Rare WW2 Combat Memoir
This personal recollection of an RAF Spitfire pilot during the defense of Malta, early in World War II, centers on the author's efforts to maintain good morale and preserve his humanity and artistic sensibilities, in the face of the danger, destruction, and insanity of war. Barnham admits to lacking the aggressive and competitive motivations often associated with fighter pilots, which vitiates some of the excitement one expects in a combat memoir. He is at heart an artist, and constantly alert to the beauty, harmony, and tranquility so rarely found in war zones. Nonetheless, he brings us many specific details of air combat which bring his experiences to life, especially for us pilots. This is a relatively rare book, and thus costly, even in paperback. Better values, and equal or better stories, include James Bradley's "Flyboys" (World War II); Ed Rasimus's "When Thunder Rolled" and Marshall Harrison's "A Lonely Kind of War" (Vietnam).
