Looking for opinions on following books

[Juha]

Hello
I’m looking for opinions on following books
Paul Addison + Jeremy A. Crang (editors) The Burning Blue: A New History of the Battle of Britain Pimlico 2000



Henry Adlam On and Off the Flight Deck: Reflections of a Naval Fighter Pilot in World War II Pen & Sword Aviation (2007)

John James The Paladins: A Social History of the RAF up to the Outbreak of World War II (1990)

T. E. Jonsson Dancing in the skies Grub Street (January 1995)

William T Rolls Spitfire Attack Cerberus Publishing Ltd (2005)

The War Diaries of Neville Duke, Grub Street (1995)

TIA
Juha

[Jim P.]

The Duke book is definitely worth getting. I think I have the Roll book around here somewhere, but I had to do so much rearranging of my books to be more 'space efficient' that I currently can't find it, and frankly don't remember how good it might be.

[Juha]

Thanks a lot, Jim!
I have also found out that one peril of rearrangements of one's books is that one remember very well were some books were originally placed but not their new locations.

Juha

[Nick Beale]

I have taken a look at "The Burning Sky" and IIRC didn't feel that I could justify the relatively high price for a paperback. For a BoB specialist that might look different though. If I'm remembering the right book, it was a selection of essays, one of which was a report by a Soviet Embassy official who was out and about trying to assess the damage the Germans were doing to aerodromes. So it did live up to the "new perpsectives" tagline.

[Juha]

Thanks a lot, Nick!

Juha

[Venge1]

Dancing in the skies is very good in my opinion.

Tony tell his story about the adventure to get to wartime England from Iceland. The tests at the RAF recruiting office and up to the day at discharging center after the war. He flew Spits with 111 squadron and the story evolves as much in the air as on the ground. Later he also flew Mustangs with 65 squadron.

[Juha]

Thanks a lot, Venge1!

Juha

[Juha]

Thanks Jim for Duke’s War Diary recommendation!
It was a good read and very good book. I used Nick’s excellent Ghostbombers site for cross checking some of his later claims and also Nick’s et al’s Air War Italy to cross check Duke’s last 2 claims.

Bought a couple other books from my list but will comment them when I have had opportunity to read them.

Juha

[Juha]

Hello Venge1
I agree with you.
I just got through the Tony Johsson’s Dancing in the Skies and really liked it, a good read and seemed to be very honest and true. I read it side by side memories of one Finnish ace, who forgets or “forgets” to mention some embarrassing events of his career. Of course I knew the career of the Finnish ace beforehand and on the other hand almost nothing on Jonsson’s career but Tony tells numerous errors he made, so my impression is that his memories are honest.

Besides some minor complains that usually come into mind while reading memoirs I have only a couple complains, firstly he didn’t give dates of many of his combats, which is a pity, because I like to cross-check events and secondly in his forewords he tells that he had left away parts of his descriptions of his early life on Iceland from the English edition. Because IMHO Iceland is very interesting place (have been there once) I’d have like to read more on life there in 30s.
So the book is well worth of having.

Juha