• The Few

  • The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Save Britain in the Summer of 1940
  • By: Alex Kershaw
  • Narrated by: Scott Brick
  • Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (346 ratings)

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The Few  By  cover art

The Few

By: Alex Kershaw
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Publisher's summary

It was the summer of 1940, and World War II had been raging for nearly a year. Buoyed by his successes on the Continent, Hitler was now planning an invasion of England to seal Europe's fate.

Though the United States was still a neutral country, a few Americans decided they couldn't remain on the sidelines. They joined Britain's Royal Air Force to defend the country - with the future of civilization hanging in the balance.

The Few tells the dramatic and unforgettable story of these Americans who defied their own country's neutrality laws and risked their very citizenship to fight side-by-side with England's finest pilots. Flying the lethal and elegant Spitfire, they became "knights of the air" who, with minimal training but plenty of guts, dueled the skilled and fearsome aces of Germany's Luftwaffe.

By October 1940, they had helped England win the greatest air battle in the history of aviation. Some five years later, at war's end, just one of them would be alive. Winston Churchill once said famously of all those who fought in the Battle of Britain, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." These daring Americans were the few among the "few."

©2006 Alex Kershaw and published by Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group (P)2006 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about The Few

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

If you are a pilot or interested in WWII then this is a must. It brings you through the battle of Britain with historical accuarcy in a personal format. You learn about what was happening on both sides of the channel.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Best Battle of Britian Book Ever

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend it very highly. Mr. Kershaw did an amazing job of "personalizing" these pilots; American, British and German.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The personalities of the pilots.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The dialect of the varied nationalities of the participants.

If you could give The Few a new subtitle, what would it be?

They Died While America Slept

Any additional comments?

I was disappointed that the book had to end.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • J.
  • 08-27-12

Excellent

What made the experience of listening to The Few the most enjoyable?

Interesting story about a small group of American flyers that fought in the Battle of Britain in 1940. Well researched and very good reader.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very Educational

Loved It! I was a boy during this period and have read much about the subject of the Battle of Britain and I found this book very informative and it had much that I had not yet learned. I would definitely suggest this for any with an interest in history.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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best story you were never told

the performance brought the story to life. the different accents and emotions cature what it was like for the men who flew for england in wwII. the best story i never heard. unitl now of course.

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1 person found this helpful

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great story

tells the truth about how pathetic and unpatriotic Joe Kennedy and the rest of the Kennedy clan really were and still are, they are the devil's of America all of them are sellouts!!

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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An important contribution to the history of WWII

If you could sum up The Few in three words, what would they be?

This isn't a 'big' book, but it makes an important contribution to the history of air power in World War II.

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1 person found this helpful

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A story worth telling, told very well

I've read most of Alex Kershaw's books but somehow missed this one until now. I didn't know the story and glad I came across this book. Written very well like his other books. I recommend it.

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Awesome read

Narrator was great. I listen to a lot of WW2 books and this one is in my top 5. You will not be disappointed.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I'm so glad I bought this book

recently I've spent a lot of time catching up on historical Aviation audio books that I've been wanting to listen to for many years. This one was not on my watchlist previously after finding it at a used book sale from a library I picked it up undecided to listen to it as well as reference the paperback. I'm so very glad that I did. not the most riveting of the books I have read but definitely the one I knew the least about and learn the most from. I would have to leave listen to this again and I will tell my friends who are also Aviation fans to give it a read or listen to.

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