WWII, RAF pilot, Tally Ho [s]

[Lindsay]

My husband is looking for a book he read as a kid. It was a nonfiction book, possibly YA, about a RAF pilot's experiences during WWII. It includes a description of innocent bystanders watching dogfights while empty shell casings fell down around them. The pilot was shot down and ended up in a hospital. He read it around 1990, but he thinks it was published in the '50s. He thinks the title was "Tally Ho." Does that ring any bells?

[Lisa]

Well, This probably isn't it but Reach for the Sky by Paul Brickhill was about an RAF pilot who lost legs and ended up in a hospital. It's a true story and one I really enjoyed when younger, and it was published in the 50s. Far from tally ho and don't remember the innocent bystanders scene so it's a long shot.

Reach for the Sky.

Edit:

edition with a description:

Reach for the Sky: The Story of Douglas Bader, Legless Ace of the Battle of Britain

Edit again: Not ya but I was ya when I first read it.

[Erica]

There are 2 Roald Dahl memoirs, one is called "Solo" or "Going Solo."

[Diana]

Might it be Tally-Ho! Yankee in a Spitfire by Arthur Gerald Donahue? It was published in 1941, which is a little early, but the details seem to fit.

[Lindsay]

It's the Donahue book. Thanks, Diana!