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Holding Details

Barcode30053003801571
StatusChecked Out
Home LocationParis-Bourbon
Call No940.544 AIKM
Title Spitfires : the American women who flew in the face of danger during World War II / Becky Aikman, Grace McNamee.
Author Aikman, Becky, author.
CollectionNEW: Adult 900-999
Reserve Item

Copies

StatusHome LocationBarcodeCall NoCreated OnIssue NameCirc Status
Checked OutParis-Bourbon30053003801571940.544 AIKM8/29/2025 Due on 9/12/2025

Catalog Details

Personal Name Aikman, Becky, author.
Title Statement Spitfires : the American women who flew in the face of danger during World War II / Becky Aikman, Grace McNamee.
Varying Form of Title Spit fires
Production, Publication, Distribution, Manufacture, and Copyright Notice New York : Bloomsbury Publishing Incorporated, [2025]
Physical Description 368 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Content Type still image sti rdacontent
Content Type text txt rdacontent
Media Type unmediated n rdamedia
Carrier Type volume rdacarrier
Bibliography, Etc. Note Includes bibliographical references and index.
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.
Subject Added Entry - Topical Term World War, 1939-1945 Women.
Subject Added Entry - Topical Term World War, 1939-1945 Aerial operations.
Added Entry, Personal Name McNamee, Grace, editor.

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