I notice this title ''ACE OF ACES'' ~ Nothing like the great teutonic turkey-shooters in Russia, but this title is also the name of a book about the British Empire's Top Scorer - A largely unknown Ace of the RAF ~
Written by E.C,R Baker in 1965, published by William Kimber &Co. Ltd, I have got a 1973/74 New English Library Ltd, from Barnard's Inn, Holborn, London EC1; copy of this book about the late Sqn.Ldr. M.T. St John Pattle, DFC & Bar -
''The only concrete yardstick for naming the greatest fighter pilot of the RAF during WW2 is the number of confirmed ' kills', the score of enemy aircraft shot down. And it was to be some years after the War before Sqn.Ldr.' Pat' Pattle could be so regarded ~
Pattle was, virtually, an unsung hero, yet he shot down at least forty enemy aircraft in the short space of nine months.
Because of the bitter fighting over Greece, the records of Pattle's squadron never reached the Air Ministry files, but E.C.R. Baker has pieced together his amazing career with authoritative and exciting detail.'' - So reads the back panel of the book ...
I recently found this paperback in my bookshelf, I hadn't read it before, and I was off reading it every chance I had and what an awesome story, especially considering that most of his ' kills' were when flying a Gloster Gladiator, by then in the desparate struggle to try and hold Greece - They started getting Hurricanes and now on a slightly better footing to fight the Luftwaffe after sorting the Italians out, they fought on until he was killed and to stay on in Greece became untenable -
For those who like a good read and about a quiet busy corner of aviation history, you will not be disappointed ~
Cheers ~