The book Some Still Live by Frank Glasgow Tinker Jr

Frank Glasgow Tinker

Frank Glasgow Tinker was an American mercenary fighter pilot for the Spanish Republican Air Force, during the Spanish Civil War. He was the top American ace during the Spanish Civil War.-Early years:...

, was edited by Funk & Wagnalls Co in New York, 1938. Some rare copies of this book may still be found around. It was decorated with few original photos shot in Spain by the famous photographer-reporter Robert Capa

Robert Capa

Robert Capa was a Hungarian combat photographer and photojournalist who covered five different wars: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War...

, notably the one where people of Madrid watch smiling as the Republican

Second Spanish Republic

The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....

 fighters chase away the Franco

Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

ist bombers.

It also contained a map of Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 where the locations of the landing grounds of Campo Soto and Campo X, used by the Andres Garcia La Calle

Andres Garcia La Calle

Andrés García La Calle was the squadron leader of the 1st fighter squadron of the Spanish Republic and later Commander of all the fighter units of the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War.Born in Sestao , in Spain, he started his career in 1929 as an NCO...

 squadron Tinker flew with, appeared for the first time to the public. It remains unique on the description of a number of other figures of the Lacalle squadron team for whom no other recorded evidence was left

The book has today an historical value and was used as a main reference for studies on the adventure of the Americans who flew with the Spanish Republican Air Force

Spanish Republican Air Force

The Spanish Republican Air Force, , was the air arm of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939...

 during the civil war

Civil war

A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....

. A book presently available on this topic is Airmen without portfolio by J.C. Edwards, devoted to the memory of FG Tinker. It refers to entire paragraphs from the Some Still Live including pictures of Tinker and his hand written flight logbook. Tinker has claimed in total 11 victories but was credited officially with only 8 - it was very difficult to credit victories at that time especially for planes shot down in enemy territory and for planes shot down by mercenaries, because mercenaries were often paid bonuses for kills.

Tinker socialized in Spain with Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...

, Robert Hale Merriman

Robert Hale Merriman

Robert Hale Merriman was an American professor of economics at the University of California. He joined the Republican forces in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and commanded the Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the International Brigades....

 the leader of the American Volunteers of the Lincoln Brigade and his successor Milton Wolff, who led the 15th International Brigade during the Battle of the Ebro

Battle of the Ebro

The Battle of the Ebro was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War...

. Hemingway's influence on the style is rather evident: the language is simple but full of human emotion while the war scenes are live and the text creates colorful pictures to the reader.

Further reading

• "Airmen Without Portofolio - US mercenaries in Civil War Spain", by John Craver Edwards, ISBN 0-275-95742-X, USA, 1997
• "Some Still Live" by FG Tinker (NY 1938)