A Splendid Little War
Published on 3. April 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-78087-809-6 (ISBN)
Description
The war to end all wars, people said in 1918. Not for long.
By 1919, White Russians were fighting Bolshevik Reds for control of their country, and Winston Churchill (then Secretary of State for War) wanted to see Communism 'strangled in its cradle'. So a volunteer R.A.F. squadron, flying Sopwith Camels, went there to duff up the Reds. 'There's a splendid little war going on,' a British staff officer told them. 'You'll like it.' Looked like fun.
But the war was neither splendid nor little. It was big and it was brutal, a grim conflict of attrition, marked by incompetence and corruption. Before it ended, the squadron wished that both sides would lose. If that was a joke, nobody was laughing.
By 1919, White Russians were fighting Bolshevik Reds for control of their country, and Winston Churchill (then Secretary of State for War) wanted to see Communism 'strangled in its cradle'. So a volunteer R.A.F. squadron, flying Sopwith Camels, went there to duff up the Reds. 'There's a splendid little war going on,' a British staff officer told them. 'You'll like it.' Looked like fun.
But the war was neither splendid nor little. It was big and it was brutal, a grim conflict of attrition, marked by incompetence and corruption. Before it ended, the squadron wished that both sides would lose. If that was a joke, nobody was laughing.
Reviews / Votes
'Brilliantly combines readability [and] pitch-black humour ... A bitterly funny evocation of the lunacies of war' Nick Rennison, BBC History. * BBC History * 'A cracking yarn ... his attention to detail in action scenes cannot be faulted' Tina Moran, Daily Express. * Daily Express * 'Robinson has a superlative talent for aerial combat ... With such epic action, characters, plot and dialogue, it's hard to believe that Robinson's work has yet to be filmed' Ian Irvine, Independent. * Independent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quercus Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
217 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78087-809-6 (9781780878096)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Derek Robinson
A Splendid Little War
E-Book
12/2012
1st Edition
MacLehose Press
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Derek Robinson was enlisted as a fighter plotter in the R.A.F. during his national service. He read History at Cambridge before working in advertising in London and New York. His novel Goshawk Squadron was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1971. He lives in Bristol.