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Bluebirds: A Battle of Britain Novel
A meticulously researched Battle of Britain novel based on the true stories of an East Anglian war hero and the first American volunteer to fire guns against the Nazis, a man who became his friend and brother-in-arms.
The Battle of Britain defined the future for Britain, Europe and America. Bluebirds tells the story of four ordinary young men who are thrown together as Hitler plunges the European continent into its darkest hours.
Andrew Francis and Gerry Donaldson were born on different sides of the Atlantic just before The Great War. Together with the mildly psychotic Bryan Hale, they fly Spitfires through the summer of 1940.
Invasion is imminent and England faces almost certain defeat after Hitler’s unstoppable armies slice through France to the Channel coast. Fighter Command risks total destruction as they rise to meet the Fuhrer’s Luftwaffe hordes in what would become The Battle of Britain. The first part of a proposed trilogy, Bluebirds stands alone as a gripping fictionalised account of The Battle of Britain, documenting how the lives of its four central characters become intertwined.
This has clearly been a labour of love for author Melvyn Fickling, who writes with great clarity about the fast-moving events of that pivotal summer, and who imbues his descriptions of flight with boundless enthusiasm. Structured in time-linear format, Melvyn adheres closely to history, creating an increasingly tense atmosphere that becomes all too tragic when the cost of war is realised. The story follows the path of four pilots, starting with the formative years of three of them, and working its way forward, documenting the fears of war in Europe, and how the threat influences the decisions of all.
Andrew Francis joins the pre-war RAF - idealistic and well-mannered, he is somewhat shocked at the fiery antics of fellow pilot Bryan Hale, with whom he nevertheless becomes friends. When war erupts, they are joined at Kenley by American pilot Gerry Donaldson, a volunteer facing pressure from British authorities to document his experiences - a propaganda bid to involve the US more closely in the conflict.
Eventually Vincent Drew comes under their wing. Troubled by years of childhood abuse and hiding a serious health condition, with Vincent comes tragedy. In an excellent narrative, the author captures the mood of the times - the fear of invasion, the differing attitudes to the enemy, and the carry-on-regardless spirit that kept Britain in the war.
The Battle of Britain defined the future for Britain, Europe and America. Bluebirds tells the story of four ordinary young men who are thrown together as Hitler plunges the European continent into its darkest hours.
Andrew Francis and Gerry Donaldson were born on different sides of the Atlantic just before The Great War. Together with the mildly psychotic Bryan Hale, they fly Spitfires through the summer of 1940.
Invasion is imminent and England faces almost certain defeat after Hitler’s unstoppable armies slice through France to the Channel coast. Fighter Command risks total destruction as they rise to meet the Fuhrer’s Luftwaffe hordes in what would become The Battle of Britain. The first part of a proposed trilogy, Bluebirds stands alone as a gripping fictionalised account of The Battle of Britain, documenting how the lives of its four central characters become intertwined.
This has clearly been a labour of love for author Melvyn Fickling, who writes with great clarity about the fast-moving events of that pivotal summer, and who imbues his descriptions of flight with boundless enthusiasm. Structured in time-linear format, Melvyn adheres closely to history, creating an increasingly tense atmosphere that becomes all too tragic when the cost of war is realised. The story follows the path of four pilots, starting with the formative years of three of them, and working its way forward, documenting the fears of war in Europe, and how the threat influences the decisions of all.
Andrew Francis joins the pre-war RAF - idealistic and well-mannered, he is somewhat shocked at the fiery antics of fellow pilot Bryan Hale, with whom he nevertheless becomes friends. When war erupts, they are joined at Kenley by American pilot Gerry Donaldson, a volunteer facing pressure from British authorities to document his experiences - a propaganda bid to involve the US more closely in the conflict.
Eventually Vincent Drew comes under their wing. Troubled by years of childhood abuse and hiding a serious health condition, with Vincent comes tragedy. In an excellent narrative, the author captures the mood of the times - the fear of invasion, the differing attitudes to the enemy, and the carry-on-regardless spirit that kept Britain in the war.
257 pages, Paperback
Published March 12, 2018
592 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Melvyn Fickling
7 books7 followersMy first novel, 'Bluebirds', was inspired by the life of a Battle of Britain pilot who grew up in my own hometown. Out of Bluebirds was born a purely fictional character named Bryan Hale.
My next novel, 'Blackbirds', follows Bryan Hale as he emerges from the end of the Battle of Britain and enters the new world of night-fighting in the dark winter skies of The Blitz.
'Falcons' follows Bryan to Malta where he struggles against the unrelenting Nazi siege that aims to grind the troublesome island into oblivion.
My fourth novel 'Farewell to the Glory Boys' goes further back in time to follow the RFC pilots of Jackdaw Squadron battling in the skies of France during the Battle of Arras in 1917.
Follow me to receive notifications of new works as they are released. Thank you for your continued support.
My next novel, 'Blackbirds', follows Bryan Hale as he emerges from the end of the Battle of Britain and enters the new world of night-fighting in the dark winter skies of The Blitz.
'Falcons' follows Bryan to Malta where he struggles against the unrelenting Nazi siege that aims to grind the troublesome island into oblivion.
My fourth novel 'Farewell to the Glory Boys' goes further back in time to follow the RFC pilots of Jackdaw Squadron battling in the skies of France during the Battle of Arras in 1917.
Follow me to receive notifications of new works as they are released. Thank you for your continued support.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 17, 2019
The book didn’t work for me, this is partly because I would have preferred the story to concentrate on just one main character right from the start. Also when the story eventually got to the air combat, it felt superficial at times, a bit Boy’s Own Comic.
The start of the book jumps around too much between the young boys and ends up just providing brief bits and pieces of their lives. I found this quite frustrating especially as the author kept leaving lots of loose ends.
Eventually the story stops jumping around and concentrates on one character for more than a few pages, although the author still writes in snippets.
For me the book ‘fell between two stools’, the social and personal drama was too ‘bitty’ to really engage me and the air combat didn’t always feel right.
The author occasionally slips in some technical details, but I was never sure if they were accurate because there were other details that were not. For example a few times the author describes a Me109 diving away from combat and the Spitfire pilot diving after them and catching them up. Because of fuel starvation from the carburetted Merlin engine this just wouldn’t happen, even with a half roll before diving the Spit would struggle to catch the fuel injected 109.
The final nail in the coffin for me was the ending and I won’t be reading anymore books by this author.
The start of the book jumps around too much between the young boys and ends up just providing brief bits and pieces of their lives. I found this quite frustrating especially as the author kept leaving lots of loose ends.
Eventually the story stops jumping around and concentrates on one character for more than a few pages, although the author still writes in snippets.
For me the book ‘fell between two stools’, the social and personal drama was too ‘bitty’ to really engage me and the air combat didn’t always feel right.
The author occasionally slips in some technical details, but I was never sure if they were accurate because there were other details that were not. For example a few times the author describes a Me109 diving away from combat and the Spitfire pilot diving after them and catching them up. Because of fuel starvation from the carburetted Merlin engine this just wouldn’t happen, even with a half roll before diving the Spit would struggle to catch the fuel injected 109.
The final nail in the coffin for me was the ending and I won’t be reading anymore books by this author.
May 25, 2017
DISCLAIMER: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I'll cut straight to the chase and say that this is an excellent novel, no doubt about it. While not a new idea it's a solid World War Two yarn full of the things that make fact-based war stories so fascinating to someone like me who has not had the misfortune of being involved in such events. It's got superb action sequences which fully support the "meticulously researched" claim and it's an excellent portrayal of the human aspects of war, the highs and lows and the sobering realities of how it affects people and their society.
As a kid I remember being inspired by words from one of Winston Churchill's stirring speeches:
Central to the story are group of young men and their families who answer the call and step up to face the Nazi menace. They come together as fighter pilots in the Royal Air Force during the hectic and dramatic days of the Battle of Britain. One of these chaps has made his way into RAF service from rural America and in the process becomes a poster boy for the British government as part of their efforts in trying to gain US government help in repelling the advancing Germans. To be fair, he is less than enthusiastic about his propaganda role and wishes to simply do his part in helping the people of Britain to defend themselves. Elsewhere, a pair of friends who are already serving pilots in an RAF fighter squadron watch as everything they have trained for suddenly becomes a reality. They witness early on over the beaches of Dunkirk the might of the Nazi war machine. They are like chalk and cheese in many ways yet share a bond that is forged in battle. Another key character, an unfortunate yet likeable lad raised in an abusive environment and who carries his demons with him right into the cockpit of a Spitfire. The characterization is one of the book's stand out facets and overall there is a good mix of personalities which are all very real and believable. The author say in his notes that some of the characters are loosely based on real people which obviously lends itself to their authenticity.
The first third or so of the book is a real delight, introducing the main players as youngsters and giving the reader a nice look into how life was during the era, whether it be in rural America during the amazing barnstorming days of the 20's & 30's or in a quaint seaside village in England. As time progresses ominously toward World War Two, each of the main characters' motivations for wanting to serve are well explored and I found myself relating to each one of them in one way or another. The depictions of the pre-war world are excellent, the descriptions of the locations and events are superb and it all combines to really put you right there in the time and place.
The remainder of the book is taken up with parallel wartime stories of the characters and eventually they come together in the latter stages. Their battles are against more than just the Luftwaffe in the skies over England, for each has their own sideline life concerns or issues to contend with and, again, these are real-world and easy to relate to. The air combat sequences are excellent, being energetic and concise and there are lots of them. Actually, these are some of the best air combat scenes that I've read in a fictional work. The technical accuracy appears to be spot on too, the author obviously having done quite an amount of research or has some sort of first-hand knowledge. I can say this with a level of confidence due to my own reading of factual memoirs from people on both sides of the conflict such as Douglas Bader, Adolf Galland and Pierre Clostermann. The author must have drawn on similar first-hand accounts while compiling this tale. Top marks for that.
The text flows very well and the character dialog is excellent. There is a modest amount of jargon but there is a glossary at the back of the book which explains the terminology. This was a nice help at times although the text is quite informative and there didn't seem to be much necessity to refer to it. A tad confusingly, each chapter has a Latin singular word title and I had a little trouble in grasping their significance to the story because had to look up their meanings. I think that an English word would be of more use here, presenting the chapter's point of emphasis more effectively. This is my only negative thought of the whole book which made it stand out to me all the more.
In summary, the story easily took me back the 70 or so years and is probably one of the best novels of this genre that I've read. Sure, it's a story concept that is well worn territory, yet it's executed so well that it seemed somehow fresh. The promotional blurb says that this is the first in a series of historical novels, a thought which excites me if they're going to be anything like this one. It would be cool to see a continuation story from this one, following key characters during their ongoing combat journeys. This is a great book to relax with and be reminded of how much was given and sacrificed, and that "never was so much owed by so many to so few". A highly recommended read.
Concept: 4/5
Delivery: 5/5
Entertainment: 5/5
= 4.7 out of 5
I'll cut straight to the chase and say that this is an excellent novel, no doubt about it. While not a new idea it's a solid World War Two yarn full of the things that make fact-based war stories so fascinating to someone like me who has not had the misfortune of being involved in such events. It's got superb action sequences which fully support the "meticulously researched" claim and it's an excellent portrayal of the human aspects of war, the highs and lows and the sobering realities of how it affects people and their society.
As a kid I remember being inspired by words from one of Winston Churchill's stirring speeches:
We shall fight on the seas and oceans.The backdrop to these famous words and this story is England in 1940 when the British people are facing the prospect of Nazi invasion from across the English Channel. I've long had an interest in these events and is the main reason that I felt compelled to read it. I'm glad I did.
We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air.
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.
We shall fight on the beaches.
We shall fight on the landing grounds.
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets.
We shall fight in the hills.
We shall never surrender!
Central to the story are group of young men and their families who answer the call and step up to face the Nazi menace. They come together as fighter pilots in the Royal Air Force during the hectic and dramatic days of the Battle of Britain. One of these chaps has made his way into RAF service from rural America and in the process becomes a poster boy for the British government as part of their efforts in trying to gain US government help in repelling the advancing Germans. To be fair, he is less than enthusiastic about his propaganda role and wishes to simply do his part in helping the people of Britain to defend themselves. Elsewhere, a pair of friends who are already serving pilots in an RAF fighter squadron watch as everything they have trained for suddenly becomes a reality. They witness early on over the beaches of Dunkirk the might of the Nazi war machine. They are like chalk and cheese in many ways yet share a bond that is forged in battle. Another key character, an unfortunate yet likeable lad raised in an abusive environment and who carries his demons with him right into the cockpit of a Spitfire. The characterization is one of the book's stand out facets and overall there is a good mix of personalities which are all very real and believable. The author say in his notes that some of the characters are loosely based on real people which obviously lends itself to their authenticity.
The first third or so of the book is a real delight, introducing the main players as youngsters and giving the reader a nice look into how life was during the era, whether it be in rural America during the amazing barnstorming days of the 20's & 30's or in a quaint seaside village in England. As time progresses ominously toward World War Two, each of the main characters' motivations for wanting to serve are well explored and I found myself relating to each one of them in one way or another. The depictions of the pre-war world are excellent, the descriptions of the locations and events are superb and it all combines to really put you right there in the time and place.
The remainder of the book is taken up with parallel wartime stories of the characters and eventually they come together in the latter stages. Their battles are against more than just the Luftwaffe in the skies over England, for each has their own sideline life concerns or issues to contend with and, again, these are real-world and easy to relate to. The air combat sequences are excellent, being energetic and concise and there are lots of them. Actually, these are some of the best air combat scenes that I've read in a fictional work. The technical accuracy appears to be spot on too, the author obviously having done quite an amount of research or has some sort of first-hand knowledge. I can say this with a level of confidence due to my own reading of factual memoirs from people on both sides of the conflict such as Douglas Bader, Adolf Galland and Pierre Clostermann. The author must have drawn on similar first-hand accounts while compiling this tale. Top marks for that.
The text flows very well and the character dialog is excellent. There is a modest amount of jargon but there is a glossary at the back of the book which explains the terminology. This was a nice help at times although the text is quite informative and there didn't seem to be much necessity to refer to it. A tad confusingly, each chapter has a Latin singular word title and I had a little trouble in grasping their significance to the story because had to look up their meanings. I think that an English word would be of more use here, presenting the chapter's point of emphasis more effectively. This is my only negative thought of the whole book which made it stand out to me all the more.
In summary, the story easily took me back the 70 or so years and is probably one of the best novels of this genre that I've read. Sure, it's a story concept that is well worn territory, yet it's executed so well that it seemed somehow fresh. The promotional blurb says that this is the first in a series of historical novels, a thought which excites me if they're going to be anything like this one. It would be cool to see a continuation story from this one, following key characters during their ongoing combat journeys. This is a great book to relax with and be reminded of how much was given and sacrificed, and that "never was so much owed by so many to so few". A highly recommended read.
Concept: 4/5
Delivery: 5/5
Entertainment: 5/5
= 4.7 out of 5
June 10, 2017
Not recommended
This book is a mishmash of several themes and they only vaguely support a coherent story of the battle of Britain. We have an American who after a short introspective view of his boyhood and love of airplanes drops out of the study until her goes tnx Canada to join the RCAF and then winds up in the RAF as a fighter pilot. In the mean time we are introduce to some English boys who are abused in two cases and one who appears to be epoleptic. One of them goes into the British army and is killed at DUnkirk. Two of them become fighter pilots. The epileptic after first being an armorer. The wind up in the same squadron and serve with and then under a psychopath. on accidentally kills the other and is killed in turn by the psycho leaving the American trying to press charges against the psycho. He is advised to drop the matter as he is being sent to the Eagle Squadron as commander and the story ends. Vague flight and battle sequences. I only finished reading this book looking for the reason Amazon recommended it to me. Could not find that reason. Do not waste your time.
This book is a mishmash of several themes and they only vaguely support a coherent story of the battle of Britain. We have an American who after a short introspective view of his boyhood and love of airplanes drops out of the study until her goes tnx Canada to join the RCAF and then winds up in the RAF as a fighter pilot. In the mean time we are introduce to some English boys who are abused in two cases and one who appears to be epoleptic. One of them goes into the British army and is killed at DUnkirk. Two of them become fighter pilots. The epileptic after first being an armorer. The wind up in the same squadron and serve with and then under a psychopath. on accidentally kills the other and is killed in turn by the psycho leaving the American trying to press charges against the psycho. He is advised to drop the matter as he is being sent to the Eagle Squadron as commander and the story ends. Vague flight and battle sequences. I only finished reading this book looking for the reason Amazon recommended it to me. Could not find that reason. Do not waste your time.
July 27, 2023
Historical fiction about the Battle of Britain
Melvyn Fickling’s novel about the Battle of Britain closely follows historical accounts, and a number of the characters are composites based on actual pilots.
The young men who flew Spitfires and Hurricanes in 1940 were young indeed— often still in their late teens— and often undertrained. Their courage in taking on the German attacks was remarkable, particularly given that they were outnumbered by three to one.
Bluebirds follows the stories of the members of a group of fliers belonging to a single squadron, plus a friend of one of the pilots who is a soldier in the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France.
The novel is sometimes gritty— the author doesn’t hesitate from describing the violence that is done to the human body by war. It’s always done appropriately, and without it the Battle of Britain cannot be understood.
Recommended.
Melvyn Fickling’s novel about the Battle of Britain closely follows historical accounts, and a number of the characters are composites based on actual pilots.
The young men who flew Spitfires and Hurricanes in 1940 were young indeed— often still in their late teens— and often undertrained. Their courage in taking on the German attacks was remarkable, particularly given that they were outnumbered by three to one.
Bluebirds follows the stories of the members of a group of fliers belonging to a single squadron, plus a friend of one of the pilots who is a soldier in the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France.
The novel is sometimes gritty— the author doesn’t hesitate from describing the violence that is done to the human body by war. It’s always done appropriately, and without it the Battle of Britain cannot be understood.
Recommended.
January 5, 2019
I attribute my low rating partly to the Kindle format. With the back-and-forth at the beginning of the book as the author introduced characters, I found it tough to follow the years-long gaps and back-and-forth that spanned nearly 20 years. I wanted to flip back and pick up threads but Kindle is not conducive to that. I was also put off by some very basic errors in context (an infantryman would never call his platoon sergeant "sir", and nor would ground crew a Flight Sergeant). Details matter (to me). The descriptions of aerial combat were decent, as was the overall scene describing the desperation yet resolve in Britain at the time of the Battle. I have read at least two dozen pieces of fiction and non-fiction of that time and this book did well in portraying that time. But the characters were weakly developed in this novel.
May 22, 2017
Great Read
I was fortunate enough to read an advanced edition of this outstanding book. As a regular consumer of all things aviation in general, and the Battle of Britain specifically I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. As a pilot myself, I found myself relating to the young men in the book watching the airplanes from the previous war taking off behind an airport fence, and wanting nothing more than to be a pilot. The scenes described by the author put you in the cockpit closing with an ME109 at 400 knots! You can feel the fear and excitement of the engagement. Mr. Fickling has scored with this novel, and done yet another service to"the few". I can't wait for the next installment!
I was fortunate enough to read an advanced edition of this outstanding book. As a regular consumer of all things aviation in general, and the Battle of Britain specifically I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. As a pilot myself, I found myself relating to the young men in the book watching the airplanes from the previous war taking off behind an airport fence, and wanting nothing more than to be a pilot. The scenes described by the author put you in the cockpit closing with an ME109 at 400 knots! You can feel the fear and excitement of the engagement. Mr. Fickling has scored with this novel, and done yet another service to"the few". I can't wait for the next installment!
August 7, 2019
Good story one will Empathize with
I enjoyed this book—but assume the author is not a pilot as a pilot would cite many things and situations not mentioned. The closure in the final chapter is welcomed—for some weird reason I do not understand. But, I welcomed it—as must have the author.
I enjoyed this book—but assume the author is not a pilot as a pilot would cite many things and situations not mentioned. The closure in the final chapter is welcomed—for some weird reason I do not understand. But, I welcomed it—as must have the author.
July 25, 2021
Compelling
The author captures much of the emotion of flying a fighter in combat -- the uncertainty exacerbated by the needs to make decisions And take action in seconds or fractinns of them. Despite flying a jet ighter in combat I can only imagine the fear And grief of watching wingman die everyday.
And
The author captures much of the emotion of flying a fighter in combat -- the uncertainty exacerbated by the needs to make decisions And take action in seconds or fractinns of them. Despite flying a jet ighter in combat I can only imagine the fear And grief of watching wingman die everyday.
And
March 26, 2023
Moving tribute to the Battle of Britain
The author does an excellent job of developing the characters, making them seem both real and relatable. From the pre war times until they finally join the battle in France and eventually the Battle of Britain. The air combat comes to life in a meaningful way as the fear and excitement are palpable.
The author does an excellent job of developing the characters, making them seem both real and relatable. From the pre war times until they finally join the battle in France and eventually the Battle of Britain. The air combat comes to life in a meaningful way as the fear and excitement are palpable.
September 16, 2019
Good aerial battle writing. Awkward prose for the rest of the book.
Good aerial battle writing. Awkward prose and poor writing style for the rest of the book. Wou!d not necessarily recommend this book
Good aerial battle writing. Awkward prose and poor writing style for the rest of the book. Wou!d not necessarily recommend this book
July 27, 2017
Not great.
August 8, 2017
A Page Turner.
If you want to know what. WW II was like for RAF fighter pilots, read this book. It is hard to put it down.
If you want to know what. WW II was like for RAF fighter pilots, read this book. It is hard to put it down.
May 22, 2018
Liked the book but found the pilot Bryan too vindictive.
June 10, 2018
Eclectic mix of facts and personal drama, no real substance.
July 18, 2020
Okay book.
The first quarter of the book was set before the war.
A reasonable read for approx $5, but not a book that I would fondly return to in years to come.
The first quarter of the book was set before the war.
A reasonable read for approx $5, but not a book that I would fondly return to in years to come.
September 1, 2020
Dead hero
I read novels for fun. Makes me feel sad when one of the main characters gets killed. I get enough sadness in real life. Dead fictitious heros upsets the balance
I read novels for fun. Makes me feel sad when one of the main characters gets killed. I get enough sadness in real life. Dead fictitious heros upsets the balance
Read
October 3, 2020Good read
Personal account of the people that fought the good fight over Great Britain during the early days of WWII. It covers the lives of pilots and their families.
Personal account of the people that fought the good fight over Great Britain during the early days of WWII. It covers the lives of pilots and their families.
September 4, 2025
A five star rating with a five word review: a very, very good book.
September 24, 2018
Historically accurate, meticulously researched and a riveting read.
A superbly crafted fictional tale that covers the lives of a handful of young people in the lead up to and the beginning of WWII.
Fickling has captured the laconic humour and bravery of the men who fought that war against the tyranny of Hitler's Nazis. Powerful in its subtlety, it never inflates their bravery nor downplays their fears.
Some startling good prose an absorbing adventure with realistic, likeable characters.
Definitely one to add to your must-read list. Looking forward to more from this author!
A superbly crafted fictional tale that covers the lives of a handful of young people in the lead up to and the beginning of WWII.
Fickling has captured the laconic humour and bravery of the men who fought that war against the tyranny of Hitler's Nazis. Powerful in its subtlety, it never inflates their bravery nor downplays their fears.
Some startling good prose an absorbing adventure with realistic, likeable characters.
Definitely one to add to your must-read list. Looking forward to more from this author!
May 3, 2020
Interesting cross section of combatants
Interesting story following the early and middle history of the R.A.F during WWII. Following the group of young men through their lives and their deaths was heartbreaking.
Interesting story following the early and middle history of the R.A.F during WWII. Following the group of young men through their lives and their deaths was heartbreaking.
May 5, 2020
Brilliant
A great read, moving onto Blackbirds next. A well written storyline of the few, the highs and lows, characters come and go. How will it all pan out?
A great read, moving onto Blackbirds next. A well written storyline of the few, the highs and lows, characters come and go. How will it all pan out?
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews