Book Description

"To most people, the Battle of Britain was a violent and bloody duel between the RAF and the Luftwaffe that played a pivotal role in the course of the Second World War. Yet sixty-five years ago on the night of Thursday 24 October 1940 the stillness of the major east coast port of Harwich was shattered by the sound of exploding bombs. On this particular evening, however, there was something quite different from previous attacks-- the aircraft engines 'sounding like rattling in tin cans' were quite unlike the usual German planes and the bombs fell with far less accuracy than usual. The Harwich raiders were, in fact, part of Mussolini's Corpo Aereo Italiano (CAI), who had recently arrived at bases in Belgium to fly in partnership with the Luftwaffe on raids on England during the autumn of 1940 to the spring of 1941. In this gripping account of one of the most intriguing episodes of the Second World War, Haining presents a fascinating cast of characters from Italo Balbo, the pioneer aviator, fascist leader and possible successor to Il Duce, to Enzio Squazzini, a bomber pilot shot down off the coast of Suffolk, who later attempted to run an Italian prisoner of war camp like a Mafia don. Eyewitness testimonials from civilians across eastern England, along with the dramatic stories of Italian and British pilots, plus accounts of crashes, imprisonments and escapes make up this well-researched and engrossing book. It adds a unique new chapter to the enduring legend of the Battle of Britain"--Jacket.