James De La Boullaye

A French Pilot in Gaitford James De La Boullaye

The frustrated love of a mysterious Englishwoman and a French heavy bomber pilot from the Gaitford airbase in England during the Second World War. This novel was inspired by the life of the French airmen from the Elvington base in Yorkshire. Lieutenant-Colonel Philippe Destival leaves Morocco for England at the end of 1943, to lead a group of heavy bombers at Gaitford airbase. In the cockpit of his Halifax, he carries out ever more dangerous missions. Whilst on leave, he falls under the spell of a mysterious Englishwoman. Thus begins, in the summer of 1944, a torrid passion between the airman and the beautiful stranger, but will they be able to live their love to the full with death all around them? A captivating, historically faithful book, bringing to life the fears and anxieties suffered by those taking part in air raids over France and Germany and providing a glimpse into the bombing headquarters of the RAF and the anti-V1 defenses of London. This novel is the first volume of the Destivel saga by James de la Boullaye, whose father was one of the heroic Frenchmen who flew with the RAF during the Second World War