Scramble: The Dramatic Story of a Young Fighter Pilot's Experiences During the Battle of Britain & the Siege of Malta

New paperback edition - Full-length memoir of Battle of Britain and Siege of Malta hero Tom Neil, who shot down fourteen enemy aircraft. ‘A vivid & superbly written account by one of the great heroes of the Battle of Britain’ ‘It is not hard to see why Tom Neil became one of the poster boys for that gallant band who saw Britain through her darkest hour’ ''Last of the fortunate Few … 75 years on, hero pilot relives Battle of Britain … At 95 he is the last remaining ace'' ''An enthralling new perspective on the Battle of Britain by one of the last surviving heroes'' .. ''A thrilling book about his wartime exploits ... a Battle of Britain legend''

This is a fighter pilot’s memoir of four tumultuous years, 1938–1942, when he was first trained, then fought and survived in not one but two of the biggest aerial campaigns of the war, the Battle of Britain and the equally epic but lesser-known Siege of Malta.

When the Germans were blitzing their way across France in spring 1940, Pilot Officer Tom Neil had just received his first posting – to 249 Squadron. Nineteen years old and fresh from training, he was soon to be pitched into the maelstrom of air fighting on which the very survival of Britain would come to depend. By the end of the year he had shot down thirteen enemy aircraft, seen many of his friends killed, injured or burned, and was himself a wary and accomplished fighter pilot.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Tom was then shipped off to the beleaguered island of Malta to face a second Luftwaffe onslaught. Again heavily engaged, he shot down another enemy fighter and survived a number of engine failures and other emergencies.

When he passed away in 2018, he was one of the last living Battle of Britain veterans. This vivid memoir is his last word on his fighter pilot experiences.

• | Author: Tom Neil
• | Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• | Publication Date: Aug 15, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781398129054
• | ISBN-10: 1398129054