The Big Show

Archival Summary & Scope

*The Big Show* is Pierre Clostermann DFC's extraordinary memoir of World War II aerial combat. As an outstanding Allied ace, this Frenchman flew over 420 perilous operational sorties with the RAF in Spitfires and Typhoons, downing scores of enemy aircraft while witnessing the constant loss of comrades. Hailed as "perhaps the most viscerally exciting book ever written by a fighter pilot" (Rowland White) and "the greatest pilot's memoir of WWII," Clostermann's gripping account vividly captures the relentless, deeply moving reality of fighting for one's life in the deadly skies of Europe. It is an unforgettable, classic testament to courage and the chilling cost of war.