The Few: The American “Knights of the Air” Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain by Alex Kershaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Few is the story of the American pilots who joined the Royal Air Force in time to take part in the Battle of Britain in 1940. It’s an interesting and compelling story about young men who wanted to fly and also wanted to fight on behalf of freedom at a time when the United States was still neutral. To join the RAF as American citizens, they all risked their citizenship and possible prosecution for violating the Neutrality Act. But they persevered and took part in the battle that saved the United Kingdom from invasion.

The book uses letters, interviews and many secondary sources to tell the story. We learn about the American pilots of course, but also about their British comrades. And we also learn about the opposing pilots in the German Luftwaffe. It is a well rounded book, but of course the main focus is on the Americans.

It’s an easy read; Mr Kershaw has crafted a compelling narrative, which at times can seem a bit like a “boys own adventure” story. There are a few errors in the text (mostly dates) that should have been caught in the editing process, but it’s well worth reading.