Cirrus@Austlit

'The Life of Australia's Pioneer Aviator and Wartime Commander Air Vice-Marshal Don Bennett CB CBE DSO FRAeS

'Air Vice-Marshal Don Bennett CB CBE DSO FRAeS is best known as the Australian commander of the Royal Air Force's elite Path Finder Force in the Second World War. His drive, determination and passion for excellence saw him play a principal role in prosecuting the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany.

'Yet, the full story of his life has never been comprehensively explored. Few can recount his exploits as a pioneering aviator, or know why he was regarded as the most technically brilliant airman of his generation. Fewer still know the man's background, interests, passions and obsessions, or what drove him to his many aviation achievements.

'Relentless Skies, Volume 1: The Most Efficient Airman, explores Bennett's life up to 1942. New light is shed on his early years, pilot training, participation in the Centenary Air Race, setting world records in the seaplane Mercury, the 1940 rescue of the Polish General Staff from France and how he survived being shot down whilst attacking the Tirpitz.

'Binding together this series of extraordinary events and achievements is, crucially, an exploration of Bennett's character and how it influenced his choices, relationships and approach to leadership. Unparalleled access to the Bennett archive has enabled biographer Ian Campbell to reveal the many facets of one of Australia's greatest, and often misunderstood, wartime leaders.'  (Publication summary)

'A remarkable and powerful story of indomitable human spirit, passion and courage. 

'In 1941 when Keith Watson, a teenage postal clerk from country Queensland, enlisted in the RAAF, he had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself into. The following four years were an adrenaline-filled ride of love, loss, mateship, ambition, courage and sacrifice, all recorded in an intimate 800-page diary.

'This is an account of how war tests character and puts the young on an accelerated path to maturity. From childhood and his first inspirational flight to his emergence as an elite Path Finder Force pilot, Keith’s story is compelling and tragic, yet uplifting. He confronts constant death and injury, challenges authority, learns to skipper a crew and finds his trademark humility running headlong into ego and ambition.

'Keith’s graphic accounts of Pathfinder missions bring a deepening sense of the relentless physical and psychological toll on the crews of Bomber Command. Counterbalancing these experiences are Keith’s relationships with wartime mates, the woman who loved him, and the UK families who sacrificed much on his behalf.

'Based on material never before released, Thinks He’s A Bird is a stunning account of service, sacrifice and two enduring and competing passions – flying and Norah, the love of Keith’s life.'

Source : publisher's blurb