Ian 'Widge' Gleed's account of his war as an RAF fighter pilot needs no introduction, as it has long been considered a classic of its genre. First published in 1942, Arise to Conquer gives an intensely personal account of Cleed's exploits from 1940, starting with his time in France with No 87 Squadron. Here, he quickly achieved ace status before returning to the UK in time for the Battle of Britain. He writes enthusiastically of the Hurricane, his mount for much of the war, which was nearly 100mph faster than the Gauntlet he'd previously flown. What elevates his text above so many others are his powers of observation and the seamlessness between his descriptions of flying and of all the other aspects of life on the squadron. As to the origins of his nickname 'Widge', Gleed was of short stature - what would now be termed 'vertically challenged' - and fond of using the adjective 'wizard' to describe something of which he approved, hence 'wizard midget' or 'Widge! Aviation author Dilip Sarkar has added some extra detail and a postscript to this edition, while there is a new 45-page black-and-white photo section of shots taken by a fellow pilot. Excellent on all counts.
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