Wings for Victory: The Remarkable Story of the British ...

bSpencer Dunmore/b's first foray into non-fiction writing, in 1991, resulted in the critically acclaimed bestselleriReap the Whirlwind: The Untold Story of 6 Group, Canada/i'is Bomber Force of World War II,/iwhich he co-wrote with William Carter, Ph.D. This was followed in 1994 by the equally successfuliWings for Victory: The Remarkable Story of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Canada/i. Dunmore's passionate love of flying and of a good story were evident long before, however, in his very popular fiction. His first novel,iBomb Run/i, was an instant hit, and a string of novels followed, includingiTower of Strength/i,iCollision/i,iFinal Approach/i, andiNo Holds Barred/i.iSquadron/i, a story collection, is his most recent work of fiction. His works have been translated into many languages and published in more than fifteen countries.brbrSpencer Dunmore lives in Burlington, Ontario.brbrbriFrom the Hardcover edition./iThe proportions of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan were huge. At its peak, the plan was graduating over 3,000 aircrew a month from 107 training schools across Canada. In total, graduates numbered more than 130,000. This enormous war effort made Canada WWII's "aerodrome of democracy."brbrFull of personal anecdotes,iWings For Victory/iis the story of the BCATP and of the politicians who negotiated it into existence, of the officers and airmen of the RCAF and the RAF, and of the many civilians who made it work day by day. Above all, it is the story of the young men who entered the scheme as clerks and farmers, students and salesmen, and graduated as pilots, navigators, air gunners, air bombers, and flight engineers.brbrIn the late 1930s, mindful of the need to play an important role in the looming war, Canadian politicians conceived of a plan that would entail a major commitment to the war effort yet keep the country's young m