David Alan Johnson - Yanks in the RAF: the story of maverick pilots and American volunteers who joined Britains fight in WWII

Why did you join the RAF? This question was put to many ex-Yank in the RAF types countless times. It is a straightforward question, but I never once received a straightforward answer.

I would like to thank all the former pilots who put up with me and my persistent questions, including all the people who insisted upon remaining anonymous. (I never realized that fighter pilots were such a bashful lot.)

Most of the document research was done in the relative peace and serenity of the Imperial War Museum's reading room. The Museum staff was, once again, extremely patient with me as I rummaged through just about every book, periodical, and document I could find concerning the RAF between 1939 and 1942.

Mr. Terry Charmin was especially patient. He looked up several bits of information that I was not able to find myself and made a number of helpful suggestions concerning books and documents. His help is much appreciated.

George Clout, down in sunny Worthing, gave me several excellent ideas, which were incorporated into this book, and pointed me in the right direction concerning any number of reference sources. George talked, and I listened. His time and interest are also appreciated, and his knowledge of the RAF during the time in question proved invaluable.

Peter and Carolyn Hammond of Chiswick, London, also bore a hand with my research. They collected a good deal of information that was written during the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Britain, while many RAF veterans were still living. Most of this was useful as reference material. They also checked a few facts, read some of the chapters, and offered some very useful suggestions.

In the US, the staff at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, were also extremely courteous and helpful. They supplied many declassified documents relevant to my subject.

In the area of photos and photo research, I would like to express my gratitude to the staff at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum for their indispensable help. They found all the photos that I asked for and managed to find a few things that I had never seen. They also produced a stack of newspaper and magazine cuttings related to the Yanks in the RAF, which also proved highly useful.

My apologies to anyone whose name I left out of my notes to each chapterit was an error of oversight. Also, the attached bibliography is less than complete; I am certain that I left out several items that ought to have been included. These oversights are solely the fault of the author, such as they are and such as he is.

The photos appear courtesy of the following institutions, with credits as indicated: United States National Archives; Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum; Courtesy of the National Museum of the United States Air Force; and the Bernardsville News, Bernardsville, NJ.

I would like to offer a special thank you to Brett Stolle of the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The images of the Eagle Squadrons and the US 4th Fighter Group provided proved to be invaluable.

The ladies of the Union, NJ Public LibrarySusan, Laura, Kathleen, and all of their colleaguesalso deserve a vote of thanks for their kind, and professional, assistance.

A special acknowledgement goes out to my agent, Alison Picard. Without Alison's effort, this book never would have seen the light of day.

And last, but certainly not least, I would like to offer a very special and affectionate thank you to Laura Libby. Thank you, Laura, for putting up with me and for all your help and understanding.

D. A. Johnson

KIA: Killed in Action

KOAS: Killed on Active Service

71 Squadron