Fresh from school in June 1916, Lieutenant Oliver Paxton’s first solo flight is to lead a formation of biplanes across the Channel to join Hornet Squadron in France.
Five days later, he crash-lands at his destination, having lost his map, his ballast and every single plane in his charge. To his C.O. he’s an idiot, to everyone else – especially the tormenting Australian who shares his billet – a pompous bastard.
This is 1916, the year of the Somme, giving Paxton precious little time to grow from innocent to veteran.
Prang Wizard
Goshawk Squadron, a story of the war in the air over the Western Front, is the missing link between Catch-22 and Blackadder. It was Derek Robinson’s first novel, published in 1971, and it was...
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