Chasing Shadows: A Wartime Biography Of Australian Air Ace
Australian History Young Adult Non-Fiction Aviation History Military Biography World War II Memoir Air Force History Pacific War North African Campaign
“Chasing Shadows: A Wartime Biography of Australian Air Ace” is a scarce 2007 first-edition paperback that finally gives Wing-Commander Bob Cowper—one of the RAAF’s most successful but least-known fighter pilots—the recognition he deserves. Written in close cooperation with aviation historian Stephen Lewis, this 166-page narrative blends official combat records with Cowper’s own recollections, tracing his journey from a Depression-era kid in rural Victoria to a Spitfire squadron leader in North Africa and the Pacific. Young-adult and adult readers alike will find the pace as tight as a dog-fight: every chapter balances white-knuckle aerial action with the quieter, often poignant story of a young Australian coming of age in the shadow of global war.
What makes this copy especially appealing to collectors is its pristine, unmolested state: a clean first printing, free of inscriptions, ex-libris plates, or the spine-creases that plague most aviation paperbacks. The book’s small regional print-run under DPA Publishing means it rarely surfaces on the secondary market, so grabbing a tidy copy secures both a gripping read and a long-term shelf asset. Aviation enthusiasts hunting for verified sortie maps, aircraft serial numbers, and rare RAAF photographs will discover a reference trove that larger, glossier histories often omit.
Beyond technical detail, “Chasing Shadows” is a cultural time-capsule of 1940s Australia—rationing, propaganda, mateship, and the post-war struggle to re-integrate—told in the plain-spoken voice of the people who lived it. Whether you’re building a military-biography collection, sourcing curriculum material for Australian history, or searching for the perfect gift for a war-buff, this edition delivers an authentic, first-hand account that larger publishing houses still haven’t matched.
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