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Torpedo Leader on Malta.
 
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Torpedo Leader on Malta. (Paperback)

by R.P.M. Gibbs (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Grub Street; New edition edition (31 Jul 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1902304837
  • ISBN-13: 978-1902304830
  • Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 15.8 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 556,835 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"'You do not need memories to feel the excitement of Gibbs's tale... It is, above all, a first-class story... The technicalities of tactics, flying and attack are absorbing.' The Spectator 'An adrenaline-charged account of torpedo attacks a few feet above the Ionian Sea.' Daily Telegraph 'Torpedo Leader describes those months when Gibbs practically ran his own airforce from the island [of Malta], proving his theory that the airborne torpedo was the ideal weapon for attacks on shipping.' South Wales Echo 'As a description of one man's efforts to succeed in a vital but hugely hazardous style of operation, at a crucial time in the war, this book is highly recommended.' RAF News 'An exceedingly well written book which captivates the imagination from beginning to end and gets across the excitement, fear and frustrations of the time.' Aviation News"


Product Description

Written during the war without benefit of hindsight, this is a remarkable and valuable account. A very personal story, its lucid, exciting and readable narrative describes firstly the author's frustrations as a Staff Officer in Cairo, then his triumphs and disasters as a Beaufort Flight Commander on the anti-shipping operations from Malta in 1942, during which Gibbs's contribution was immense.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A first-hand account with no hindsight, 31 Jan 2004
The book was written by Wing Commander Gibbs just after his return from the Middle East, where he had led a unit of Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers in the first attacks against enemy shipping made from the island of Malta, in 1942.

The book has not the benefit of hindsight. No attempt is made to show war as a pleasant adventure (as many authors are incline to): war is a dramatic moment for every one who takes part in it, as the author shows when he loses his best friends and colleagues. The enemy is always considered with respect, which is rare in history writers but was common among those who fought. The torpedo bombers suffered heavy losses in their first attacks and Gibbs himself more than once escaped thanks to destiny's chance. At the end he was the only survivor among those who had started operating the unit.

The attacks against enemy convoys, en route from Italy to Libya, are accounted in detail, and the author gives a good insight in the tactics used in locating and attacking the enemy. No mention is made, of course, of the contribution of Ultra (that was able to decode Italian and German secret messages about convoy routes) because the author was not aware of it.

Though some of the successes claimed by Gibbs cannot be nowadays confirmed, the book remains a clean and objective account of war in a theatre, the Mediterranean, which probably has not received from historians the attention it deserves.

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