The Last Enemy by Richard Hillary: A World War Two Memoir by a Spitfire Pilot

Excellent read about the experiences of one of "The Few" who flew in defense of Great Britain during the summer of 1940's "Battle of Britain". Another cross referenced book I recommend is "The Fatal Englishmen" by Sebastian Faulkes who devotes 1/3 of his book to much more background behind the person, Oxford student, bon vivant ... who became best known as Richard Hillary the Spitfire pilot and author of the "Last Enemy".

Talk about thrills! This little treasure is one of the all-time classics to come out of WWII, but few people have heard about it (which makes it a great gift idea, too, for friends who are into WWII history and military subjects). This is a first-hand account of the part Richard Hillary and his friends played as fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain. This is gripping reading from beginning to end! From Mr. Hillary: "Disillusioned and spoiled, referred to as The Lost Generation, we were without any Holy Grail until the war provided it in what seemed a delightfully palatable form. For myself, I was glad for purely selfish reasons. As a fighter pilot I hoped for a concentration of amusement, fear, and exaltation which I had little chance of experiencing in another form of existence. I was not disappointed." The traditional British understatement makes this book, and this dramatic personal story, all the more enjoyable to read. Now that you've found it, please tell your friends about it!

The Last enemy is a contemporary account written by an RAF fighter pilot who flew Spitfires during the Battle of Britain. Prior to the war, the author led a comfortable upper class lifestyle; he was attending Oxford, had numerous friends, rowed and fancied becoming a writer. Moreover, he had an interest in flying and was a member of the University Air Squadron. When the Germans invaded Poland, he and his friends in the Air Squadron were, after a short delay, sent to training units, and after Dunkirk, were hurriedly sent to operational squadrons. Hillary, given the choice, chose No. 603, a Spitfire squadron in Scotland. During the Battle of Britian, the squadron was sent south into the thick of battle; shortly afterwards, Hillary was shot down and severely burned. Divided into two sections, the second half of the book details his ordeals as he recovers and undergoes reconstructive surgery. The Last Enemy is by no means propagandistic tripe; it is a sincere and timeless account of life disrupted by war, and therefore a very rewarding read.

This Battle of Britain pilot has left us with a real gem; a classically engaging description of his experience of training, being shot down, and his amazing recovery.One thing that makes this work great, and enables it to stand above other similar books, is Hillary's ability to describe his emotions; to explain his thoughts at the time, and those of his colleagues.This book puts things into perspective - it is the memoir of a true hero.

This is a beautifully written account of one pilot's participation in a crucial WW2 battle. The book does not fall flat because the author spent only a relatively brief period in action; his description of his privileged period at Oxford, and of fighter training at the beginning of the time, are worth reading in their own right.However, the real subject of this book is the recovery (sadly incomplete) he made from the horrific burns suffered after being shot down on the War's first anniversary. Burns treatment was crude before the outbreak of WW2, and shot-down pilots were the guinea pigs who enabled huge advances in this field to be made. (Hillary's plastic surgeon was the great Sir Archibald McIndoe.) Hillary's courage in fighting his way to this recovery, and the candour with which he describes it, make this book the best memoir I have read of the War.