Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II by Aikman, Becky
Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II by Aikman, Becky

Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II

"Lively and entertaining . . . Those fearlessly determined female pilots are the professional forebears of the...
$23.98 USD
$23.98 USD
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Author: Becky Aikman
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: $23.98
Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II by Aikman, Becky

Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II

$23.98
Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II by Aikman, Becky

Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II

$23.98
Author: Becky Aikman
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Description

"Lively and entertaining . . . Those fearlessly determined female pilots are the professional forebears of the women who would slowly break down barriers in the U.S. military in the decades that followed . . . And what forebears those women were." -The Washington Post

"A soaring narrative." -Keith O'Brien, New York Times bestselling author of Fly Girls

The heart-pounding true story of the daring American women who piloted the most dangerous aircraft of World War II through the treacherous skies of Britain.

They were crop dusters and debutantes, college girls and performers in flying circuses--all of them trained as pilots. Because they were women, they were could not fly for their country when the United States entered the Second World War. But Great Britain was desperate for transport pilots-even American ones and even women. Thus, in 1942, 25 daring young aviators bolted for England, becoming the first American women to command military aircraft.

In a faraway land, these "spitfires" lived like women decades ahead of their time. Risking their lives in one of the deadliest jobs of the war, they ferried new, barely tested fighters and bombers to air bases and returned shot-up wrecks for repair, never knowing what might go wrong until they were in the sky. The pilots broke new ground off duty as well, shocking their hosts with thoroughly modern behavior.

With cinematic sweep, Becky Aikman brings to life nine of these forgotten heroines, drawing on unpublished diaries, letters, and records, along with her own interviews. Spitfires is a vivid, richly detailed account of war, ambition, and a group of remarkable women whose lives were as unconventional as their dreams.

Author: Becky Aikman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 05/05/2026
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781639739349

About the Author
Becky Aikman is the author of three books of narrative nonfiction: her memoir, Saturday Night Widows, Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge, and Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II. A former journalist at Newsday, Aikman has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. She lives in New York.
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