The Few: The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Save Britain in the Summer of 1940

The Few tells the story of a group of American Flyboys recruited by Winston Churchill to help in the fight against Nazi Germany. In the summer of 1940, World War II had been underway for nearly a year. Hitler was triumphant and the United States was neutral. But some Americans did not remain so. The worst days of the Battle of Britain - July 10 to September 15 - saw seven U.S. pilots fighting side by side with the English. They included ex-barnstormers, a farm-boy, and a millionaire playboy. Idealists, adventurers, and romantics, this motley crew of thrill-seekers cajoled their way into the Royal Air Force, defying the U.S. government to fly the remarkably lethal Spitfire and become the "knights of the air." They dueled with the brilliant Luftwaffe in the greatest man-on-man contest in the history of aviation. They also fell in love with England's finest "roses," shot down several of Herman Goering's aces, and were feted as national heroes. By October 1940, they had helped win the Battle of Britain, long before America entered WWII. In the mold of Stephen Ambrose, Kershaw is fast becoming the next great popular military historian Alex Kershaw 360 pages