OFFRE D'UNE DURÉE LIMITÉE | Obtenez 3 mois à 0.99 $ par mois

14.95 $/mois par la suite. Des conditions s'appliquent.
Page de couverture de First Light

First Light

Original Edition

 Aperçu
En profiter Essayer pour 0,00 $
L'offre prend fin de 29 janvier 2026 à 23 h 59, HP.
Vos 3 premiers mois d'Audible à seulement 0,99 $/mois
1 nouveauté ou titre populaire à choisir chaque mois – ce titre vous appartiendra.
L'écoute illimitée des milliers de livres audio, de balados et de titres originaux inclus.
L'abonnement se renouvelle automatiquement au tarif de 0,99 $/mois pendant 3 mois, et au tarif de 14,95 $/mois ensuite. Annulation possible à tout moment.
Choisissez 1 livre audio par mois dans notre incomparable catalogue.
Écoutez à volonté des milliers de livres audio, de livres originaux et de balados.
L'abonnement Premium Plus se renouvelle automatiquement au tarif de 14,95 $/mois + taxes applicables après 30 jours. Annulation possible à tout moment.

First Light

Auteur(s): Geoffrey Wellum
Narrateur(s): Andrew Brooke
En profiter Essayer pour 0,00 $

14,95 $/mois après 3 mois. L'offre prend fin de 29 janvier 2026 à 23 h 59, HP. Annulation possible à tout moment.

14,95$ par mois après 30 jours. Annulable en tout temps.

Acheter pour 30,04 $

Acheter pour 30,04 $

À propos de cet audio

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, read by Andrew Brooke.

Two months before the outbreak of the Second World War, eighteen-year-old Geoffrey Wellum becomes a fighter pilot with the RAF...

Desperate to get in the air, he makes it through basic training to become the youngest Spitfire pilot in the prestigious 92 Squadron. Thrust into combat almost immediately, Wellum finds himself flying several sorties a day, caught up in terrifying dogfights with German Me 109s.

Over the coming months he and his fellow pilots play a crucial role in the Battle of Britain. But of the friends that take to the air alongside Wellum many never return.

 Guerres et conflits Militaire Vétéran Guerre Aviation Force aérienne

Ce que les critiques en disent

Vivid, wholly convincing, compelling. One of the best memoirs for years about the experience of flying in war (Max Hastings)
It took him 35 years to turn his notebooks into a narrative, and the result is a highly personal account of what it is like to face mortal combat, day and night, and what it does to a man who is barely more than a boy (Ben Macintyre)
An intimate account . . . rich in detail
An extraordinarily deeply moving and astonishingly evocative story. Reading it, you feel you are in the Spitfire with him, at 20,000ft, chased by a German Heinkel, with your ammunition gone
A brilliantly fresh, achingly written memoir. Thrilling and frightening on virtually every page . . . Wellum takes you into battle with him. A book for all ages and generations, a treasure
Amazingly fresh and immediate . . . absolutely honest, it is an extraordinarily gripping and powerful story
There have been countless books about the Battle of Britain. But the combination of immediacy - Geoffrey Wellum had jotted down notes in an exercise book at the time - and distance - another 35 years would pass before he expanded his notes into a narrative - gives this account extraordinary depth and resonance . . . First Light will rank among the finest of Second World War memoirs
One of the most gripping personal accounts of aerial warfare ever written
Wellum's story is astonishing . . . moving yet startlingly clear-eyed
No other account of flying in the Battle of Britain has been articulated as well as Geoffrey's in First Light
Tout
Les plus pertinents
Here is a real war story and written in the present tense, is a masterpiece of writing from an amateur who only wrote one book and this was it. His dive into what drives a man to the extremes of personal achievement, national pride, self preservation, heroism, battle fatigue and exhaustion, is profound and they way the author pieces all these together is masterful. As with many pilots his absolute devotion to flying shines through, an adoration that only pilots can feel. His descriptions of what it feels like to actually be in constant arial combat day in and day out , his recollections of his intense fear and tempered with humility and self deprecation make this a must read for those people who question how they would perform and react when under fire and in combat conditions. A masterpiece.

A REAL WAR STORY

Un problème est survenu. Veuillez réessayer dans quelques minutes.
This book is absolutely worth everyone's ears. Geoffrey Wellum was the youngest pilot to fight during the Battle of Britian. Sadly he has recently passed away in 2018. He wrote this book during a difficult period in his life and it grips you from the first chapter. His wonderful story of courage and tenacity while fighting and flying a Supermarine Spitfire is truly awe inspiring and amazing. we owe a debt of gratitude to these men and women Churchill referred to as The Few that can never be repayed during the summer of 1940. Excellent book and the Narrator Andrew Brooke really sets the tone with his British accent and ability to capture Geoffrey's emotions. Must read for all WW2 and Battle of Britian enthusiasts. #audible1

Last of The Few

Un problème est survenu. Veuillez réessayer dans quelques minutes.
The book was so well written and so well read that I was sure it must be Jeffery reading it. The detail and the dialogue is totally captivating. My only regret is that it didn’t continue into his later life. What a wonderful man... what a beautiful book.

I was there with Jeffery Wellum in his Spitfire the whole time.

Un problème est survenu. Veuillez réessayer dans quelques minutes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The first-person account is written with honesty and openness that is refreshing, entertaining, and at times terrifying. Wellum's descriptions of operations in which he and his flight engaged the enemy are descriptive, with all the emotion, frustration, fear, and terror that he experienced. One feels as if you are in the cockpit with him, listening to his innermost thoughts as he dodges and battles. His absolute joy at flying also comes through clearly, as he learns to become one with his machines through training and combat. This was his real calling.

His non-combat flights are equally harrowing as he struggles to get his bearings in atrocious weather conditions over land and sea. The book is wonderfully descriptive and Wellum holds nothing back in describing his fears and doubts as he hopes to hold his own and live to see another day, The pointlessness and stupidity of war are broached numerous times, especially sorrowfully when mates come to untimely ends during training and combat flights.

The narration is superb, Andrew Brooke captures the mood with just the right inflections, pace, and accents. It was as if he himself had written the book and was sitting there recounting it. Brooke really taps into Wellum's vulnerabilities and insecurities as the narration unfolds from Wellum's leaving school, taking his RAF tests, to his flight training, right through operations.

All in all, I highly recommend this book - and especially recommend it as an audiobook, the narration is that good.

A raw and honest account of a young Spitfire pilot

Un problème est survenu. Veuillez réessayer dans quelques minutes.