Devotion to a Calling : Far-East Flying and Survival with 62 Squadron RAF Book PDF, ePub eBook

Join our eBook service for unlimited books & audiobooks. Get a free 7 day subscription! ↓↓↓↓↓


Book Descriptions:
Harley Boxall was awarded his RAF wings on 3 October 1936 and was posted to 40 Squadron flying Hawker Hinds. On 1 April 1937 he was posted to Bircham Newton in Norfolk to train with 206 Squadron which was a General Reconnaissance and Training unit equipped with the Avro Anson. He then joined 62 Squadron shortly after it was formed and received its first Blenheim in February 1938. During the summer of 1939 and because of increasing political tension in Europe, a decision was taken to reinforce the Far East Air Force with two squadrons of Blenheims. The urgency of the situation required that the aircraft, from 34 and 62 Squadrons, be flown out to their final destination at Tengah in Singapore. It took a total fifty flying hours to arrive

On Thursday 4 April 1940 a signal came through from Air Headquarters that aircraft were to make a reconnaissance of Sabang Harbour and photograph any shipping therein. Five Blenheims took-off from Alor Star at 1030 and on leaving Sabang behind at 1300 hours, Boxall climbed to gain height for the long return sea crossing. He had gained an altitude of 9,000 ft. when, some forty miles from the coast of Sumatra, the oil pressure of his starboard engine fell to zero. Within a minute or so, the port engine seized and he was flying in silence. After a successful crash landing on the sea the crew waded through the coral, heedless of the cuts inflicted, and fell exhausted on the beach. The island was roughly two miles long by one mile across, rising steeply from the shore to a height of about four hundred feet and covered with thick jungle down to the water’s edge. By the morning of the third day they had been forty-eight hours without food. They wondered along the beach and collected more wood and ate unripe ‘plums’. It was not until the sixth day that a small native boat came silently round the edge of the mangrove heading for the beach, eventually rescuing the crew.

In September 1940 Harley was promoted to flight lieutenant and given command of the RAF Station at Alor Star in Malaya. 62 Squadron flew on what Harley later described, as the first and only operation that it carried out as a unit, when he lead eleven Blenheims to bomb the Japanese invasion fleet. Against the odds, all of 62 Squadron’s aircraft and crews returned to Alor Star safely but approximately half-an-hour after they had landed and while the Blenhiems were still being rearmed and refuelled, the Japanese attacked the airfield. A force of about twenty-seven enemy aircraft bombed Alor Star completely destroying at least three Blenheims and rendering another three damaged and unserviceable. As the Japanese invasion spread Harley finally escaped from Java on 2 March aboard the ‘Tung Song’ , it was one of the last ships to leave.

Devotion to a Calling : Far-East Flying and Survival with 62 Squadron RAF by Harley Boxall, Joe Bamford

From reader reviews:

Percy Brown:

The experience that you get from Devotion to a Calling : Far-East Flying and Survival with 62 Squadron RAF may be the more deep you searching the information that hide inside the words the more you get serious about reading it. It doesn't mean that this book is hard to understand but Devotion to a Calling : Far-East Flying and Survival with 62 Squadron RAF giving you enjoyment feeling of reading. The article writer conveys their point in specific way that can be understood simply by anyone who read it because the author of this e-book is well-known enough. This particular book also makes your current vocabulary increase well. Therefore it is easy to understand then can go with you, both in printed or e-book style are available. We recommend you for having this specific Devotion to a Calling : Far-East Flying and Survival with 62 Squadron RAF instantly.

Eric Alaniz:

This book untitled Devotion to a Calling : Far-East Flying and Survival with 62 Squadron RAF to be one of several books in which best seller in this year, this is because when you read this book you can get a lot of benefit onto it. You will easily to buy this particular book in the book retail outlet or you can order it by means of online. The publisher in this book sells the e-book too. It makes you quicker to read this book, since you can read this book in your Mobile phone. So there is no reason for your requirements to past this book from your list.

Ann Mickey:

Is it an individual who having spare time and then spend it whole day by simply watching television programs or just telling lies on the bed? Do you need something totally new? This Devotion to a Calling : Far-East Flying and Survival with 62 Squadron RAF can be the solution, oh how comes? A fresh book you know. You are thus out of date, spending your free time by reading in this new era is common not a geek activity. So what these textbooks have than the others?

John Wiser:

As we know that book is significant thing to add our know-how for everything. By a publication we can know everything we would like. A book is a group of written, printed, illustrated or blank sheet. Every year had been exactly added. This reserve Devotion to a Calling : Far-East Flying and Survival with 62 Squadron RAF was filled regarding science. Spend your extra time to add your knowledge about your scientific disciplines competence. Some people has various feel when they reading a new book. If you know how big good thing about a book, you can feel enjoy to read a guide. In the modern era like at this point, many ways to get book that you wanted.