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Winged Victory
There is no bitter snarl nor self-pity in this classic novel about the air war of 1914-1918, based very largely on the author's experiences. Combat, loneliness, fatigue, fear, comradeship, women, excitement - all are built into a vigorous and authentic structure by one of the most valiant pilots of the then Royal Flying Corps.
465 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1934
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About the author
V.M. Yeates
1 book4 followersVictor Maslin Yeates was a British First World War fighter pilot who wrote what is widely regarded as one of the most realistic and moving accounts of aerial combat and the futility of war.
"WINGED VICTORY", a semi-autobiographical novel, is widely regarded as an authentic depiction of First World War aerial combat on the Western Front. It is Yeates' only work and has never been out of print since it was first published in 1934.
"WINGED VICTORY", a semi-autobiographical novel, is widely regarded as an authentic depiction of First World War aerial combat on the Western Front. It is Yeates' only work and has never been out of print since it was first published in 1934.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
October 5, 2021
There is no bitter snarl nor self-pity in this classic novel about the air war of 1914-1918, based very largely on the author's experiences as a pilot during World War I. Winged Victory by V.M. Yeates shares it all: combat, loneliness, fatigue, fear, comradeship, women, excitement - all are built into a vigorous and authentic structure by one of the most valiant pilots of the then Royal Flying Corps. Written in a style many see as typical for pilots of any era, we experience the cockiness, arrogance, and devil-may-care attitude of these warriors of the air who may be in their last day every day that they go up to fight again. The author shares experiences of being shot down, making their way back to base, or being captured, perhaps the last days of chivalry between enemies. Describes typical days in the lives of these air warriors as they went up to hunt their counterparts, developing and perfecting their skills at air combat to improve their odds of survival. I could envision the action as it was described.
July 2, 2019
Perhaps it was Seddon’s death that had frozen his mind into this numbness. It still excruciated him to think of Seddon being burnt to death; the last thought of his tortured screaming brain.<\b>
As Victor Yeates was slowly dying from consumption in 1933 he decided to write a semi-autobiographical novel about his time as a British fighter pilot in France during WW1. He named the book ‘Winged Victory’ after the famous Nike statue.
This book is considered the best of the few books written about WW1 aerial combat.
The statistics are against Tom, a pilot and our protagonist, surviving more than a few dozen missions. As he defies the odds again and again and develops strong attachments to the other pilots he develops PSTD from the Germans he kills, his narrow scrapes and all his friends that he sees shot out of the sky.
Tom talks about the easy way out — landing behind German lines and then allowing himself to be captured after he sets his plane on fire. Why he had borne more than his reasonable share of the war. He would either die or break down if he went on any longer. He does not take the easy way out however.
The major is obsessed with Tom getting more kills and thinks he is a slacker because he’s survived so long with so few kills. Tom knows he is a bit of a slacker. He is best friends with Williamson.
Then a flight commander is shot down by the Germans in a foolish offensive. Tom is glad because the commander almost got Tom killed.
When a pilot dies they say “he went west.” Sadly the other pilots are responsible for packing the gear to send home to family and to burn any love letters that were written to girlfriends.
Pilots would often end up at the wrong aerodrome (early version of an airport) when returning in bad weather and it might take them the rest of the day to get back to the correct base where of course their friends thought they had went west.
He couldn’t be missed by bullets for ever. A Fokker would get him or a machine gun on the ground. He would certainly be killed if he went on; he could feel death in his bones. He would be shot down in flames. O Christ. He sweated at the thought of it and groaned and turned over, and lay listening to the rumble of guns.
The book proceeds in a predictable fashion, amidst anticipation of leave and periodic mental breakdowns. There is strong character development in the case of Tom and at times some very good prose. But there are also too many missions described in detail leading to some repetitive scenes.
4 stars. For anyone interested in WW1, this is a poignant and obviously realistic read. The quality of the prose is not as consistent as the more famous British WW1 novels however.
As Victor Yeates was slowly dying from consumption in 1933 he decided to write a semi-autobiographical novel about his time as a British fighter pilot in France during WW1. He named the book ‘Winged Victory’ after the famous Nike statue.
This book is considered the best of the few books written about WW1 aerial combat.
The statistics are against Tom, a pilot and our protagonist, surviving more than a few dozen missions. As he defies the odds again and again and develops strong attachments to the other pilots he develops PSTD from the Germans he kills, his narrow scrapes and all his friends that he sees shot out of the sky.
Tom talks about the easy way out — landing behind German lines and then allowing himself to be captured after he sets his plane on fire. Why he had borne more than his reasonable share of the war. He would either die or break down if he went on any longer. He does not take the easy way out however.
The major is obsessed with Tom getting more kills and thinks he is a slacker because he’s survived so long with so few kills. Tom knows he is a bit of a slacker. He is best friends with Williamson.
Then a flight commander is shot down by the Germans in a foolish offensive. Tom is glad because the commander almost got Tom killed.
When a pilot dies they say “he went west.” Sadly the other pilots are responsible for packing the gear to send home to family and to burn any love letters that were written to girlfriends.
Pilots would often end up at the wrong aerodrome (early version of an airport) when returning in bad weather and it might take them the rest of the day to get back to the correct base where of course their friends thought they had went west.
He couldn’t be missed by bullets for ever. A Fokker would get him or a machine gun on the ground. He would certainly be killed if he went on; he could feel death in his bones. He would be shot down in flames. O Christ. He sweated at the thought of it and groaned and turned over, and lay listening to the rumble of guns.
The book proceeds in a predictable fashion, amidst anticipation of leave and periodic mental breakdowns. There is strong character development in the case of Tom and at times some very good prose. But there are also too many missions described in detail leading to some repetitive scenes.
4 stars. For anyone interested in WW1, this is a poignant and obviously realistic read. The quality of the prose is not as consistent as the more famous British WW1 novels however.
June 6, 2020
Winged Victory is a novel but it is one that is firmly grounded in the reality of what the First Word War was like for the pilots in their flimsy aircraft. The author, V.M. Yeates, was an ace with the British Royal Flying Corps who flew Sopwith Camels.
Yeates clearly brings out how most often the most dangerous threat to any pilot was himself, especially in the first few weeks of flying. Sent into combat with minimal training, so many pilots died just trying to land or by losing control of their planes. German antiaircraft fire was also a serious danger. And the missions for the Camels, which very often was low level ground strafing of German troops on the front lines exposed the British pilots to German machine guns
You get a great sense of what the planes were like. And what flying was like in those days.
The Fokker biplanes are a real problem, with no good strategy for a Sopwith Camel to use against them in a dogfight. But the Germans are amazingly passive and wouldn’t fight without a great advantage. To take on a Fokker, Tom, the protagonist, says he wants a Snipe, a British fighter introduced at the end of the war.
The book covers about a year of time in the last year of the war. The main character gets increasingly depressed about the whole war. He and the other older pilots have little interest in even learning the names of the new pilots, knowing that most of them won’t last for more than a few weeks.
I actually read this book after I saw the movie 1918. I wondered what the war was like for pilots after seeing the horrors portrayed for infantry in the trenches. Again, the book is a novel but it supposedly is remarkably accurate about what it portrayed. The casualty rate for pilots was actually about as bad as it was for the soldiers on the ground, but for pilots, at least, you had clean sheets on a cot and pretty good food in the mess, sometimes even lobster. Several times, he notes shortages of certain things, like when the mess was out of other French wines and only vermouth was available.
Winged Victory is in essence an antiwar book but it is subtle in expressing that at first. That antiwar message builds as the weeks pass and the deaths build up. Even with the antiwar message, it is a deeply moving book about what it means to fight in a war, and brings out the value of the few good commanders and how dangerous the bad commanders were to everyone in a squadron.
Near the end of the book, Tom loses his best friend Bill while ground strafing. He is devastated. In preparing to leave, he has few friends left to say good bye to. It had become “a squadron of ghosts” to him.
Yeates clearly brings out how most often the most dangerous threat to any pilot was himself, especially in the first few weeks of flying. Sent into combat with minimal training, so many pilots died just trying to land or by losing control of their planes. German antiaircraft fire was also a serious danger. And the missions for the Camels, which very often was low level ground strafing of German troops on the front lines exposed the British pilots to German machine guns
You get a great sense of what the planes were like. And what flying was like in those days.
The Fokker biplanes are a real problem, with no good strategy for a Sopwith Camel to use against them in a dogfight. But the Germans are amazingly passive and wouldn’t fight without a great advantage. To take on a Fokker, Tom, the protagonist, says he wants a Snipe, a British fighter introduced at the end of the war.
The book covers about a year of time in the last year of the war. The main character gets increasingly depressed about the whole war. He and the other older pilots have little interest in even learning the names of the new pilots, knowing that most of them won’t last for more than a few weeks.
I actually read this book after I saw the movie 1918. I wondered what the war was like for pilots after seeing the horrors portrayed for infantry in the trenches. Again, the book is a novel but it supposedly is remarkably accurate about what it portrayed. The casualty rate for pilots was actually about as bad as it was for the soldiers on the ground, but for pilots, at least, you had clean sheets on a cot and pretty good food in the mess, sometimes even lobster. Several times, he notes shortages of certain things, like when the mess was out of other French wines and only vermouth was available.
Winged Victory is in essence an antiwar book but it is subtle in expressing that at first. That antiwar message builds as the weeks pass and the deaths build up. Even with the antiwar message, it is a deeply moving book about what it means to fight in a war, and brings out the value of the few good commanders and how dangerous the bad commanders were to everyone in a squadron.
Near the end of the book, Tom loses his best friend Bill while ground strafing. He is devastated. In preparing to leave, he has few friends left to say good bye to. It had become “a squadron of ghosts” to him.
June 14, 2011
The author gives an unvarnished account of a young RFC/RAF fighter pilot's experiences on the Western Front during the spring and summer of 1918.
Despite the glamor often associated with the public image of the "dashing airman" of the First World War, he faced a variety of hazards, from anti-aircraft fire, collision in a dogfight, to the prospect of a fiery death from "the Hun in the sun".
In "WINGED VICTORY", the reader is given access to the all the perils, fears, and frustrations faced by the young pilot Tom Cundall, who, each day he went off on patrol, gambled with his life and fought to keep his sanity, never knowing which friends wouldn't return to the aerodrome. Or whether he would survive or be maimed or crippled.
Unlike their German counterparts (who had the "Heinecke" harness in the later stages of the war), the Allied airman was issued no parachute.
"WINGED VICTORY" brings back the immediacy of what it was like to be a British fighter pilot on the Western Front in the last year of the First World War. Highly recommended.
Despite the glamor often associated with the public image of the "dashing airman" of the First World War, he faced a variety of hazards, from anti-aircraft fire, collision in a dogfight, to the prospect of a fiery death from "the Hun in the sun".
In "WINGED VICTORY", the reader is given access to the all the perils, fears, and frustrations faced by the young pilot Tom Cundall, who, each day he went off on patrol, gambled with his life and fought to keep his sanity, never knowing which friends wouldn't return to the aerodrome. Or whether he would survive or be maimed or crippled.
Unlike their German counterparts (who had the "Heinecke" harness in the later stages of the war), the Allied airman was issued no parachute.
"WINGED VICTORY" brings back the immediacy of what it was like to be a British fighter pilot on the Western Front in the last year of the First World War. Highly recommended.
December 15, 2015
The title of this book suggests a jingoistic celebration of the RAF's role in the Allied victory of 1918, but actually this is a sombre account of the destructive power of war on those who have to fight it, not just on bodies but also on minds. The author was himself a WWI pilot, and there is a great feeling of authenticity about the novel.
The central character, Tom Cundall, is a former officer of "The PBI", who retrains as a pilot after being shot in the foot. The novel opens in the early months of 1918, just before the German Spring Offensive of that year. Cundall has been on active service with the RFC (as it was then) for only a couple of months, but the overall feel of the novel is one of immense war weariness. Although at this stage of the war the Allies had greatly superior aircraft to their enemies, Cundall's squadron is largely employed in low level strafing of advancing German troops, which exposed the aircraft to dangerous machine gun fire from the ground. Cundall is a competent but not outstanding pilot, who resents the war and seeks to do no more than his duty requires. As the months pass and the casualties mount, his nerves become more and more shredded and his anger against the war increases. He feels it is being fought for the benefit of financiers, industrialists and property owners, and the views expressed in the book are very reminiscent of those of Siegfried Sassoon. Cundall however, keeps fighting out of pride in his job, loyalty to his squadron mates, and ultimately, fear of that greatest of all social disgraces; being labelled a coward.
The story is set out as a day by day narrative. I understand some people have found it repetitive. I can understand that view, but the unrelenting nature of the war, and the pressure that brings, is crucial to the story.
Reading about the author after finishing the novel suggests that many of the incidents described in the book were derived from his personal experiences. High quality and very moving.
The central character, Tom Cundall, is a former officer of "The PBI", who retrains as a pilot after being shot in the foot. The novel opens in the early months of 1918, just before the German Spring Offensive of that year. Cundall has been on active service with the RFC (as it was then) for only a couple of months, but the overall feel of the novel is one of immense war weariness. Although at this stage of the war the Allies had greatly superior aircraft to their enemies, Cundall's squadron is largely employed in low level strafing of advancing German troops, which exposed the aircraft to dangerous machine gun fire from the ground. Cundall is a competent but not outstanding pilot, who resents the war and seeks to do no more than his duty requires. As the months pass and the casualties mount, his nerves become more and more shredded and his anger against the war increases. He feels it is being fought for the benefit of financiers, industrialists and property owners, and the views expressed in the book are very reminiscent of those of Siegfried Sassoon. Cundall however, keeps fighting out of pride in his job, loyalty to his squadron mates, and ultimately, fear of that greatest of all social disgraces; being labelled a coward.
The story is set out as a day by day narrative. I understand some people have found it repetitive. I can understand that view, but the unrelenting nature of the war, and the pressure that brings, is crucial to the story.
Reading about the author after finishing the novel suggests that many of the incidents described in the book were derived from his personal experiences. High quality and very moving.
July 26, 2022
Winged Victory is a novel about fighter pilots in the First World War, written by a surviving pilot. The odds against pilots were grim, life expectancy measured in weeks. This is not about glory, for war in the air is bloody murder rather than chivalric duels, but there's a certain grandeur in flight.
Yeats has two themes, communicated through his narrator Tom Cundall. The first is the sublime joy of flight in these primitive, first practical aeroplanes. There is an immense pleasure in playing among the clouds, contour chasing over Flanders Fields, throwing his Sopwith Camel around the sky and running at the brass hats' British staff cars.
But this is still war, and there are Huns, little black dots in the sky that alternate scamper away from Cundalls' flight, or come slashing down in diving attacks when they have superiority of position and numbers. There's Archie, mostly ineffective bursts of early flak, there's faulty engines and bad landings, and the hated fearful work of ground attacks, a deadly game of roulette on every patrol. The second theme is the declining state of Cundall's nerves, as the stress of months of war against the odds grinds him down, and seeking momentary pleasures in alcohol, wardroom banter, and French mademoiselles. Reading this is, appropriately enough, also exhausting. The book drones on about the other pilots, their mayfly lives, the stupidity of the war, the repetitive carousing, and says nothing.
Part of this might be time and cultural distance. I've read a lot of similar books about young Americans in Vietnam in the 1960s, and there the brief allusions are enough to work. English culture of the 1910s alien enough the allusions simply don't connect. Though I was glad to see their version of 'Ok Boomer' is 'Victorian sentimentality', the more things change etc. There's a really good 200 page book in here. Unfortunately my copy is twice that length. I can recognize Winged Victory as important without much liking it.
Yeats has two themes, communicated through his narrator Tom Cundall. The first is the sublime joy of flight in these primitive, first practical aeroplanes. There is an immense pleasure in playing among the clouds, contour chasing over Flanders Fields, throwing his Sopwith Camel around the sky and running at the brass hats' British staff cars.
But this is still war, and there are Huns, little black dots in the sky that alternate scamper away from Cundalls' flight, or come slashing down in diving attacks when they have superiority of position and numbers. There's Archie, mostly ineffective bursts of early flak, there's faulty engines and bad landings, and the hated fearful work of ground attacks, a deadly game of roulette on every patrol. The second theme is the declining state of Cundall's nerves, as the stress of months of war against the odds grinds him down, and seeking momentary pleasures in alcohol, wardroom banter, and French mademoiselles. Reading this is, appropriately enough, also exhausting. The book drones on about the other pilots, their mayfly lives, the stupidity of the war, the repetitive carousing, and says nothing.
Part of this might be time and cultural distance. I've read a lot of similar books about young Americans in Vietnam in the 1960s, and there the brief allusions are enough to work. English culture of the 1910s alien enough the allusions simply don't connect. Though I was glad to see their version of 'Ok Boomer' is 'Victorian sentimentality', the more things change etc. There's a really good 200 page book in here. Unfortunately my copy is twice that length. I can recognize Winged Victory as important without much liking it.
August 24, 2018
I had been warned that books about WW1 can be tedious. I went into Winged Victory knowing that I would need patience to get through it. I wanted to find out more the life of the average Pilot flying in WW1. I got more than I bargained for.
The Author was flying Sopwith Camels doing the grunt work. Strafing trenches, bombing troops and low observation work. It wasn't the glory work depicted in many other books. Shooting down a German airplane was rare. Getting shot down was common.
Much of the book takes place on the ground. We get into the mind of the pilots who loved and hated their Camels and the mental fatigue that wore on them day after day. If you want to truly know the unvarnished story of what flying in WW1 was like, then read this book. I do admit to being a bit depressed when I was finished.
The Author was flying Sopwith Camels doing the grunt work. Strafing trenches, bombing troops and low observation work. It wasn't the glory work depicted in many other books. Shooting down a German airplane was rare. Getting shot down was common.
Much of the book takes place on the ground. We get into the mind of the pilots who loved and hated their Camels and the mental fatigue that wore on them day after day. If you want to truly know the unvarnished story of what flying in WW1 was like, then read this book. I do admit to being a bit depressed when I was finished.
May 15, 2023
another thinly veiled autobiography in the form of a war novel..... the resonances with through the wheat are incredible.....
December 11, 2022
This would have gotten a higher ranking if it was a bit shorter. After a while, it drags.
This book reminded me a great deal of Catch-22. No, there is not Yossarian trying to get out of flying by pretending to be crazy and thereby proving he is sane so he needs to keep flying.
But the overall tone of the constant monotony of flying missions is the same. The fear of having your time "run out" is there. And so much more that links the two books in some way. Catch-22 is more entertaining and much better as a read, but the books both have a core outlook on the life of an aviator in one of the world wars - and it is a bleak outlook.
This book reminded me a great deal of Catch-22. No, there is not Yossarian trying to get out of flying by pretending to be crazy and thereby proving he is sane so he needs to keep flying.
But the overall tone of the constant monotony of flying missions is the same. The fear of having your time "run out" is there. And so much more that links the two books in some way. Catch-22 is more entertaining and much better as a read, but the books both have a core outlook on the life of an aviator in one of the world wars - and it is a bleak outlook.
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March 28, 2009Contrary's review:
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http://www.contrarymagazine.com/Contr...
January 2, 2022
Brilliant
A little bit wordy but still a fascinating read. The main character struggles with fear constantly but still straps his plane on and goes up.
A little bit wordy but still a fascinating read. The main character struggles with fear constantly but still straps his plane on and goes up.
July 9, 2016
I was drawn to read this when it was mentioned in a biography of Lawrence of Arabia as being one of the most accurate descriptions of WW1 that had been written. And indeed, there on the back v=cover is a quote from T E Lawrence saying "Admirable…one of the most distinguished histories of the war".
And so it turns out. It comes over (I cannot personally know) as a very accurate picture of a young pilot, Tom Cundall, in the RFC / RAF in early / mid 1918. He describes the boredom and the terror of being a flier in those days, the devastation of seeing your compatriots killed seemingly on a daily basis, so much that it is hardly worth getting to know people. To read the book, I think one needs a certain amount of knowledge of WW1 terminology - a "Harry Tate" is for instance an RE8, a spotter aeroplane. The author has an interesting way of describing anti-aircraft fire, nicknamed "Archie" - he treats it as a person, and ascribes a personality to it as it fires at him and his fellows.
Interestingly, his best friend in the book is called Williamson, the same surname as the person to whom the book is dedicated and who wrote two forewords for it. Indeed, Williamson the author even included the fictional "Tom Cundall" in his own fiction, as a way to encourage greater readership of "winged victory".
All that being said, the book is worth reading, but more (in my opinion) for its historical context than for enjoyment. It depicts the same events over and over again; the pilots get up to fly the dawn patrol; the pilots get up to strafe trenches; the pilots get up to shoot down balloons or two-seater reconnaissance planes; the pilots get very drunk and destroy the mess; and so on. I think it should be read by anyone interested in the period, but there isn't the variety that might be expect of a more straightforward novel.
And so it turns out. It comes over (I cannot personally know) as a very accurate picture of a young pilot, Tom Cundall, in the RFC / RAF in early / mid 1918. He describes the boredom and the terror of being a flier in those days, the devastation of seeing your compatriots killed seemingly on a daily basis, so much that it is hardly worth getting to know people. To read the book, I think one needs a certain amount of knowledge of WW1 terminology - a "Harry Tate" is for instance an RE8, a spotter aeroplane. The author has an interesting way of describing anti-aircraft fire, nicknamed "Archie" - he treats it as a person, and ascribes a personality to it as it fires at him and his fellows.
Interestingly, his best friend in the book is called Williamson, the same surname as the person to whom the book is dedicated and who wrote two forewords for it. Indeed, Williamson the author even included the fictional "Tom Cundall" in his own fiction, as a way to encourage greater readership of "winged victory".
All that being said, the book is worth reading, but more (in my opinion) for its historical context than for enjoyment. It depicts the same events over and over again; the pilots get up to fly the dawn patrol; the pilots get up to strafe trenches; the pilots get up to shoot down balloons or two-seater reconnaissance planes; the pilots get very drunk and destroy the mess; and so on. I think it should be read by anyone interested in the period, but there isn't the variety that might be expect of a more straightforward novel.
May 18, 2018
Winged Victory, written in 1934 by a pilot who flew in WWI, presents a fictional account of a British pilot named Tom Cundall who flies biplanes on the border between France and Germany during the war. At times, this is a difficult read, given the length of the book, the technical jargon that is unexplained, and the repetitive features of life as a Sopwith Camel pilot. But for the patient reader willing to push on with the same doggedness as the pilots themselves, the rewards of reading this book are great.
One obtains a realistic view of the life of a WWI pilot who flew on bombing missions, aerial surveillance, and dogfights against German foes. Far from offering a romantic view of war, one instead sees how dull and depressing it could be to fly in unpredictable machines without ever really knowing whether you or your friends would return to the air base alive. The descriptions of flight are vivid and compelling. While one also gets a realistic picture of the dull monotony of sleep, eating, and drinking at the base with one's fellow pilots. Described by the Daily Mail as "The greatest novel of war in the air," the reader who makes it through the 450-odd pages cannot help but believe this to be true.
One obtains a realistic view of the life of a WWI pilot who flew on bombing missions, aerial surveillance, and dogfights against German foes. Far from offering a romantic view of war, one instead sees how dull and depressing it could be to fly in unpredictable machines without ever really knowing whether you or your friends would return to the air base alive. The descriptions of flight are vivid and compelling. While one also gets a realistic picture of the dull monotony of sleep, eating, and drinking at the base with one's fellow pilots. Described by the Daily Mail as "The greatest novel of war in the air," the reader who makes it through the 450-odd pages cannot help but believe this to be true.
May 18, 2023
Winged Victory was a welcome swerve from my current pattern of reading WW1 air memoirs and diaries. Fictionalised and after the facts that inspired it's writing, this book nevertheless provides a wholly enthralling account.
Having read a number of actual diaries before this, Yeates depiction is a deeper and more introspective view of those other accounts. Fictionalised, yet also managing to portray the realities in a more cohesive fashion through it's lyrical descriptions. Rarely have I read a book, in any genre, that has so wholly entranced me with it's literary style and exposition.
Early in the book's beginning I was highlighting passages for their narrative and metaphorical flair alone. Set out as an actual novel, Yeates delivers an inside view of a WW1 squadron and how they lived and fought. The dizzying highs mean little without reference points to feel them by, and the lows ever more despair inducing.
We follow Tom Cundall through many exploits, and I am all the richer for the author's style in doing so.
If you have an interest in the WW1 air theatre then this should definitely be on your reading list.
Rav.
Having read a number of actual diaries before this, Yeates depiction is a deeper and more introspective view of those other accounts. Fictionalised, yet also managing to portray the realities in a more cohesive fashion through it's lyrical descriptions. Rarely have I read a book, in any genre, that has so wholly entranced me with it's literary style and exposition.
Early in the book's beginning I was highlighting passages for their narrative and metaphorical flair alone. Set out as an actual novel, Yeates delivers an inside view of a WW1 squadron and how they lived and fought. The dizzying highs mean little without reference points to feel them by, and the lows ever more despair inducing.
We follow Tom Cundall through many exploits, and I am all the richer for the author's style in doing so.
If you have an interest in the WW1 air theatre then this should definitely be on your reading list.
Rav.
January 30, 2020
This, as advertised, the most outstanding introduction to aerial warfare in the Great War. If one hasn't before been introduced to the experience, this is the place to start.
Written during the Great Depression engulfing the industrialized nations of the west, Yeates waxed philosophical on the causes of war. At the same time he exposes the reader the reality of aerial combat and its effects on the flyers. At times the narrative moves slowly, meandering through the countryside much like the pilots, exposing the boredom of just waiting, the exhilaration of solo, low-level flying (hedge-hopping) during lulls in the action, along with the terror of ground attack missions and the fear of a fiery death.
Well worth the time to read if one is interested in learning more about this period in history.
Written during the Great Depression engulfing the industrialized nations of the west, Yeates waxed philosophical on the causes of war. At the same time he exposes the reader the reality of aerial combat and its effects on the flyers. At times the narrative moves slowly, meandering through the countryside much like the pilots, exposing the boredom of just waiting, the exhilaration of solo, low-level flying (hedge-hopping) during lulls in the action, along with the terror of ground attack missions and the fear of a fiery death.
Well worth the time to read if one is interested in learning more about this period in history.
April 19, 2023
Transportive story with a long, lost perspective. So, this was what it was like to fly the first fighter planes? And experience aerial war with ever-present death? Somewhat challenging read due to the age of the dialogue and perhaps because of the British jargon but enjoyably, fast-paced storytelling. It was refreshing to read a story of fiction without the typical tropes of modern storytelling: a lost item didn't reappear later to miraculously save the day; it was merely lost, and the significance was felt through the impact on the narrator's superstitions. Numerous similar details were added for character color and not for cheap foreshadowing. All details were in the service of relationships between characters themselves or the war.
December 23, 2014
an Excellent Account
Winged Victory has to rank among the best-written of all accounts of war in the air! It's straight-forward honesty is refreshing as it is thought provoking. Truly a classic.
Winged Victory has to rank among the best-written of all accounts of war in the air! It's straight-forward honesty is refreshing as it is thought provoking. Truly a classic.
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February 6, 2017Harrowing but captivating..
September 12, 2024
I like flying and books about flying, so when I saw this title in a book swap I picked it up. It was evidently about wartime flying I was not even sure which war. It turned out to be the First World War. The only other books I think I have read about flying in the First World War are Biggles books, and this one is very different.
It is quickly evident that the author knows what he is talking about, that he had flown. There are a lot of technical details and jargon. He does not make any attempt to explain any of this. A lot of the time it is possible to guess the meaning of these words, but I did also find myself looking a lot up. I have to say that Wikipedia was pretty good at explaining most of this.
An example of the jargon is that anti-aircraft fire is referred to as 'Archie', but in such a way that Archie is personified. For instance, 'Archie nagged them all the time.'
I should also say that Yeates uses a lot of quite peculiar (non-technical) vocabulary. The book was written some time between then end of the War and Yeates' death in the 1930s, and I am not sure whether everyone spoke or wrote like that, used those now-obscure words, or whether Yeates had quite an exceptionally broad vocabulary. If I had been reading this on a Kindle I would have been touching words a lot. As it was I did look some of them up in a dictionary.
Unlike Biggles books, there is no strong plot in this book; it is more like memoirs, recounting the facts of life in the Royal Flying Corps (which did evolve into the Royal Air Force within the timespan of the book). So, evidently it is quite auto-biographical. Yeates clearly uses the book to promote some of his own views and philosophy. Of course he can use the mechanism of dialogue to present arguments and counter-arguments. Overall, though, he was quite opposed to the war, to wars. He frequently presents the proposition that the only beneficiaries of war are the business men and capitalists. Through the main character - Tom Cullen - he seems to become increasingly disillusioned with the killing. He was also concerned about his own courage or lack of it. He frequently questioned the extent to which he has the 'wind up' (which is hard to remember to read 'wind' as the meteorological phenomenon and not as what you do with a clock).
There are a number of aspects which surprised me to some extent. One was the level of drinking. I can see how pilots under the stress of fighting would seek escape in drink, but it seems quite excessive. It was not just the drinking, either, but frequently the binges would result in vandalism, smashing up the mess. It was evident that no one in authority (i.e. the squadron commander) was concerned by this, and, when necessary, a truck would be sent to a nearby town to loot furniture from abandoned houses to replaces the breakages. I suppose that again this was seen as a necessary release for the airmen.
Another surprise was the fact that the pilots took amusement in buzzing their own side. (He calls if strafing, but without the firing of guns.) They would fly low to scare and to scatter, and it seems like the higher ranked the victims the better. There was an assumption that their aircraft would never be identified, and hence they would get away with it.
This is all against a background in which casualties were evidently very heavy; a number of pilots seemed to be killed on every 'job'. On the other hand, the German (invariably 'Hun') airforce seemed ineffectual. It seemed that their aircraft generally turned around and headed for home and would not engage.
As I say, there was no driving plot to draw me back to reading, but there was the motivation to know what happened, would Tom survive. I will keep this as a reference book.
It is quickly evident that the author knows what he is talking about, that he had flown. There are a lot of technical details and jargon. He does not make any attempt to explain any of this. A lot of the time it is possible to guess the meaning of these words, but I did also find myself looking a lot up. I have to say that Wikipedia was pretty good at explaining most of this.
An example of the jargon is that anti-aircraft fire is referred to as 'Archie', but in such a way that Archie is personified. For instance, 'Archie nagged them all the time.'
I should also say that Yeates uses a lot of quite peculiar (non-technical) vocabulary. The book was written some time between then end of the War and Yeates' death in the 1930s, and I am not sure whether everyone spoke or wrote like that, used those now-obscure words, or whether Yeates had quite an exceptionally broad vocabulary. If I had been reading this on a Kindle I would have been touching words a lot. As it was I did look some of them up in a dictionary.
Unlike Biggles books, there is no strong plot in this book; it is more like memoirs, recounting the facts of life in the Royal Flying Corps (which did evolve into the Royal Air Force within the timespan of the book). So, evidently it is quite auto-biographical. Yeates clearly uses the book to promote some of his own views and philosophy. Of course he can use the mechanism of dialogue to present arguments and counter-arguments. Overall, though, he was quite opposed to the war, to wars. He frequently presents the proposition that the only beneficiaries of war are the business men and capitalists. Through the main character - Tom Cullen - he seems to become increasingly disillusioned with the killing. He was also concerned about his own courage or lack of it. He frequently questioned the extent to which he has the 'wind up' (which is hard to remember to read 'wind' as the meteorological phenomenon and not as what you do with a clock).
There are a number of aspects which surprised me to some extent. One was the level of drinking. I can see how pilots under the stress of fighting would seek escape in drink, but it seems quite excessive. It was not just the drinking, either, but frequently the binges would result in vandalism, smashing up the mess. It was evident that no one in authority (i.e. the squadron commander) was concerned by this, and, when necessary, a truck would be sent to a nearby town to loot furniture from abandoned houses to replaces the breakages. I suppose that again this was seen as a necessary release for the airmen.
Another surprise was the fact that the pilots took amusement in buzzing their own side. (He calls if strafing, but without the firing of guns.) They would fly low to scare and to scatter, and it seems like the higher ranked the victims the better. There was an assumption that their aircraft would never be identified, and hence they would get away with it.
This is all against a background in which casualties were evidently very heavy; a number of pilots seemed to be killed on every 'job'. On the other hand, the German (invariably 'Hun') airforce seemed ineffectual. It seemed that their aircraft generally turned around and headed for home and would not engage.
As I say, there was no driving plot to draw me back to reading, but there was the motivation to know what happened, would Tom survive. I will keep this as a reference book.
December 27, 2020
Well, I had some trouble with this one, but I tried to put it in perspective and carried on through to the end. I'm glad I did - the message, and the writing, were remarkable. This is in effect an anti-war book, but it creeps up on the reader as such. That despite it being set in spring and summer of 1918, covering the German offensive ("Kaiserschlacht") beginning March 1918 and then the beginning of the Allies' 100 Day Offensive that same summer. The Luftstreitkräfte was a shadow of its former self and the RAF came into being on 1 April as a well-established and capable air force but there was much anti-aircraft fire of all types to contend with, and Sopwith Camels (the airplane of this book) were used primarily as ground attack weapons. The novel was written in the 1930s, and the language was at times quite "Brit" and dated. There were also some wandering passages, pages and pages worth, where opinions on all matter of subjects were given, as would happen with young men of a similar type thrown together in a war situation, where death can, and did, happen any day. It was very likely the best novel of First World War air warfare at the time it was published, and it still likely ranks very highly of that genre. I have read others that were as grimly honest with less verbage, and there were pages of the story that really didn't add to the story and tended to distract. Made the book quite long too! The title "Winged Victory" must have been chosen, maybe by the publisher, in order to sell books since there was very little of a victorious nature in the novel. Think of "All Quiet on the Western Front", but no spoilers from me. Overall a magnificent novel with small distractions here and there. Helps round-out one's reading on this particular subject.
November 21, 2018
"Winged Victory" was probably meant as an ironic title for this novel. By the end of reading the book you will understand why. But then you might question yourself again as the book is really about the protagonists own battle against fear which grows throughout the story.
The story begins in the later stages of World War 1 in France where the protagonist is a pilot with the British Royal Flying Corps in a squadron mainly tasked with attacking quite lethally defended enemy ground targets.
The squadron flies Sopwith Camels which themselves were notoriously difficult for novices to fly and most of these pilots were just that not surviving long enough to gain the experience needed to cope.
He is an outgoing person who though cynical in attitude is empathetic to his friends and colleagues. As time marches on and more and more of his friends die he has to consciously fight his own fear of death in a pressure cooker environment. This all builds to a powerful and memorable conclusion.
The book is a little slow to begin but with time becomes a real page turner as the tension mounts. The author writes in a surprisingly modern style and the book contains the types of people and life challenges that we all experience at some time or another but just not magnified to the scale that being in a war produces.
I think this is the best fictional war story I have ever read but I also think that's because it wasn't really fiction after all.
The story begins in the later stages of World War 1 in France where the protagonist is a pilot with the British Royal Flying Corps in a squadron mainly tasked with attacking quite lethally defended enemy ground targets.
The squadron flies Sopwith Camels which themselves were notoriously difficult for novices to fly and most of these pilots were just that not surviving long enough to gain the experience needed to cope.
He is an outgoing person who though cynical in attitude is empathetic to his friends and colleagues. As time marches on and more and more of his friends die he has to consciously fight his own fear of death in a pressure cooker environment. This all builds to a powerful and memorable conclusion.
The book is a little slow to begin but with time becomes a real page turner as the tension mounts. The author writes in a surprisingly modern style and the book contains the types of people and life challenges that we all experience at some time or another but just not magnified to the scale that being in a war produces.
I think this is the best fictional war story I have ever read but I also think that's because it wasn't really fiction after all.
March 3, 2019
I want to add to all those who point to this book as the truest painting of what it was like to be a Royal Air Corps pilot on the western front. The fact that the author himself was such a pilot and was writing this book at a time in the 1930's when the effects of flying at high altitudes with out oxygen were in the vestiges of killing him. The novel takes you through the feelings of patriotism, excitement, fear, revenge, bone deep fatigue, resolution, resignation and the hurt of grudging perseverance in the face of an ongoing seeming hopeless cause.
At first one finds the writing plodding, however, you come to realize that this was the "proper way" to prose the English Language in the early 1900's. It is in its own way a re-education of the English Language before the technical age we now have it colored by.
Again if you wish to know what a flyers life was like in The Great War you owe it to yourself to get a copy and to plod through the fist pages till you get the spirit, meter and message of the book. This is why I have given the book the highest rating.
At first one finds the writing plodding, however, you come to realize that this was the "proper way" to prose the English Language in the early 1900's. It is in its own way a re-education of the English Language before the technical age we now have it colored by.
Again if you wish to know what a flyers life was like in The Great War you owe it to yourself to get a copy and to plod through the fist pages till you get the spirit, meter and message of the book. This is why I have given the book the highest rating.
December 10, 2020
A Masterpiece of the Air War
In a moving narrative, created with great skill by an author at the top of his game,
Winged Victory soars with thrilling descriptions of the new air war in the sky during WWI. His masterful description of combat in this new air war, the loneliness, daily fatigue, fear, and his moving description of comradeship set this book among the very best novels of WWI.
There are moments where the author’s mastery of his craft soars off the page. At that moment you, as the reader, will want to take a moment to savor the brilliance on the page before you. I have underlined many of these passages, you can find them in my Goodreads underlined notes.
Winged Victory is a marvel of writing by a novelist who conveyed on the page the madness and futility of war. Read this one, it is a treasure.
In a moving narrative, created with great skill by an author at the top of his game,
Winged Victory soars with thrilling descriptions of the new air war in the sky during WWI. His masterful description of combat in this new air war, the loneliness, daily fatigue, fear, and his moving description of comradeship set this book among the very best novels of WWI.
There are moments where the author’s mastery of his craft soars off the page. At that moment you, as the reader, will want to take a moment to savor the brilliance on the page before you. I have underlined many of these passages, you can find them in my Goodreads underlined notes.
Winged Victory is a marvel of writing by a novelist who conveyed on the page the madness and futility of war. Read this one, it is a treasure.
December 20, 2024
The best pilots book I heard...well having Read Derek Robinsons stuff first, maybe that spoiled the others for me.
But really I was mostly bored.
It depicts the same stuff over and over again; the pilots get up to fly patrol; the pilots get up to strafe trenches; the pilots get up to shoot down balloons or two-seater reconnaissance planes; the pilots get very drunk and there are descriptions of long, incomprehensible conversations about finances, the state of the world, women (Derogatory) and so on.
It should have been good, but I just couldn't get any emotion from it. Some of the fight descriptions are bland too.
Tom fired a long burst, the Pfalz slowly dropped it's nose and turned over on it's right side.
It was the end.
Tom looked to his own tail and saw there was no threat.
Tom waved goodbye to the other SEs...they were all there.
Thrilling stuff. Not.
But really I was mostly bored.
It depicts the same stuff over and over again; the pilots get up to fly patrol; the pilots get up to strafe trenches; the pilots get up to shoot down balloons or two-seater reconnaissance planes; the pilots get very drunk and there are descriptions of long, incomprehensible conversations about finances, the state of the world, women (Derogatory) and so on.
It should have been good, but I just couldn't get any emotion from it. Some of the fight descriptions are bland too.
Tom fired a long burst, the Pfalz slowly dropped it's nose and turned over on it's right side.
It was the end.
Tom looked to his own tail and saw there was no threat.
Tom waved goodbye to the other SEs...they were all there.
Thrilling stuff. Not.
July 21, 2020
I was overwhelmed by this book as it described the enthusiasm and excitement of becoming a scout pilot in WWI. It describes daily life in the primitive squadron conditions, the tactics and skills acquired to ensure survival in the air and the terrifying consequences of those skills - shooting down the enemy in flames and also seeing your squadron pals meeting their fiery end. Avoiding your own demise became an increasing mental strain leading to alcoholism and almost mental collapse. This book is not only about air combat but also the daily attrition on squadron life and it's members emotions offering a view of the mental pressures on a WWI fighter pilot. I shall read this book again.
December 22, 2022
If you want to read one book about WWI aviation, this is the one. I've read most of them, and to be honest, they are usually awful, the two greatest aces Richthofen and Rene Fonck must get a special mention of most dreadfullness. There are a few good ones, but Winged victory is easily the best, it's a novel, but written by a WWI fighter pilot 15 year after the war. It's very exciting, very horrible and very realistic.
June 17, 2020
WW1 Combat Flying as real as it feels
This account, in all aspects of life and death in late WW1 France, is hauntingly real. There's an ethereal quality to this book upon reading it. Not just in the substance and power of the words but the feeling it conjures, that you were actually there.
This account, in all aspects of life and death in late WW1 France, is hauntingly real. There's an ethereal quality to this book upon reading it. Not just in the substance and power of the words but the feeling it conjures, that you were actually there.
October 15, 2018
This is an exploration of a man in extraordinary circumstances trying to survive and searching for his soul. Flying in World War One makes a marvelous canvas on which to explore the struggles of a man in combat. It's easy to put this book down in the first chapters but stick with it.
March 26, 2020
British Pilot's Story of His WWII Experience
The storytelling starts off slow and somewhat detailed The problem for me is that it stayed that way through chapter 12. I had to give up there and only at 21%.
The storytelling starts off slow and somewhat detailed The problem for me is that it stayed that way through chapter 12. I had to give up there and only at 21%.
June 18, 2021
It's a very strange book. It's written in the present tense and contains some very flowery prose. It's very obviously autobiographical. Although it's about a hundred years old the sentiments expressed are very currently topical.
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