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Hidden Victory: The Battle of Habbaniya, May 1941

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In the spring of 1941 a there was a pro-Axis military coupe in Iraq. They hoped, with the help of Germany, to free themselves of British control. They sent a large land force to surround the Royal Air Force training base at Habbaniya, as they wanted to offer the Luftwaffe the use of the base's airstrip. But the British at the base, using antiquated aircraft and makeshift munitions, launched an air campaign against the Iraqis that, while costly, was a complete success. This story is told by one who was there.

This book tells the true but largely unknown story of a fantastic RAF air-victory against all the odds, and the events leading up to it. In 1941, seven months after the Battle of Britain, the Iraqis, supported by their modern Air Force and encouraged by the Germans, sent a very powerful formation from their Army with guns, tanks and thousands of soldiers to surround the RAF air base at Habbaniya. This book details the story of the air-battle, fought by a small team of pilots of the RAF. The author joined the RAF at the age of seventeen and was awarded RAF wings in 1935 and Army Glider-Pilot wings 1944. He served in several countries and was given the Award of the DFC after leading forty raids from a Blenheim daybomber. This story details his personal experience in Iraq in 1941.