Johnnie Johnson's Great Adventure (Hardback)
The Spitfire Ace of Ace's Last Look Back
Imprint: Pen & Sword Aviation
Pages: 288
Illustrations: 16 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781526791740
Published: 29th October 2020
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Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson – a policeman’s son from Leicestershire – ended the Second World War as the RAF’s top-scoring fighter pilot. Fearless, and an exceptional pilot and marksman, Johnnie was also highly intelligent and a gifted writer.
Having published two of his own books, Wing Leader and The Circle of Air Fighting, during the 1980s and 1990s, Johnnie co-authored several more with another fighter ace, namely Wing Commander P.B. ‘Laddie’ Lucas. In 1997, the ‘AVM’ suggested to his friend, the prolific author Dilip Sarkar, that the pair should collaborate on The Great Adventure – a book that would, in effect, be Johnnie’s account of the ‘Long Trek’ from Normandy across Northern Europe into the heart of the Third Reich itself.
‘Greycap Leader’ was to produce a draft, after which Dilip would add the historical detail and comment. Sadly, the project was unfulfilled, because Johnnie became ill and passed away, aged eighty-five, in 2001. Years later, Johnnie’s eldest son, Chris, discovered the manuscript among his august father’s papers. In order to keep Johnnie’s memory evergreen, Chris turned to Dilip to finally see the project through to its conclusion.
In this book Johnnie re-visits certain aspects of his wartime service, including the development of tactical air cooperation with ground forces; his time as a Canadian wing leader in 1943, when the Spitfire Mk.IX at last outclassed the Fw 190; and details his involvement in some of the most important battles of the defeat of Nazi Germany, including Operation Overlord and the D-Day landings in 1944, Operation Market Garden and the airborne assault at Arnhem, and the Rhine Crossings, throughout all of which Johnnie also commanded Canadian wings. Here, then, we have The Great Adventure – ‘Greycap Leader’s’ previously unpublished last look back.
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Flypast - November 2024
Sarker has done a very good job of turning Johnson’s partly completed text into a cohesive and useful book, which takes us right into the heart of these crucial air battles.
History of War
Read the full review here
I’ve looked forward to reading this book for a while now as I tend to think that we don’t celebrate our pilots or heroes as much as we should, after all if it wasn’t for these brave heroes we might not have won the war. I must admit to having already read/viewed a couple of mediums involving Johnnie Johnson before, so the subject wasn’t new to me. But this was certainly an excellent book to read, both entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed the flow of the book and the various parts of the life story of Johnnie Johnson. There has been a lot of thought and research that has gone into the book which I think shines through, from letters, documents and diaries. At the back of the book, credit must also go to the records and statistics and bibliography sections. This book has been a great book to read and one of the best I have read about this great man.
UK Historian
5 stars
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About Dilip Sarkar MBE FRHistS FRAeS
DILIP SARKAR is a prolific author and historian, with over 60 books to his name, and is an internationally recognised authority on the Battle of Britain; he is author of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and National Memorial to The Few’s eight volume, one-million-word, official history of the Battle of Britain, a unique project endorsed by, amongst others, The Princess Royal and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton. Having enjoyed a uniquely personal relationship with many of The Few, Dilip is a much sought after and engaging speaker, who has spoken and exhibited internationally in addition to working on numerous television and film projects, both on and off camera. Made an MBE for services to aviation history in 2003, he was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society, and to the Fellowship of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2024, and is Honorary Vice-President of The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust CIO. For further information please see www.dilipsarkarmbe.com.
Spitfire Ace of Aces: The Album The Photographs of Johnnie Johnson (Hardback)
Air Vice-Marshal James Edgar ‘Johnnie’ Johnson CB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, DFC & Bar, DL was a character literally from the pages of Boys’ Own: an individual who became the RAF’s top-scoring fighter pilot of the Second World War. A one-time household name synonymous with the superlative Spitfire, Johnnie’s aerial combat successes inspired schoolboys for generations. As a ‘lowly Pilot Officer’, Johnnie Johnson learned his fighter pilot’s craft as a protégé of the legless Tangmere Wing Leader, Douglas Bader. After Bader was brought down over France and captured on 9 August 1941, Johnnie…
By Dilip Sarkar MBE FRHistS FRAeSClick here to buy both titles for £39.99