Nicky Barr, an Australian Air Ace: A Story of Courage and AdventureAt 23, Nicky Barr was chosen to represent Australia in the national rugby world tour. The day after the squad arrived in England, war was declared and the tour cancelled. Nicky immediately signed up to become a fighter pilot in the RAAF and while fighting Romel's famed Afrika Corp in North Africa, quickly became a squadron leader. |
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A great book about a true hero.
A hero is a person who does the right and brave thing, not for glory or fame, but because it is the right thing to do.
An interesting and inspiring read.
Contents
| 1 | |
| 5 | |
| 20 | |
| 26 | |
First Victory | 41 |
Enter the Kittyhawks | 52 |
Senussi Adventure | 62 |
Cairo | 74 |
Bergamo | 153 |
Lake Como | 162 |
The Metamorphosis | 173 |
Bergamo Revisited | 181 |
Germany Bound | 191 |
Pontremoli | 198 |
Abruzzi | 209 |
Goriano Valli | 216 |
Gambut | 80 |
Operation Venezia | 90 |
Knightsbridge | 97 |
Battle of the Cauldron | 102 |
Bir Hacheim | 110 |
Sidi Rezegh | 124 |
Mersa Matruh | 134 |
Tobruk | 144 |
The Alpine Route | 231 |
Cutello | 236 |
Normandy | 245 |
Australia | 258 |
The Years After | 269 |
Australian Fighter Aces of World War Two | 279 |
Further Reading | 281 |
Other editions - View all
Nicky Barr, an Australian Air Ace: A Story of Courage and Adventure Peter Dornan Limited preview - 2002 |
Nicky Barr, An Australian Air Ace: A story of courage and adventure Peter Dornan Limited preview - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
aircraft Allied allowed appeared Army asked assist attack Australia aware base battle became began bombers bombs British burst Cairo called caught climbed close cloud combat commander complete concerned considered continued crashed Cross damaged dive dropped enemy engine escape eventually eyes fact fear feel felt fighter fire flames flew flight flying followed force formation four front German Gibbes going ground guards guns hand head immediately Italian Italy killed Kittyhawks knew landing later leader looked lost mission morning moved needed Nicky Nicky's night noticed officer Once operations passed pilots placed plane position Power prepared prisoners quickly RAAF realised received rolled seconds shot side sight situation smoke soldiers squadron Tobruk took train trying turn waiting walked wing
Popular passages
Page vii - I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew — And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
Page 178 - For Yesterday is but a Dream, And Tomorrow is only a Vision; But Today well lived makes Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Page 176 - For oft when on my couch I lie, In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye, Which is the bliss of solitude ; And then my heart with pleasure fills And dances with the daffodils !" He calls this a sort of " ocular spectrum," — a most bilious " ocular spectrum
Page 117 - ... over the sky, swirling from sea level to the cloud layer in wild dogfights. The formations were shredded. I snapped into a tight loop and rolled out on the tail of a Hellcat, squeezing out a burst as soon as the plane came into the range finder. He rolled away and my bullets met only empty air. I went into a left vertical spiral, and kept closing the distance, trying for a clear shot at the plane's belly. The Grumman tried to match the turn with me; for just that moment I needed, his underside...
Page 270 - Island, where he remained until the end of the war. After the war he began the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1867.
Page 117 - ... was no hesitation on the part of the American pilots; the Grummans screamed in to attack. Then the planes were all over the sky, swirling from sea level to the cloud layer in wild dogfights. The formations were shredded. I snapped into a tight loop and rolled out on the tail of a Hellcat, squeezing out a burst as soon as the plane came into the range finder. He rolled away and my bullets met only empty air. I went into a left vertical spiral and kept closing the distance, trying for a clear shot...
Page vii - Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things you Have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung, High in the sunlit silence...
Page 125 - It was like an immense silver and pink quilt, which hung overhead like a canopy, through which the early stars twinkled. It slowly changed to a vivid scarlet, the soft pastel shades being replaced by bold reds and fiery pools of crimson. Nicky was compelled to be creative. He rested against a handy ridge and etched a poem in his logbook. He titled it 'Meanderings'.
Page 90 - The morning stillness was broken by the first splutter of an engine then, one by one, a dozen Kittyhawks, sounding like the powerful tattoo of thousands of war drums, throbbed into life as the ground crew inspected and warmed the motors.
Bibliographic information
| Title | Nicky Barr, an Australian Air Ace: A Story of Courage and Adventure |
| Author | Peter Dornan |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Allen & Unwin, 2005 |
| ISBN | 1741145295, 9781741145298 |
| Length | 281 pages |
| Subjects | › Biography & Autobiography / Historical Biography & Autobiography / Military |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |