The book is done; I now have six notches scratched into the barrel of my fountain pen. On the research front, I want to thank the staffs at the British National Archives and the Imperial War Museum for their assistance. Thanks to Stephen R. Davies, former RAF Police officer turned author, for his willingness to lend a hand. My longtime agent Ed Knappman passed away during the writing of this book. He was a great guy who always worked tirelessly on my behalf. He is missed. Thanks to Roger Williams of the Publish or Perish Agency, who took over from Ed, for his continued support. In the UK, I want to thank Rachel Calder for her representation.
At Penguin, I owe a great debt to Natalee Rosenstein for her interest and enthusiasm for the project. Many thanks are also due to Robin Barletta for shepherding the manuscript through the publication process. Thanks to Rick Willett for combing the manuscript for typos and other mishaps.
On the personal side, heartfelt thanks go to Simon Blint, Dan Hoffman, Brian Reiser, and Ryan Sawyer for their years of friendship. As always, I must bestow a special note of thanks upon Tony, Phil, Mike, Steve, and Peter for the music. I was thirteen when I decided I wanted to be an author. From the very beginning, my parents—Bill and Susan—offered nothing but support and words of encouragement. I will always be grateful for their love and friendship. The great Max Hastings once wrote, “Only writers’ families know how painful it is to live in a house in which a book is taking shape.” Katie, my wife, has spent much time as a “writer’s widow” since we met. For her patience and endurance, words alone cannot express my gratitude. Our beautiful son, Spencer, was born during the writing of this book. He has turned our lives upside down in the most fantastic way. Endless love and thanks go to both of them for providing a wonderful home in which to live and work.