Hi again all, I'm posting a short excerpt from my book "Down to Earth". As previously discussed, the book details the diverse career of SQNLDR K.B. McGlashan AFC, a WWII RAF fighter pilot who flew in most of the major engagements; Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, Dieppe and D-Day. He was also one of the first generation of night fighter pilots for the RAF when tactics were rudimentary to say the least. If you'd like, I'll post other snippets from time to time. Cheers Owen "...As the battle developed beneath me, two fighters, Messerschmitt Bf109s, slipped by 3,000 feet below emerging ahead and to my right at a great rate of knots. They were obviously seeking out the tails of my leading sections and had positioned themselves in the classic six o’clock position. I flicked my gun switch to ‘live’ and readied to roll my machine over to initiate a diving attack on the diving fighters. A screech came over my ineffectual TR9D radio, filling my helmet with deafening, squawking static. I later learned it was Geoff Howitt warning me of the five 109s diving on us, attacking from our port quarter. Howitt broke hard left and crossed in front of me, yet I was still none the wiser. Amidst this melee, I was concentrating on my attack and had totally neglected to look behind. The first indication I had of anything going wrong was when the armour plate behind my head began ringing like an alarm clock. Before I could draw breath, bright red tracers started bombarding my cockpit, whistling between my legs and ravaging the panels of Perspex and fabric to my left. The incendiary-tipped tracers assist the pilot in seeing where his shots are landing and from my perspective I could see them landing very well. As my instrument panel began disintegrating before my eyes, my thoughts leapt suddenly to the vapour-rich petrol tank that sat just behind the instruments. Momentary horror turned to short relief when I recalled that the tank was self-sealing. The attack had been lightning quick. I slammed the control stick forward and to the right, entering a downward roll and sending the world spinning around. The back of my legs stung as metal splinters spat from the maze of piping fragmenting beneath my feet. Engine coolant, oil and all variety of hot fluids showered me as the scent of smoke began to fill the air. Foolishly I had been flying with my goggles atop my helmet and now the mix of smoke and oils that were bringing down my aeroplane were also serving to partially blind me. My cockpit had become a scene of absolute chaos. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the attack abated. Gathering my thoughts, I pulled the aircraft out of the dive and assessed my situation; not good. Bleeding oil and coolant, I knew my Hurricane was done for and I began readying myself to bail out. With the threat of fire growing, I cut the engine, switched off the fuel and set about sliding back the hood. My vision was getting worse and I fumbled to get the canopy back. Three times I tried and three times it slid closed. In my enthusiasm to get out, I was failing to lock the canopy open and a sense of incarceration came across me. Being trapped in a fiery cockpit was the dread of every fighter pilot and for a moment I began to wonder if this is how my war was to end. A moment after that, the second attack started. The left hand side of my canopy exploded again as the red tracer ravaged what remained of my aircraft’s port side. With the engine shutdown, I was literally powerless. Again I slammed the stick forward, though this time to the left. I combined inertia with gravity, accelerating my wounded machine downwards. I felt a wallop and then a trickling sensation down the back of my leg and thought that I’d copped a hit in the backside. [It turned out to be a direct hit on an Agfa cartridge in my pocket, allowing the film to unfurl in my trousers.] Headlong, vertical and hurtling towards Terra Firma, I had a moment of unexpected clarity and recalled banter at the bar that formed a consensus that 109s were poor at recovering from dives. With the earth looming large in the windscreen and absolutely nothing left to lose, I decided to apply this theory. At the last possible moment I hauled back on the control column with all of my remaining might. As the blood drained from my head, my world faded to ‘black and white’ and then just black........." An excerpt from ’Down to Earth’. A Fighter Pilot’s Experiences of Surviving Dunkirk, The Battle of Britain, Dieppe and D-Day. By Squadron Leader Kenneth Butterworth McGlashan AFC with Owen Zupp. Grub Street Publishing 2007.
That's really well written and i certainly look forward to the next part. How do we go about buying your book? :becky: Sniper eep:
Hi All, I'm glad that you enjoyed the snippet. I'll post another in a month, or so. Thanks for the compliment Sniper. The real challenge was to capture the essence and reality of Kenneth's experiences and remain true to history. The fact is that truth is stranger than fiction and I often think that those who 'sensationalise' such stories are really just wasting time. Kenneth's life was exciting and his recollections were vivid; no embelishment was needed. It was all made a little easier by the fact that I'm a pilot. I understand heaving 'G forces', the beauty of an empty sky and the excitement of a flashing tree-line in the peripheral vision. For me writing the book was a passion. Never a job. I'll continue to record these veteran's stories because it has become somewhat of a 'quest' for me. But I ramble.... As for obtaining the book, where are you based? It's published in the UK and distributed to the US and Antipodes. Probably the easiest means is via Amazon, here are some links from my website http://www.owenzupp.com; Published in the UK by Grub Street Publishing, 'Down to Earth' (ISBN 1904943845) is now available across the globe via selected distributors. For more information: Down To Earth 'Down to Earth' is also available over the internet via Amazon.co.uk Amazon.co.uk: Down to Earth: A Fighter Pilot Recounts His Experiences of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Dieppe, D-Day and Beyond: Books: Owen Zupp and Amazon.com. Amazon.com: DOWN TO EARTH: A Fighter Pilot's Experiences of Surviving Dunkirk, The Battle of Britain, Dieppe and D-Day: Books: Kenneth Butterworth McGlashan Thanks again for the interest and I'm always keen for any feedback or discussion on this topic. Cheers Owen View attachment 1179
Hi Owen, Just got a copy on order, and really looking forward to reading it. If the rest of it is as good as the part you put on the forum it will be an awesome read. I will certainly give you some feedback on it. Have a good day Sniper eep:
Hi Sniper, I'm always appreciative of feedback and more than happy to answer any questions that may stem from Kenneth's story. It's another way to keep his story and those of his comrades real and alive. Cheers Owen
Yep, like Andy and Sniper I've pushed it to the top of the list and it will be next buy when I visit Amazon. Thanks Owen.
Hi All, Thanks to everyone who has PM'd me about my book, "Down to Earth". I'd just like to encourage anyone with queries or feedback about the story to make contact with me. (I never get tired of discussing it.) If it's a general, historical aspect we could even make a thread of it. I'll paste another excerpt in the not too distant future. Thanks again for your enthusiasm and support. Cheers, Owen View attachment 1282
Thanks in return for being so generous with your excerpts, Owen. I know it promotes the book but we're all about sharing the history with everyone so it is most appreciated. I am looking forward to my copy and the cheque is in the mail!
Hi All, Well it's been a while coming, but here's another excerpt from 'Down to Earth'. I know some of you have now read the book, but there's a few new faces floating around who might enjoy a snippet. This passage sees Kenneth as a relatively new fighter pilot, yet to see action. Cheers Owen …as the Squadron’s only “single engined” pilot, I was to be sent to Abbotsinch to collect the sole dual control Battle in the country. On its return, the aircraft would be used to convert our “”twin engined” pilots to its ways with a minimum of pain. Well, that was the plan anyway… …having familiarised myself with the type, I readied to take my new steed to its new home. The weather surrounding the airfield was bleak and foggy as I lifted off and started into the climb. Previously unaware of their presence, I found myself flying through a section of tethered barrage balloons over Glasgow. Through sheer good fortune I escaped harm at the hands of the helium-filled defence system. A few years later I would witness the lethal potential of Barrage Balloons as they dotted the skies over Crewe. One of our own, a Shorts Stirling, flew into the cables, exploding into a fireball before falling to earth and killing the entire crew. I could only reflect about my earlier escape. With the near-miss behind me, I set course for Leconfield. Passing Thornton Hill, I had no sooner settled in for the flight when my engine stopped, leaving things very quiet. This was particularly embarrassing as I was not at a great height at the time and confronted with extremely limited options. It had been a very hard winter and the small rolling foothills were snow coated with a deeply frozen core of soil beneath. Without further ado I chose a field ahead. My selected area was divided by a small track crossing it and terminated with a house and garage at the far end. Not ideal, but it would have to do. Setting my speed and lining up on the field, I experienced a very uncomfortable feeling. The Battle was the first aircraft I had flown with retractable undercarriage and the proximity of the ground without my wheels lowered was rather unnerving. My next action seemed logical at that moment, but with the benefit of hindsight and experience, it was a basic error. I lowered the undercarriage. I impacted the frozen earth well into the chosen landing site and bounced high above the snow. Floating over the track that I had noted on approach, my eyes caught those of a woman pushing a pram with a baby in it. I touched down again and stuck this time. Surmounting the crest of the hill, I started down at a great rate before striking a hedge which served to shear off my main wheels. The aircraft fell to its belly with little loss in speed initially and was now effectively a Royal Air Force toboggan heading straight for the residence’s garage. I tried to gain some directional control by kicking the rudders, though this proved very ineffective other than to slew the aircraft slightly from side to side. Throughout, the Battle’s course remained true. As I contemplated whether I would stop in time, one of the double doors opened and a head protruded to take in proceedings. The head was then rapidly withdrawn and reappeared through a side door, at speed, with body firmly attached. An excerpt from ’Down to Earth’. A Fighter Pilot’s Experiences of Surviving Dunkirk, The Battle of Britain, Dieppe and D-Day. By Squadron Leader Kenneth Butterworth McGlashan AFC with Owen Zupp. Grub Street Publishing 2007.
Hi All, Well I've entered the 'YouTube' generation. Here's my first attempt. YouTube - Down to Earth. Dunkirk, D-Day and the Battle of Britain. I'm looking at some short airshow clips as well. Cheers Owen
Hi again all, Is anyone onterested in another excerpt for the forum? I'm aware most of you have already read the book! Cheers Owen
Hi All, Here's an excerpt relating to Dieppe. Cheers Owen The crossing of the Channel was uneventful but as Dieppe loomed ahead, the ferocity of the artillery barrage was evident. We contacted the control vessel to confirm that our target was the same as briefed to which we received a very scratchy confirmation. The C.O. was flying lower and lower with the resultant loss of radio range and quality. As we neared the controller we came under fire from British anti-aircraft gunners who took all single engined fighters to be Me109’s. With an air-filled VOOF my mission nearly ended there and then as a friendly shell passed close enough to be heard. The sky was absolutely thick with the black smoke of exploding shells. The cliff tops were littered with houses within which were stationed light German anti-aircraft guns. There fire was terribly accurate and in company with the barrage from their heavy guns, there was little room left in the sky for us. All the while, the Squadron Leader flew lower and lower to the extent that we at the rear were rapidly running out of air. Still locked in rigid Vic formation, our leader seemed oblivious to the predicament of those behind him as the water loomed below and the cliff tops ahead stood above us. All the while the German fire was being supplemented by a rain of empty shell cases and bombs from aircraft above. Crossing the coast, land and sea came too close for comfort. I broke left and my numbers two and three fanned out and away. From that point I was on my own. I pulled the Hurricane over the tiles of the hostile roof tops and headed inland. I couldn’t actually believe that I had made it across the coast without being hit by some form of flying metal. As I roared across the French countryside, I saw a gathering of German soldiery ahead in a field they shared with some livestock. They moved to take cover, though a lone soldier with a light machine gun set his weapon on its pole and pointed it in my direction. My guns were already set to fire, so I dropped my nose and gave a squirt. As that scene swept below my belly, our briefed target suddenly appeared ahead, positioned on a small hill. The gun emplacement was of a serious size and surrounded by a parapet, below which the gun crews took cover as I approached. There was no sign of my squadron and I could only assume that they had been and gone. It was obvious that my .303s weren’t going to make any inroads on the walls surrounding the position, so I assessed my best way to get a crack at the personnel. I was aware that the gun crews would dive for their sand-bagged walls at the first sight of me, so I undertook to introduce an element of surprise by attacking from different approaches. At treetop height I skirted a valley before turning back towards the target. I stayed as low as possible for as long as possible before popping up and taking aim. I fired off a burst as the crews dived in all directions and roared over the heads. Swinging away, I set myself again from a different perspective. Again, heads up, a brief glimpse and fire…..
I love the sound of that old voice on You tube Owen ! :clapping: And I love the snippets ....... thank you ! Annie
