Originally Posted by
Danny42C
Somewhere, on PPRuNe, I read a reference to an article by Wg Cdr Stanford-Tuck, to the effect that many of the Battle of Britain pilots were not the extrovert Rugby Club hearties of public imagination, but often quieter, introverted types. Google cannot find it for me: can anyone here please trace it for me ?
More in hope than any expectation,
Danny.
I wonder if it may be a reference to his introduction to the original edition of Chris Shores and Clive Williams
Aces High? The bit which looks relevant is:
Regarding the title of the book, Aces High, I found myself flinching slightly at this, as I think most fighter pilots always have done.
The term, fighter ace, always seemed to me to conjure up the mental picture of some gay, abandoned, almost irresponsible young pilot leaping into his aircraft and rearing off into the sky to chalk up victories like knocking off glass bottles in the circus rifle range. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Any fighter pilot, after his first combat, is very well aware that air fighting on the scale of the last war was a cold, calculating, cata and mouse type combat, which required great preparation, lightning reactions, first-class team work and above all, cool decisive leadership