With 64 books to his credit, Dilip Sarkar is probably the most qualified individual in the world to write a book about the Battle of Britain as well as England’s premier fighter plane, the Supermarine Spitfire. He was honored in 2003 with England’s MBE (Member British Empire) for his “service to aviation history.” He has done extensive work researching and recording the history of the Battle of Britain. In 2006, he was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS), and in 2024 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS).

By my count of those 64 books written, no less than 12 have Spitfire in the title, and many more pertain to the historical combat actions and deployments of the Spitfire and the pilots who flew her. A book such as this is therefore inevitable, given his years of research and exposure to rare and unique photos, often candid, taken by the pilots and crews in front-line service. Due to the informal settings in which these pictures were taken, the quality varies from very fine to unclear and blurry. Despite this variability, these illustrations of life and equipment on the front serve to give the reader insight into the day-to-day occurrences and mishaps which pilots and crews faced. In some photos the aircraft itself is the center of attention, while in others it is merely an unwitting backstop in a mate’s recording of a friendship or accomplishment. Several myths may explode via a single photo of imperfectly painted invasion stripes, and we get to see several pranged aircraft, damaged in taxiing, takeoff or landing accidents, as well as Spitfires damaged in combat. Modelers can be assured that there are quite a few photos which will inspire a scale model diorama or vignette.

This book by publisher Pen and Sword is a 6 3/4 inch by 9 3/4 hardback, printed on quality paper with a glossy color printed paper dust jacket. The spine is printed with title and author in gold. The text is divided into six sections:

• Prologue
• Spitfire: the Photographic Kaleidoscope
• Reflections
• Acknowledgments
• Select Bibliography
• Other Books by Dilip Sarkar

“Prologue” is a concise but informative summary of the development of the Spitfire, participation in the defense of England during the Blitz and its deployment through the rest of the war. These 23 pages serve to give context and depth of significance to the photos that follow in the main section of the book, the “Photographic Kaleidoscope,” which consists of over 230 black and white photos distributed over 121 pages. Captions for each photo are informative, relevant, and expand the reader’s understanding of the photographic content. “Reflections” serves as a summary of the Spitfire’s postwar engagements in the hands of the RAF and other foreign purchasers, and finally to restored examples which are displayed and are flying examples at airshows. A single page is devoted both to the “Acknowledgments” and “Select Bibliography,” yet the “Other Books” section requires almost 3 full pages to list Mr. Sarkar’s other publications.

Conclusions

This is not a photo book per se, but rather a book containing photos, many rare or rarely seen, organized in chronological order, telling the story of the legendary Spitfire. This new release can be enjoyed by historians, Spitfire fans and modelers alike.

Many thanks to Casemate as well as the IPMS-USA for the opportunity to read and review this quality publication.