Spitfire Command

Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the Channel Dash, North Africa, Sicily, Dieppe, D-Day, and the fight against the V1 menace — Group Captain Bobby Oxspring saw action in many of the most famous battles of the Second World War.

His memoir of time as a Spitfire fighter is the perfect book for fans of First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, Samurai! by Saburo Sakai, and The First and the Last by Adolf Galland.

Beginning in 66 Squadron, by the end of the Battle of Britain, he was already an ace with eight enemy aircraft destroyed: three Heinkel 111s, one Dornier 17, one Me110, and three Me109s. He then went on to become flight commander in No. 41 Squadron RAF and later took command of three more squadrons, leading his men through some of the most ferocious air battles of the war.

His memoir, Spitfire Command, is a remarkable account of life as one of The Few, charting his journey through the war, flying all marks of the Spitfire — from the Mk I to the Mk XIV — right through to when he ended operational duty just a week before the war ended. Written vividly, Oxspring provides an authentic insight into the lives of the men who fought in the air. It is a fascinating and inspiring story of bravery, good humour, and sacrifice.

‘Group Captain “Bobby” Oxspring, DFC and two Bars, was one of that select band of fighter pilots who flew throughout the Second World War, and in his excellent book he writes of the splendid characters he knew in the fighter squadrons.’ Air Vice Marshal ‘Johnnie’ Johnson CB, CBE, DSO (Two Bars), DFC (And Bar), DL