" A rare autobiographical account for these times, and a valuable addition to the Bomber Command canon."
Britain at War Magazine - August 2024

This very well written account tells the fascinating story of youthful WW2 bomber pilot. In realty, Brian Slade was a mere schoolboy who by falsifying his true age had joined the RAF to train as a pilot shortly before his 16th birthday. He received his ‘wings’ by the age of 17 and was posted to Bomber Command where he began operations flying Wellingtons with 115 Squadron. Written by his nephew, his story reflects the experience of many thousands of young men, what marks out this story is Slade’s extreme youth. Known as ‘the Boy’ by his 18th birthday he had completed a tour of 34 bombing sorties that included participating in all three ‘1000-bomber’ raids and the award of a DFC. His youthful enthusiasm saw him immediately volunteer for a second tour and he joined the Lancaster equipped 35 Squadron that was part of the elite Pathfinder Force. Among other targets he marked for the famous raid on the Peenemünde rocket site. Sadly, he was killed soon afterwards during a raid.. Read more
Andrew Thomas - Author and Historian

This book was a real and very pleasant surprise. Rather than any form of text it is a collection of images of Polish fighters in the last two years of WW2. Turning each page is a real delight as the images, some of which will be familiar, but most will not, are accompanied with extended and highly informative captions. Helpfully, rather than intermingle the images in chronological sequence the author has divided the subject by theatre – that is western Europe and the Mediterranean before covering each unit individually. This works really well allowing the reader to see the progressive development of the unit as well as helping the book as a reference. Three smaller additional sections cover Polish pilots serving with RAF and USAAF units and also one dealing specifically with ‘aces’ and senior officers. Whist the reproduction of some images is very dark, thus may be due to the quality of the originals. This was a joy to see and a very useful reference.
Andrew Thomas - Author and Historian

"...an interesting experience awaits." Read the full review [link=https://www.battleofbritainmemorial.org/post/biography-several-notches-above-average]here.[/link]
Battle of Britain Memorial Trust website

"Richard Mead has produced a most useful book. For those interested in the RAF in the Second World War it is difficult to think of a reason for not acquiring it..."
British Modern Military History Society