true story of Commander Charles Lamb, a pilot in the British Navy's Fleet Air Arm who flew the Fairey Swordfish, a sturdy, robust, multi-seat naval aircraft that served a variety of roles in World War II, among them reconnaissance at sea and on land, day or night, convoy escort duties, anti-submarine searches and attacks, torpedo and dive-bombing attacks on ships, mine laying, and the carrying of heavy loads (including flares). Its probably most famous weapon was its torpedo, which weighed 1,610 pounds and was capable of sinking a 10,000 ton ship in minutes. To deliver this weapon - often against intense fire and in daylight though nighttime raids were more common - the pilot was taught to attack from a steep dive, at a speed of 180 knots or more and then straightenout and fly at a mere 90 knots (producing a very vulnerable target)….The last section of the book describes Lamb's unfortunate experiences in a Vichy French interment camp (most of his stay was at Laghouat, a facility in southern Algeria, deep in the Sahara). Caught while doing cloak and dagger missions, landing operatives in Vichy French territory, the book completely changes in style and tone in the part recounting his months in the camp as Lamb details the revolting conditions and the horrid Vichy French and Arab jailers.

A tremendously maneuverable aircraft that was difficult to stall, the Swordfish was the only British aircraft that was flying at the outbreak of the war and still flying against the enemy in 1945. It had a stalling speed of 55 knots and could out maneuver but not outrun virtually every airplane in the sky and for good reason; it was a biplane. In many ways the Stringbag as it was also called was an obsolescent aircraft. It was very slow and poorly armed; equipped only with World War I era forward firing Vickers gun and a rear cockpit mounted Lewis gun fired by the air gunner or the observer. It had to rely on deft maneuvers, nighttime operation, and secrecy to survive against much more modern aircraft. It had an open cockpit (brutal when operating for instance in the North Sea), didn't have radar, and lacked a sensitive altimeter (at least in the beginning of the war), a crucial bit of equipment as the rather temperamental torpedoes had to be dropped from a height of 60 feet, no more and no less. Aircraft to ship communications were difficult - when they weren't blacked out due to the security concerns - so the possibility of not finding the carrier upon completion of a mission was a real possibility (and one that occurred several times).

It's marketed as a Classic and I guess it is, the flying sequences are depicted really well and you get an idea of the issues faced by a Fleet Air Arm pilot, at sea and in his home life.

There were some excellent sections that I had never heard before, particularly around the invasion of Greece and I must try out some of the moves he describes in my flight simulation game!

Well worth the read for anyone with even a passing interest in the period, the Navy or, of course aviation. ( )

Very fascinating account of wartime English Naval Aviation. Amazing survival.