This is the biography of the renowned WWII South African Spitfire pilot Adolf (Sailor) Malan. The book recounts how he rose in less than 15 months to be acknowledged as Britain's premier fighter pilot.

A born leader, a superb shot and an exceptional tactician, Malan honed his skills in the air battles over Dunkirk and later in his Spitfire during the Battle of Britain.

He escorted Horsa Gliders carrying some of the first British units into action during the D-Day landings and later became Station Commander at Biggin Hill.

Malan was a larger than life and heroic figure in an era which had more than its fair share of such men. He finished the war with the reputation both as one of the RAF's great fighter pilots and one of the leading tactical thinkers on the use of fighter aircraft in conflict.