Winged Victory

This is considered by many (including Battle of Britain pilots, who, it is said, fought to obtain copies) to be the greatest air warfare novel ever, and its reissue by Grub Street is very welcome. I think it is hardly fair to call it a ‘novel’, as it is based so closely on the author’s own experiences in World War I. It is not only a graphic account of living on aerodromes on the Western Front and fighting in Sopwith Camels, but also a philosophical treatise against war in general. It must be twenty years since an edition of this book was last issued, and if there is anyone out there who has not yet read it, there is a treat in store for him or her. A small warning: the combat sequences are breathtakingly exciting, but the philosophy is quite hard going, but so worth the effort. Also, I was fascinated by the way social attitudes have changed in the last ninety years, especially men’s attitude to women!