02995nam 2200481 450 991080944460332120170925022245.01-63388-023-0(CKB)3710000000413885(SSID)ssj0001499820(PQKBManifestationID)12625310(PQKBTitleCode)TC0001499820(PQKBWorkID)11515699(PQKB)11143732(MiAaPQ)EBC5900029(EXLCZ)99371000000041388520191024d2015 uy 0engurcnu||||||||txtccrYanks in the RAF the story of maverick pilots and American volunteers who joined Britain's fight in WWII /David Alan JohnsonAmherst, New York :Prometheus Books,[2015]©20151 online resource (281 pages) illustrationsBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph1-63388-022-2 "This is the story of American volunteer pilots who risked their lives in defense of Britain during the earliest days of World War II--more than a year before Pearl Harbor, when the United States first became embroiled in the global conflict. Based on interviews, diaries, personal documents, and research in British, American, and German archives, David Alan Johnson has created a colorful portrait of this small group--our nation's first combatants in World War II. As the author's research shows, their motives were various: some were idealistic; others were simply restless and looking for adventure. And though the Royal Air Force needed pilots, cultural conflicts between the raw American recruits and their reserved British commanders soon became evident. Prejudices on both sides and lack of communication had to be overcome. Eventually, the American pilots were assembled into three fighter units known as the Eagle Squadrons. They saw action and suffered casualties in both England and France, notably in the attack on Dieppe. By September 1942, after America had entered the war, these now-experienced pilots were transferred to the US Air Force, bringing their expertise and their British Spitfires with them. As much social as military history, Yanks in the RAF sheds new light on a little-known chapter of World War II and the earliest days of the sometimes fractious British-American alliance"--Provided by publisher.World War, 1939-1945Aerial operations, BritishGreat BritainRelationsUnited StatesUnited StatesRelationsGreat BritainWorld War, 1939-1945Aerial operations, British.940.54/4941092313HIS027100HIS027140HIS015000bisacshJohnson David Alan1950-1610125MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910809444603321Yanks in the RAF4082034UNINA