My Flying Circus: The Autobiography of a WW2 Bomber Pilot

Description

This is the no-holds-barred autobiography of a World War II bomber pilot. My Flying Circus is the autobiography of Richard Leven, an extraordinary individual who lived in extraordinary times; an intuitive and poetic man with a powerful talent for writing about his feelings and his experiences. Dickie Leven joined Bomber Command’s 107 Squadron as a young NCO pilot at the beginning of World War II. By the end of the War he was a highly-decorated squadron leader, having survived a record 127 daylight bombing missions. In My Flying Circus, he tells of life in the cockpit. Recollections of tension, fear and flak; the taste of oil and the smell of cordite sit well with his sometimes tortured reflections upon the job he chose following his experiences as an exchange student in pre-war Germany. Leven recounts his many dramatic exploits, including how he helped knock out the V2 launch sites whose deadly missiles wreaked havoc on London, how he met members of the German high command (including Ribbentrop), and what he said to Lord (and Lady) Haw-Haw. A free spirit, indomitable, unorthodox, passionate, and yet in some ways as vulnerable as the Blenheims he loved to fly, Leven was a restless man who, after leaving the RAF, could not settle down. His life was fascinating in many different ways and for many different reasons. He drifted into the City, show business and the circus, meeting many celebrities, some of international notoriety. He was a published poet and twice appeared as a professional palmist on TV. Air Marshal Sir Geoffrey Dhenin described Richard Leven as a remarkable man who lived a remarkable life in war and peace. This is a life story told with great charm and panache, and will appeal to readers with an interest in aviation, military history and biography alike. Praise for My Flying Circus: ’ This book is an incredible account of the wartime exploits and subsequent life of Squadron Leader Richard Leven, DFC, DFM, and Belgium Croix de Guerre Palme, who survived 127 daylight operations as bomber pilot over Germany in World War II … This book will be of great interest to anyone interested in World War II and in colourful characters in general’ - Amazon review Henry Richard Leven, better known as Dickie, survived a staggering 127 daylight bombing missions during World War II and became a highly-decorated squadron leader, as well as one of the few published poets of that War. Leven was a nature-loving man and his nerves were badly affected by his wartime experiences, but while his post-war life was unsettled it was also highly eventful.