Ace of Aces M St J Pattle: Top Scoring Allied Fighter Pilot of World War II
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'Pat' Pattle was born in Butterworth, Cape Province, South Africa, on 3 July 1914, the son of English parents who had emigrated to the Union. He attended Keetmanshoop Secondary School, South West Africa, and Victoria Boys High School, Grahamstown. He joined the SAAF as a cadet on leaving school, but in 1936 transferred to the RAF. From 24 August 1936, he was granted a short service commission as an Acting Pilot Officer on probation. He completed his training in the UK in 1937 and on 29 June 1937, he was confirmed as a Pilot Officer. He joined 80 Squadron, which had just re-equipped with Gladiator biplanes. In April 1938, he accompanied the unit to Egypt, where by 1939 he had become a flight commander. On 3 May 1940, Flight Lieutenant Pattle intercepted six Italian S.79s in 80 Squadrons single Hurricane. He escorted them to Almaza before landing at Helwan to report.
| Author | E C R Baker |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Ashanti Publishing |
| Place | Rivonia |
| Year | 1992 |
| ISBN | 1874800480 |
| Binding | Hardcover |
| Condition | Very Good |
| Dustjacket Condition | Fair |
| Comments | Tear in DJ: Owner inscription on first page |
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New: Exactly as it says.
As New: Pretty much new but shows small signs of having been read; inside it will be clean without any inscriptions or stamps; might contain a remainder mark.
Very Good: Might have some creases on the spine; no hard cracks; maybe slight forward lean and short inscription inside; perhaps very minor bumping on the corners of the book; inside clean but the page edges might be slightly yellowed.
Good: A few creases on the spine, perhaps a forward lean, bumping on corners or shelfwear; maybe an inscription inside or some shelfwear or a small tear or two on the dustjacket; inside clean but page edges might be somewhat yellowed.
Fair: In overall good condition, might have a severe forward lean to the spine, an inscription, bumping to corners; one or two folds on the covers and yellowed pages; in exceptional cases these books might contain some library stamps and stickers or have neat sticky tape which was used to fix a short, closed tear.
Poor: We rarely sell poor condition books, unless the books are in demand and difficult to find in a better condition. Poor condition books are still perfect for a good read, all pages will be intact and none threatening to fall out; most probably a reading copy only.