ENEMY COAST AHEAD

ENEMY COAST AHEAD

Michael Joseph First edition, first impression, 1946.    302 pages. The frontispiece reproduces the well-known studio portrait of Gibson by Gordon Anthony; the front endpapers carry the famous aerial photograph of the breached Möhne dam.  

A Near Fine condition book, clean and bright with photographic endpapers.  The binding is firm and square. The original dustjacket is also in Near Fine condition, complete and unclipped with only a tiny amount of edgewear at the corners and it is now protected with a clear cover.   On the half title page there is a neat gift inscription dated 18 Feb 1946 which means that this must have been one of the first copies available. Despite being over 70 years old it is a remarkably good copy.

Guy Gibson has gone down in history as the leader of possibly the most daring and spectacularly successful exploit of WWII. 

Gibson wrote the book aged 25 in 1944 whilst off operations. He had by this time completed two full tours, each of 30 operations, with Bomber Command (with 83 and 106 Squadrons), another one as a night-fighter pilot with 29 Squadron and led the famous Dam Busters raid against the dams of the Ruhr Valley (Operation Chastise) with 617 Squadron in May 1943. This is his autobiography, completed shortly before he flew over the enemy coast for the last time and was published posthumously in 1946.

The Introduction was written by Sir Arthur Harris and there is nothing else to add:

‘This is a magnificent story, well and simply told by as great a warrior as these Islands ever bred. It is also History.’

The true first edition of this book complete with dustjacket is very scarce and should be an essential book for every WWII aviation library.