Winkle Audiobook By Paul Beaver cover art

Winkle

The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot

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Winkle

By: Paul Beaver
Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd, Paul Beaver
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The daring life story and astonishing adventures of Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown - Britain's greatest-ever pilot.

Small in stature but immense in reputation and talent, there was more to Eric 'Winkle' Brown than met the eye.

The pilot who set the standard for Britain's golden age of aviation, Winkle cemented his worldwide fame with incredible skill, extraordinary daring - and nerves of steel when things went wrong. From shooting down Luftwaffe bombers from the deck of a carrier in the Battle of the Atlantic and narrowly escaping death when his ship was torpedoed, to accumulating a never-to-be repeated litany of world records and firsts as a test pilot, his unparalleled flying career saw him take the controls of over four hundred different kinds of aircraft - more than any other pilot in history.

A rival to Chuck Yeager and hero to Neil Armstrong, by the time of his appearance on Desert Island Disc's 1000th episode Winkle had become a legend in his own lifetime, and by his death, a national treasure.

But despite his enormous fame, there have always been mysteries at the heart of Winkle's story. To truly understand this fascinating but secretive man is to grapple with questions that have intrigued and confounded biographers throughout his extraordinary life.

Drawing on previously unseen documents and unfettered access to Winkle's own personal archive Paul Beaver records a life with more twists and turns than a Battle of Britain dogfight - which was, of course, something Winkle had taken part in himself - uncovering the complex and enigmatic man behind the legend - the real story of Britain's greatest pilot.

A story Winkle insisted could only be told after his death . . .

©2023 Paul Beaver (P)2023 Penguin Audio
Air Forces Historical World War II Transportation Military Aviation War Thought-Provoking Luftwaffe US Air Force
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Well done

The story was good but Eric's inferiority complex was repetitive and took away from the story. The reference to aircraft nomenclature means nothing to the novice.

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Terrific life story

An amazing story,well told and well narrated. Incredible that Winkle lived to a ripe old age despite all his close shaves. Thoroughly enjoyed this Audible book!

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