Book Wings of night - secret mission of...Pickard

[CZ_RAF]

Hi all,

I would like to ask if anybody has this book Wings of night - secret mission of... Pickard by A. Hamilton?

I have bought Czech version and find there interesting passage but unfortunately the translation is TERRIBLE so I would like to ask if anybody can provide me the original text.

TIA

Pavel

[Errol Martyn]

Pavel,

There is a second hand copy on offer at Choosebooks.com

http://cgi.choosebooks.com/SESSz171327498711208426335/cgi-bin/n_showitem.cgi?item=1351156502&mono=&lang=en&lo=gr2&uc=nz&shp=0&dcurr=EUR

This was the only copy to come up on a Bookfinder.com search.

Errol

[northeagle]

Amazon have copies of this from £4-70.

Best Wishes.
Robert.

[CZ_RAF]

Many thanks, will be thinking about it but I am so angry by the terrible translation that I do not want to buy another book as I am interested only in few pages. Will try some library at first.

Thanks

Pavel

[CZ_RAF]

Hi chaps,

I have one question which may be caused only by incorrect translation.
There is mentioned a car accident which occured in the night from 18. to 19. March 1941 when Pickard was serving with No. 311 Sq.

There is stated that the car driven by W/C Toman (Czech CO) was going in the opposite direction and that Mrs. Dorothy Pickard tried to avoid the collision and she "jerk the steering wheel to the right".
It will be make sense if this will happend here in Czech where have right hand driving, ut I suppos ethat in UK also during the WWII was left hand driving so from my point of view I will expect that she will try to get the car back to the left side...

Any ideas if this is only a translation mistake or anyone can make a quick check if in the original is also "to the right"?

TIA

Pavel

[Jim Robinson]

It says, "swung the steering wheel to the right"

I think it is talking about the car approaching another too quickly from behind, so she swings the wheel to the right to overtake.

hth

Jim

[CZ_RAF]

Hi Jim,

many thanks - may I contact you off board to verify this fully? It seems to me that the Czech edition is total misfortune:-( There is written "car ridden in the oposite direction".

TIA

Pavel

[Jim Robinson]

Yeah sure.

Send me a PM.

[COL BRUGGY]

Pavel,

For your benefit, and others, here is the offending paragraph.

'Returning along the main road to Thetford, Dorothy in the front saw some lights ahead. The car did not appear to be slowing down. She glanced across at the driver, Wing Commander Toman, and noticed that he was sound asleep! In a flash, Dorothy reached over and swung the steering wheel to the right. The estate car was much too close and with a screech of grinding metal, they hit the obstacle ahead. It was a large pantechnicon furniture lorry.'

Col.

[ianh]

Col

Sounds from that as if they were just about to pile into the back of a (parked?) lorry but her action meant they only clipped it instead, and maybe almost avoided hitting it altogether?

Ian