This is a brand new copy of this substantial hardback 1st Ed book from 2010. The book has been enhanced with an original pencil drawing of Roy Baker Faulkner by Steve Teasdale. Underneath the drawing is a professionally mounted genuine Fairey Swordfish Canvas swatch which has been signed by Tirpitz raid veteran Arthur Towlson. Towlson is mentioned in the book. This is a lovely collectable copy of this amazing story.

Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner DSO DSC (3 June 1916 – 18 July 1944) was a Canadian Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm naval aviator and wing leader during the Second World War, who attained the rank of Lieutenant commander. He was a veteran of the evacuation of Dunkirk, one of the few naval Battle of Britain pilots, was test pilot for the Admiralty, starred in a Ealing Studio Royal Navy film, and credited with crippling the German battleship Tirpitz as strike leader of over 100 aircraft.

The genuine swatch ( approx 10 x 6 cm ) of painted canvas is from Fleet Air Arm Fairey Swordfish LS326. It has been signed by Fleet Air Arm veteran Lt Arthur R Towlson. Arthur Towlson DSC had joined the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm in December 1939 and was flying Fairey Barracuda dive bomber aircraft when he was involved in Operation Tungsten to destroy or damage the 823ft long Bismarck class battleship. Lt Towlson remembered how the attack was carried out in daylight and he flew from HMS Victorious to Altenfjord, Norway, to join aircraft that targeted the centre of Tirpitz from stern to stern to ensure greater accuracy. He said: “The Tirpitz was huge. I don’t think we had a ship as big as that. We were briefed to attack the centre line of Tirpitz from stern to stern. ‘The bombing practice runs had shown that we could be much more accurate attacking in line than sideways. In fact when it became my turn to bomb, the ship was partially covered by smoke.” However, he said he was not nervous during the raid and said his aircraft did not encounter any German fighters defending Tirpitz, although they did have to contend with the anti-aircraft guns. The raid put the ship out of action for months until it was eventually destroyed in a raid by Lancaster bombers in November 1944.