Cassell Military Classics: War in a Stringbag: The Classic Second World War Fleet Air Arm Autobiography [Paperback]

Charles Lamb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2001 | Series: Cassell Military Paperbacks

Commander Charles Lamb fought an exceptional war piloting the slow and obsolete Fairey Swordfish. Antiquated as it was, the "Stringbag" still outmaneuvered almost any other aircraft--especially with Lamb at the controls. Go with him into the thick of the action--landing on the Courageous just before she sinks; flying 29 sorties over northern Europe; attacking E-boats through the nine days of Dunkirk. Also experience the terror of being shot down...and living to soar again, defending Malta and the Mediterranean. A rare story of courage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'An epic account of a legendary aircraft and the men who flew in it...his peronsal courage, determination and resilience shine through every page and stand as an inspiration for all who serve in today's FAA' NAVY NEWS

About the Author

Charles Lamb was born in 1914, and went to sea as an apprentice with the Clan Line in 1930. He later served as a Midshipman in the RNR , and joined the RAF in 1935 to learn to fly. He transferred to the Fleet Air Arm in 1938, flew throughout the war, and was given a permanent commission in 1945. He remained active in naval and public affairs until his death in 1981.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Cassell; Cassell military pbk. ed edition (December 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030435841X
• ISBN-13: 978-0304358410
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,128,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinary Tale told with Extraordinary Humility, January 23, 2002

By 

Simon Doherty (Northern Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: War in a Stringbag (Paperback)

I thoroughly recommend this and The Railway Man by Eric Lomax as my favourite WWII accounts.If you are looking for a real WWII epic story of incredible sacrifice told with extreme humility in a matter-of-fact way, then this is the book for you. I actually met Charles Lamb whilst I was a Royal Navy Officer, a fact that I only realised toward the end of the book!
As a young man, Charles Lamb was a Swordfish torpedo bomber pilot. The tough old biplane was capable of carrying so many types of weapons that the naval airmen called it a "Stringbag". Most of the tale takes place before the USA's entry into the war, but this should not put American readers off, quite the contrary since Lamb's revelations of how the Americans helped Britain in its hour of need would bring a lump to your throat. I have read books about Far East prisoners of war but I had not realised the barbaric conditions suffered by British and Commonwealth airmen in North Africa at the hands of the Vichy French. The way that this was swept under the carpet as the Allies advanced towards Germany so as to keep the French on side, was a revelation to me. This book has so many gems of untold glory that military history buffs should find interesting. Lamb gets sunk, crashed, into espionage, talked to by the King, instruction from Churchill,locked up, you name it! And it's a true story! The flying too will send your hair on end. A remarkable man, from a remarkable generation telling an extraordinary tale.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE classic Fleet Air Arm autobiography, July 5, 2007

By 

Andy Wright (Melbourne, Victoria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cassell Military Classics: War in a Stringbag: The Classic Second World War Fleet Air Arm Autobiography (Paperback)

Pretty big call with the title but wow! Charles Lamb can write and write well. The reader follows his pre-war and wartime experiences of his Swordfish flying, flying that is always fraught with danger given the relatively rudimentary nature of the aircraft and the procedures for flying long distance over the ocean. These men went to war in an aircraft that looked outdated and flew incredibly slowly. Brave indeed. However, in the Swordfish, they had a pure, strong work horse that served throughout the war and became a legend. This is the best book on Swordfish flying, or maybe any flying, you will find anywhere. Mr Lamb's writing about the sinking of HMS Courageous early in the war (he was the last to land on her), getting married, mining heavily defended German shipping lanes, involvement in the famous raid on the Italian fleet at Taranto, combat sorties in the Med and from a secret base behind enemy lines in Greece, ditching next to an RN destroyer after Illustrious is pounded by Stukas, ops from Malta, raids over North Africa and time in a Vichy French hell hole of a POW camp (phew and it doesn't end there!) will have you turning the pages and shaking your head in amazement and respecting these men even more.

Told with humility, humour and self-deprecation, War in A Stringbag is a joy and an honour to read.

4.0 out of 5 stars one missing, June 28, 2009

By 

Linda Joan Balink-white - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cassell Military Classics: War in a Stringbag: The Classic Second World War Fleet Air Arm Autobiography (Paperback)

A wonderful book. My brother was a telegraphist air gunner (TAG) and sadly was killed in 1940 in an aircraft accident at Naval Air Base Machrihanish, Scotland. It would have been nice to see a cover depicting both crewmen. Commander Philip Arthur Balink-White, MBE, Royal Navy