ROYAL AIR FORCE.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

ABC of the RAF; [together with] -- The Book of the W.A.A.F. Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal's specially bound copies of these two introductions to the RAF, for which he wrote forewords in his capacity as Chief of the Air Staff. Portal was appointed head of the service in October 1940. "The 'accepted star of the Royal Air Force', as Churchill described him, he drove himself relentlessly throughout the rest of the war. His leadership was never remotely challenged... The opinions entertained of Portal's ability by his wartime colleagues were extraordinarily high. Eisenhower, while president, told Lord Plowden that he regarded Portal as the greatest British war leader, 'greater even than Churchill' " (ODNB). He was a staunch advocate of the Europe-focused strategy that eventually brought victory. He was promoted to Marshal of the Royal Air Force in January 1944.The Book of the W.A.A.F. is a first edition, and the ABC is a new edition, expanded from the first of 1941. Both remained in the Portal family until 2026.

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