an RAF liaison to an American fighter squadron. Acting as a British representative, Neil was tasked with negotiating and overcoming the countless culture clashes that existed between the two allies. From encountering unfamiliar planes and uncomfortable attitudes towards the British to meeting the King of Yugoslavia and General George Patton and falling in love, Neil's time with the Americans was anything but dull. As the Allies pushed east, Neil commandeered an abandoned Spitfire as his own personal aeroplane. Erasing any evidence of its provenance and stripping it down to bare metal, it became the RAF's only silver Spitfire. Love affair and culture clashes on hold, he took the silver Spitfire into battle alongside his US comrades until - with the war's end - he was forced to make a difficult decision. Faced with too many questions about the mysterious rogue fighter, he contemplated increasingly desperate measures to offload it, including bailing out mid-Channel. He eventually left the Spitfire at Worthy Down, never to be seen again.
The Silver Spitfire is the first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire.
The Silver Spitfire is the first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire.
Reviews / Votes
An icon of battle as well as one of the most successful pilots, Neil is uniquely qualified to tell a story that is both the ultimate military epic and also distinctly personal. MILITARY TIMES Tom Neil is one of the last of the Few Best of British, DAILY EXPRESS The first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire. ROYAL AIR FORCE NEWS Amusing and enjoyable. GOOD BOOK GUIDEMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
596 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-297-86813-2 (9780297868132)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2013
1st Edition
Weidenfeld and Nicholson
€3.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
09/2012
Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
€43.53
The article will not be published
Person
Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC*, AFC, AE, joined 249 Squadron flying Hurricanes just before the start of the Battle of Britain. He was one of the pilots the War Ministry used in their propoganda at the time of the Battle of Britain, partly because of this height (6'4") and his good looks. He flew 141 combat missions (few pilots reached 50). His other books include GUN BUTTON TO FIRE, FIGHTER IN MY SIGHTS, and ONWARD TO MALTA. He is 92 and lives in Norwich with his wife Eileen who was a Fighter Command plotter when they met in 1940.