The Hero Maker: A Biography of Paul Brickhill

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Author :
Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 0857988131
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (579 download)

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Book Synopsis The Hero Maker: A Biography of Paul Brickhill by : Stephen Dando-Collins

Download or read book The Hero Maker: A Biography of Paul Brickhill written by Stephen Dando-Collins and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2016-08-29 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Dam Busters, The Great Escape and Reach for the Sky were all written by Paul Brickhill, an Australian hero of WWII. 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth and the 25th anniversary of his death. It was 1956 and the writer from Sydney's lower North Shore had every reason to feel blessed. Former journalist Paul Brickhill was the highest-earning author in the UK and two of his bestselling books - The Dam Busters and Reach for the Sky - had recently been made into blockbuster films. Another of his books - inspired by his experiences as a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft 3 in Germany during the Second World War - was attracting Hollywood interest. That book was The Great Escape. Yet, life for the enigmatic Brickhill was never simple. He was beset with mental-health issues and his marriage to model Margot Slater was tempestuous. He struggled with alcohol and writer's block too, as his success - and all that accompanied it - threatened to overwhelm him. In The Hero Maker, award-winning historical author and biographer Stephen Dando-Collins exposes the contradictions of one of Australia's most successful, but troubled, writers. Brickhill's extraordinary story - from the youth with a debilitating stutter to Sydney Sun journalist to Spitfire pilot and POW to feted author - explodes vividly to life on the centenary of his birth.

Hero Maker: A Biography of Paul Brickhill, The

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Author :
Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 0857988123
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (579 download)

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Book Synopsis Hero Maker: A Biography of Paul Brickhill, The by : Stephen Dando-Collins

Download or read book Hero Maker: A Biography of Paul Brickhill, The written by Stephen Dando-Collins and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2016-08-29 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Dam Busters, The Great Escape and Reach for the Sky were all written by Paul Brickhill, an Australian hero of WWII. 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth and the 25th anniversary of his death. It was 1956 and the writer from Sydney's lower North Shore had every reason to feel blessed. Former journalist Paul Brickhill was the highest-earning author in the UK and two of his bestselling books - The Dam Busters and Reach for the Sky - had recently been made into blockbuster films. Another of his books - inspired by his experiences as a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft 3 in Germany during the Second World War - was attracting Hollywood interest. That book was The Great Escape. Yet, life for the enigmatic Brickhill was never simple. He was beset with mental-health issues and his marriage to model Margot Slater was tempestuous. He struggled with alcohol and writer's block too, as his success - and all that accompanied it - threatened to overwhelm him. In The Hero Maker, award-winning historical author and biographer Stephen Dando-Collins exposes the contradictions of one of Australia's most successful, but troubled, writers. Brickhill's extraordinary story - from the youth with a debilitating stutter to Sydney Sun journalist to Spitfire pilot and POW to feted author - explodes vividly to life on the centenary of his birth.:--Publisher's description.

Dreams of Flight

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Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520379292
Total Pages : 283 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (23 download)

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Book Synopsis Dreams of Flight by : Dana Polan

Download or read book Dreams of Flight written by Dana Polan and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2021-11-09 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction -- Engineering The great escape : from book to film (and in-between) -- Tunneling in : The great escape : style, theme, and structure -- After-lives -- Appendix : "It really happened".

The Cambridge History of the Australian Novel

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1009093207
Total Pages : 826 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis The Cambridge History of the Australian Novel by : David Carter

Download or read book The Cambridge History of the Australian Novel written by David Carter and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2023-05-31 with total page 826 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cambridge History of the Australian Novel is an authoritative volume on the Australian novel by more than forty experts in the field of Australian literary studies, drawn from within Australia and abroad. Essays cover a wide range of types of novel writing and publishing from the earliest colonial period through to the present day. The international dimensions of publishing Australian fiction are also considered as are the changing contours of criticism of the novel in Australia. Chapters examine colonial fiction, women's writing, Indigenous novels, popular genre fiction, historical fiction, political novels, and challenging novels on identity and belonging from recent decades, not least the major rise of Indigenous novel writing. Essays focus on specific periods of major change in Australian history or range broadly across themes and issues that have influenced fiction across many years and in many parts of the country.

The Big Break

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Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 1250087570
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (5 download)

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Book Synopsis The Big Break by : Stephen Dando-Collins

Download or read book The Big Break written by Stephen Dando-Collins and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2017-01-10 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story opens in the stinking latrines of the Schubin camp as an American and a Canadian lead the digging of a tunnel which enabled a break involving 36 prisoners of war (POWs). The Germans then converted the camp to Oflag 64, to exclusively hold US Army officers, with more than 1500 Americans ultimately housed there. Plucky Americans attempted a variety of escapes until January, 1945, only to be thwarted every time. Then, with the Red Army advancing closer every day, camp commandant Colonel Fritz Schneider received orders from Berlin to march his prisoners west. Game on! Over the next few days, 250 US Army officers would succeed in escaping east to link up with the Russians - although they would prove almost as dangerous as the Nazis - only to be ordered once they arrived back in the United States not to talk about their adventures. Within months, General Patton would launch a bloody bid to rescue the remaining Schubin Americans. In The Big Break, this previously untold story follows POWs including General Eisenhower's personal aide, General Patton's son-in-law, and Ernest Hemingway's eldest son as they struggled to be free. Military historian and Paul Brickhill biographer Stephen Dando-Collins expertly chronicles this gripping story of Americans determined to be free, brave Poles risking their lives to help them, and dogmatic Nazis determined to stop them.

Great Wartime Escapes and Rescues

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 347 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (16 download)

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Book Synopsis Great Wartime Escapes and Rescues by : David W. Mills

Download or read book Great Wartime Escapes and Rescues written by David W. Mills and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2019-05-17 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Students, military historians, and casual readers will all find this compelling collection useful in learning about escape strategies, hostage situations, and rescue operations during times of conflict. Great Wartime Escapes and Rescues tells the captivating stories of dozens of escapes and rescues from conflicts dating from the 16th century to present, with extensive coverage of the world wars of the 20th century and the Vietnam War. In addition, escapes and rescues related to terrorist activities and regional conflicts are featured. Some stories of escapes and rescues included in this work have been written about extensively and portrayed in films, including The Great Escape and Captain Phillips' rescue by Navy SEALs. Other stories are less widely known but just as absorbing. The book opens with a detailed introductory essay that illuminates the government policies and tactics various countries have used to rescue soldiers and civilians during wartime, as well as the diverse methods that prisoners of war have used to escape notorious camps and prisons. The entries, organized alphabetically, are augmented by engaging sidebars related to the escapes and rescues. The book also includes references to such sources as autobiographies, biographies, news accounts, and interviews with veterans.

Australian Perspectives on Global Air and Space Power

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Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000844803
Total Pages : 229 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Australian Perspectives on Global Air and Space Power by : Nicole Townsend

Download or read book Australian Perspectives on Global Air and Space Power written by Nicole Townsend and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-03-01 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book surveys historical and emerging global air and space power issues and provides a multidisciplinary understanding of the application of air and space power in the past and present, while exploring potential future challenges that global air forces may face. Bringing together leading and emerging academics, professionals, and military personnel from Australia within the field of air and space power, this edited collection traces the evolution of technological innovations, as well as the ethical and cultural frameworks which have informed the development of air and space power in the 20th and 21st centuries, and contemplates the future. It covers topics such as the insurgents' use of drones, the ethics of air strikes, the privatisation of air power, the historical trajectory of air power strategy, and the sociological implications of an ‘air force’ identity. While many of the chapters use Australian-based case studies for their analysis, they have broader applicability to a global readership, and several chapters examine other nations’ experiences, including those of the United States and the United Kingdom. This accessible, illuminating book is an important addition to contemporary air and space power literature, and will be of great interest to students and scholars of air and space power, air warfare, military and international history, defence studies, and contemporary strategic studies, as well as military professionals.

Bomber Boys on Screen

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1350024872
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (5 download)

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Book Synopsis Bomber Boys on Screen by : S. P. MacKenzie

Download or read book Bomber Boys on Screen written by S. P. MacKenzie and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-08-08 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the Second World War, depictions of Royal Air Force operations in film and television drama have become so numerous that they make up a genre worthy of scholarly attention. In this illuminating study, S. P. MacKenzie explores the different ways in which the men of RAF Bomber Command have been represented in dramatic form on the big and small screen from the war years to the present day. Bomber Boys on Screen is the first in-depth study of how and why the screen-drama image of those who flew, those who directed them, and those who provided support for RAF bomber operations has changed over time, sometimes in contested circumstances. Until now dramas that focus on Bomber Command have tended to be mentioned only in passing or studied in isolation, despite the prevalence of surveys of both the British war film genre and of aviation cinema. In Bomber Boys on Screen MacKenzie examines the development, presentation, and reception of significant dramas on a decade-by-decade basis. Titles from the beginning of the war (The Lion Has Wings, 1939) to the start of new century (Bomber's Moon, 2014) are situated in the context of technical possibilities and limitations, evolving social and cultural norms in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, and the development of moral and utilitarian controversies surrounding the wartime bomber offensive directed against Nazi Germany. While the focus is on feature films and television plays, reference is also made to documentaries, memorials, veterans' organizations, book titles, war comics, and other representations of the war fought by Bomber Command.

The Great Escape

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Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 9780393325799
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (257 download)

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Book Synopsis The Great Escape by : Paul Brickhill

Download or read book The Great Escape written by Paul Brickhill and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 1950 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Records the efforts of six hundred British and American officers to escape from a Nazi prison camp.

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 19

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Publisher : ANU Press
ISBN 13 : 1760464139
Total Pages : 970 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (64 download)

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Book Synopsis Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 19 by : Melanie Nolan

Download or read book Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 19 written by Melanie Nolan and published by ANU Press. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 970 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume 19 of the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) contains concise biographies of individuals who died between 1991 and 1995. The first of two volumes for the 1990s, it presents a colourful montage of late twentieth-century Australian life, containing the biographies of significant and representative Australians. The volume is still in the shadow of World War II with servicemen and women who enlisted young appearing, but these influences are dimming and there are now increasing numbers of non-white, non-male, non-privileged and non-straight subjects. The 680 individuals recorded in volume 19 of the ADB include Wiradjuri midwife and Ngunnawal Elder Violet Bulger; Aboriginal rights activist, poet, playwright and artist Kevin Gilbert; and Torres Strait Islander community leader and land rights campaigner Eddie Mabo. HIV/AIDS child activists Tony Lovegrove and Eve Van Grafhorst have entries, as does conductor Stuart Challender, ‘the first Australian celebrity to go public’ about his HIV/AIDS condition in 1991. The arts are, as always, well-represented, including writers Frank Hardy, Mary Durack and Nene Gare, actors Frank Thring and Leonard Teale and arts patron Ian Potter. We are beginning to see the effects of the steep rise in postwar immigration flow through to the ADB. Artist Joseph Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski was born in Poland. Pilar Moreno de Otaegui, co-founded the Spanish Club of Sydney. Chinese restaurateur and community leader Ming Poon (Dick) Low migrated to Victoria in 1953. Often we have a dearth of information about the domestic lives of our subjects; politician Olive Zakharov, however, bravely disclosed at the Victorian launch of the federal government’s campaign to Stop Violence Against Women in 1993 that she was a survivor of domestic violence in her second marriage. Take a dip into the many fascinating lives of the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Reach for the Sky

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (5 download)

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Book Synopsis Reach for the Sky by : Paul Bricknill

Download or read book Reach for the Sky written by Paul Bricknill and published by . This book was released on 1957 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Mr Showbiz

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Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 1925324761
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (253 download)

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Book Synopsis Mr Showbiz by : Stephen Dando-Collins

Download or read book Mr Showbiz written by Stephen Dando-Collins and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2017-10-02 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Born in Port Pirie, South Australia and moving to the UK in the 1950s where he soon established a theatrical agency, at the height of his success, in the 1970s, Robert Stigwood 'Stiggy' was the entertainment industry's most powerful tycoon. He came to renown managing the careers of the Bee Gees, Cream and Eric Clapton. He produced films including Gallipoli, Saturday Night Fever, Tommy and Grease. He was behind West End and Broadway musicals that were huge hits. Stigwood owned the record label that issued his artists' albums and film soundtracks, and he also controlled publishing rights. In addition to the many periods of success, there were also great crashes including an infamous Chuck Berry tour that failed to attract audiences and forced Stiggy to declare bankruptcy. In early 1966, Stigwood became the booking agent for the Who and also began managing the fledgling British group Cream, signing them to his record label Reaction, and their album was immediately successful. Stigwood's ability to pick and promote talent was astounding and he was also known for his many fallings-out. In 1967 the Australian group the Bee Gees arrived in the UK and Stigwood claimed that they were going to be as big as the Beatles. By April, the Bee Gees had their first top 20 hit, and by September their first UK no 1. Stigwood moved into theatre production and took Hair to London. After hearing a demo of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Jesus Christ Superstar, Stigwood invested in the project. He oversaw the New York stage production and in 1973 produced the film adaptation. Stigwood continued to work with Lloyd Webber right up to the 1996 film of Evita. Stiggy got involved in making British television sitcoms and adapting them for US audiences. After watching John Travolta in Welcome Back Kotter, Stigwood signed him to a three-picture deal. After reading an article by British journalist Nik Cohn Stigwood developed it into the feature film Saturday Night Fever and asked the Bee Gees to write its music. The album soundtrack remains the biggest seller of its kind while the film proved a huge hit and helped make disco music an international phenomenon. Stigwood then produced the film of the musical Grease. Stigwood lived it up with private planes, yachts, a Central Park West penthouse and staff. The failure of the big-budget musical film of the Beatles' album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band got to him and he sold his record label. Though his ability to create success had not left him entirely with musical productions and films benefitting from his involvement into the 1990s. For many years he lived a mostly reclusive life in an estate on the Isle of Wight though remained a part of the lives of the Gibb family.

They Died on My Watch

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Author :
Publisher : Austin Macauley Publishers
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 439 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (869 download)

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Book Synopsis They Died on My Watch by : Noel Bailey

Download or read book They Died on My Watch written by Noel Bailey and published by Austin Macauley Publishers. This book was released on 2024-04-26 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who was the actress who died just before Christmas? She was the voice of …..... in …...... Did Hitler commit suicide, or was he shot by Russian troops? Do you remember what year Princess Diana died in that car crash in Paris? How many husbands did Elizabeth Taylor divorce in her lifetime? What was that well known British actor who passed away right after David Bowie died? Questions you might hear at the next table of your favourite eatery. Questions you may or may not know the answer to. They Died on My Watch can answer these and many more. It is a comprehensive reference work that should prove itself indispensable to any household. Most certainly a book to sustain interest when cruising at 35,000 feet between London and New York. It might be seen as the ultimate ‘umpire’ to settle any argument that may arise within a discussion involving a deceased celebrity, recent or not.

Mr Showbiz

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Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 9781925324747
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (247 download)

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Book Synopsis Mr Showbiz by : Stephen Dando-Collins

Download or read book Mr Showbiz written by Stephen Dando-Collins and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2017-10-02 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Born in Port Pirie, South Australia and moving to the UK in the 1950s where he soon established a theatrical agency, at the height of his success, in the 1970s, Robert Stigwood 'Stiggy' was the entertainment industry's most powerful tycoon. He came to renown managing the careers of the Bee Gees, Cream and Eric Clapton. He produced films including Gallipoli, Saturday Night Fever, Tommy and Grease. He was behind West End and Broadway musicals that were huge hits. Stigwood owned the record label that issued his artists' albums and film soundtracks, and he also controlled publishing rights. In addition to the many periods of success, there were also great crashes including an infamous Chuck Berry tour that failed to attract audiences and forced Stiggy to declare bankruptcy. In early 1966, Stigwood became the booking agent for the Who and also began managing the fledgling British group Cream, signing them to his record label Reaction, and their album was immediately successful. Stigwood's ability to pick and promote talent was astounding and he was also known for his many fallings-out. In 1967 the Australian group the Bee Gees arrived in the UK and Stigwood claimed that they were going to be as big as the Beatles. By April, the Bee Gees had their first top 20 hit, and by September their first UK no 1. Stigwood moved into theatre production and took Hair to London. After hearing a demo of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Jesus Christ Superstar, Stigwood invested in the project. He oversaw the New York stage production and in 1973 produced the film adaptation. Stigwood continued to work with Lloyd Webber right up to the 1996 film of Evita. Stiggy got involved in making British television sitcoms and adapting them for US audiences. After watching John Travolta in Welcome Back Kotter, Stigwood signed him to a three-picture deal. After reading an article by British journalist Nik Cohn Stigwood developed it into the feature film Saturday Night Fever and asked the Bee Gees to write its music. The album soundtrack remains the biggest seller of its kind while the film proved a huge hit and helped make disco music an international phenomenon. Stigwood then produced the film of the musical Grease. Stigwood lived it up with private planes, yachts, a Central Park West penthouse and staff. The failure of the big-budget musical film of the Beatles' album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band got to him and he sold his record label. Though his ability to create success had not left him entirely with musical productions and films benefitting from his involvement into the 1990s. For many years he lived a mostly reclusive life in an estate on the Isle of Wight though remained a part of the lives of the Gibb family.

The Dam Busters

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (62 download)

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Book Synopsis The Dam Busters by : Paul Brickhill

Download or read book The Dam Busters written by Paul Brickhill and published by . This book was released on 1958 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Great Escaper

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Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1510748970
Total Pages : 465 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis The Great Escaper by : Simon Pearson

Download or read book The Great Escaper written by Simon Pearson and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Sunday Times bestseller, the real story behind the mastermind of the most famous breakout in history—The Great Escape. While the most famous images from the 1963 film The Great Escape include either a motorcycle or a ball—but definitely Steve McQueen—Richard Attenborough played the part of “Big X,” the British mastermind behind the greatest escape in history. Like the subject of the film, “Big X” was a real person. Roger Bushell was the mastermind of the mass breakout from Stalag Luft III in March 1944. Very little was known about Bushell until 2011, when his family donated his private papers to the Imperial War Museum. Through exclusive access to this material, as well as new research from other sources, Simon Pearson has written the first biography of this iconic figure. Born in South Africa in 1910, Roger Bushell was the son of a British mining engineer. On May 23, 1940, his Spitfire was shot down during a dogfight over Boulogne after destroying two German fighters. Over the next four years he made three escapes, coming within one hundred yards of the Swiss border during his first attempt. His third (and last escape) destabilized the Nazi leadership and captured the imagination of the world, forever immortalized by Hollywood. Simon Pearson's revealing biography is a vivid account of war and love, triumph and tragedy—and one man's attempt to challenge remorseless tyranny in the face of impossible odds.

Reach for the Skies

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101514213
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (15 download)

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Book Synopsis Reach for the Skies by : Richard Branson

Download or read book Reach for the Skies written by Richard Branson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-04-28 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the world's most famous business leaders (and a well-known avian fanatic) explores the pioneers of flight. Bestselling author and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has always been obsessed with the skies. To promote a new Virgin Airlines route, he became the first man to water ski behind a blimp. His Virgin Galactic venture will soon offer ordinary people the opportunity to experience spaceflight aboard the first commercial spaceliner, SpaceShipTwo. In Reach for the Skies, Branson examines the history of aviation over the last two hundred years, putting the spotlight on trailblazers such as: *Tony Jannus, who made the first ever commercial flight over Tampa Bay, Florida, in 1914. *Leo Valentin, the "bird man" who jumped from 9,000 feet wearing a pair of wooden wings in the 1950s. *Steve Fossett, who broke 130 world records in planes, balloons, and airships. The pioneers of flight-not just the world-famous Wright Brothers, but also lesser known visionaries and dreamers-made it possible for any of us with the desire and the commitment to reach for the skies ourselves.