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Showing posts with the label Spitfire

New Book: The Colditz Conjurer

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*** COMING SOON - FROM THE MAGIC AT WAR TEAM *** The Colditz Conjurer  tells the amazing true story of Flight Lieutenant Vincent ‘Bush’ Parker. A school-boy magician from the Australian outback,  ‘ Bush ’  left home to become an assistant to a master illusionist. With World War Two looming, he gave up this promising career to train as a Spitfire pilot.   One of Churchill ’ s  ‘ Few, ’  he fought in the Battle of Britain until he was shot down in a dramatic dogfight. As a prisoner-of-war in Germany, Vince Parker earned a reputation as a persistent escaper. He ended up in the infamous Colditz Castle, a high-security fortress from which the Germans thought escape was impossible. In the footlights of the castle ’ s theatre, this charismatic officer used his magic skills to boost the morale of his fellow prisoners. But, behind locked doors, he applied the secrets of stage magic and escapology to the real-life challenge of getting back home. A remarkable tale of ...

"Never in the field of human conflict...": a magician is one of the few

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"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few..." By mid-1940, German forces had occupied much of Eastern Europe, Denmark, Norway, France and the Low Countries, leaving Britain and her empire standing alone to defeat the Nazi menace.  In July, Hitler ordered the preparation of Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Great Britain.  The period that followed, through to October 1940, became known as the Battle of Britain. It was fought in the skies, as the Luftwaffe (German air force) launched a stream of deadly raids, day and night, to compel Britain to agree to a negotiated peace settlement. The Luftwaffe first aimed to destroy Britain's airfields. As the battle progressed, it also targeted factories involved in aircraft production and strategic infrastructure. The Nazis wanted to gain air superiority over the Channel, to allow an amphibious and airborne assault. Leading the defence of the United Kingdom, were the airmen and aircraft of the ...