Tom Burkhalter is an avid reader of almost anything related to World War Two and in particular the war in the air. He started thinking about this series in 1994, and has spent his time since then reading histories and airplane operating manuals, working in air museums, talking to veterans of the war, and flying in some of the airplanes used in the conflict. His intent in writing this series is to pay homage to those who fought and, in this part of the series, who fought with their backs to the wall in a part of the war that has largely been forgotten.