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Johns clearly relishes the idea of the "underdogs" taking on the big boys and winning, through a combination of guile, wit and guts.
What I missed the first time was the reference to the then-contemporary political scene. At this time both Hitler and Mussolini were annexing smaller, relatively defenceless countries against a background of political appeasement and, in some cases, upper-class British admiration. It must have taken some guts to write (and get published) a childrens' book which so clearly takes a stand against totalitarian expansionism.
For Maltovia, read Austria, Czechoslovakia or Finland - for the Lovitznian aggressors, read Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin.
In contrast to the real situation in the thirties, where the countries mentioned above were modern republics undermined by multi-party factionalism, the Maltovians are fiercely monarchical and deeply traditionalist.
Thus, Johns looks back with some yearning to the European "Ancien regime " that disappeared with the First World War - numbering among his characters a beautiful Crown Princess, a stuffy but good-hearted Courtier and a spruce young gadfly officer in the "Prisoner of Zenda" mould.
Throw in the usual wolf-ish and unprincipled villains, a race against time, a hilarious escape and much tapping of cigarettes on the back of hands, and you have a short (by modern standards) but thoroughly enjoyable read.
This is one of a very few marvellous, snappy little Biggles novels which are every bit as good as the unputdownable WW1 exploits. Biggles Goes To War gets right down to business and appeals instantly in two ways.
Firstly, Biggles and his comrades are defending traditional values against totalitarianism and secondly, they show that common sense and action can always do something about it. A common theme in Biggles' stories, naturally, but particularly resonant when the book was written.
In a nutshell, we share the adventure and the purpose more than usual - get it, it's brief but terrific!
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