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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An incredible story more like a Flashman book than biography, 1 Feb 2002
By A Customer
Charles Lamb had an extraordinary war, in the thick of it from the beginning, his ship HMS Courageous was the first ship to be sunk in the War.After surviving that he flew numerous mine laying sortie's on German shipping lanes and helped cover the evacuation at Dunkirk attacking E-boats. He then flew convoy protection in the Mediterranean. At the heart of the book is an account of the attack on Taranto in November 1940. When the Fleet Air Arm, flying from HMS Illustrious, attacked the largest Navy in the world; in the most heavily defended harbour in the World; with some of the most obsolete aircraft in the world, and destroyed it as a fighting force. This effectively changed history swinging the balance of power away from the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean, sounded the death knell of the battle ship, paved the way for Pear Harbour and gave Britain it's first victory in the War. In response Hitler ordered a crack wing of Stuka's to sink HMS Illustrious. Which they attempted to do with great courage and determination. Shooting down Charles Lamb and crippling HMS Illustrious. Charles Lamb was picked up by a destroyer - nearly sinking her in the process when the depth charge he was carrying exploded! While he was enjoying the alcoholic hospitality on board the destroyer, the Germans continued to dive-bomb Illustrious as she was being repaired in Malta. After two weeks of repeated bombing they failed to sink her and she sailed to the safety of Alexandria. Charles Lamb was then posted to, Greece, Albania and Malta where he attacked enemy shipping. From Malta he was recruited into clandestine activates, dropping agents into Vichy North Africa. He was captured after landing in a salt marsh, and tortured by the French Secret Service. He gives a very detailed account of his time in a Vichy prison camp. Chronicling the petty brutality that characterised the regime and the desperation of his fellow prisoners in a very witty and often moving way. For example the Arab guards would shoot into the prisoners quarters when they sang pro-Gaulleist songs - one of which included All Creatures Great and Small. After his liberation in 1943 Charles Lamb returned to active duty, which for me is where the book falls down, as he glosses over his activities in the Pacific and the attacks on the Tirpitz. However all in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the Navy or war storeys.
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