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Holding Details

Barcode34444002757060
Circ StatusAvailable
LibraryBeaver Falls
TitleSpitfires : the American women who flew in the face of danger during World War ll / Becky Aikman, Grace McNamee.
AuthorAikman, Becky, author.
Call No940.544092 Aikman
CollectionNon-Fiction
Reserve Item

Copies

Call NoDownloadURLHTMLCirc StatusLibraryCollectionShelf LocationPeriodical IssueVolumeBarcodePub Year
940.544092 Aikman AvailableBeaver FallsNon-Fiction   344440027570602025

Catalog Details

International Standard Book Number 9781635576573
International Standard Book Number 9781635576566
Personal Name Aikman, Becky, author.
Title Statement Spitfires : the American women who flew in the face of danger during World War ll / Becky Aikman, Grace McNamee.
Edition Statement Hardcover.
Imprint New York : Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2025.
Physical Description pages cm
Summary, Etc. "The heart-pounding true story of the daring American women who piloted the world's most dangerous aircraft through the treacherous skies of Britain during World War II. In 1942, a few months after the United States entered the second world war, a trailblazing band of 25 American women traveled to England to ferry planes for the British Royal Air Force. Despite their skill, these women were not permitted to fly for the United States military. But Great Britain, desperate for a steady supply of warplanes in a fight for survival, accepted ferry pilots regardless of gender, race, or nationality. These "spitfires" were risking their lives in one of the deadliest jobs of the war. They flew new, barely tested fighters and bombers to air bases and shot-up planes back for repair, never knowing what might go wrong until they were high in the sky. Many died in crashes or made spectacular saves. But ferrying was also the women's opportunity do their patriotic duty, excel, and revel in adventure. Before the war, they were crop dusters or debutantes, college girls or performers in flying circuses. But in wartime they lived like women decades ahead of their time, choosing the identities they wanted. Some shocked their British hosts with their thoroughly modern behavior. With cinematic sweep, Becky Aikman follows the stories of nine of the captivating women who served, drawing on intimate unpublished diaries, letters, and records, along with her own interviews, to bring these forgotten heroines fully to life. Spitfires is a vivid, richly detailed account of war, ambition, and a group of remarkable women whose lives were as unconventional as their dreams"-- Provided by publisher.
Added Entry, Personal Name McNamee, Grace, editor.