Trial by Fire

August 1939.War is about to be declared in Europe.Roger Hallowes, an RAF sergeant pilot returns to the hangars with his comrades from B Squadron to see who else had returned from the latest attack. Only one more Blenheim had come in.Of the nine that had taken off, three had been shot down. One crashed on landing.One captain, one second pilot and two wireless operator-air gunners had been killed … two wireless operator-air gunners had been killed in the six which had survived the battle.

The mental arithmetic Roger did to calculate his chances of surviving another half-dozen operations gave him no comfort.

Three young men, Roger and his two cousins, share the last few precious days of peace with their families and friends.

Their carefree, comfortable lives are about to be shattered by the hardships and horrors of the Second World War.

‘Trial by Fire’ follows these men through the dramatic first year of war; the fall of France and the triumph of the Battle of Britain. It gives a comprehensive view of the early air operations whose outcome affected the whole future course of the war.

‘Trial by Fire’ is a gripping war story told from first-hand experience and a wide knowledge of the R.A.F in all its facets.

Praise for Richard Bickers:

‘A thrilling page turner.’ – Tom Kasey, best-selling author of ‘Trade Off’.

Richard Townsend Bickers volunteered for the RAF on the outbreak of the second world war and served, with a Permanent Commission, for eighteen years. He wrote a range of military fiction and non-fiction books, including ‘Torpedo Attack’, ‘My Enemy Came Nigh’, ‘Bombing Run’ and ‘Summer of No Surrender’.

Originally published as ‘The Gifts of Jove’.

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