The Victors — Max Hennessy

Martin Falconer had one big anxiety: would they let him fly again?

Grounded in England at the beginning of 1918, it was a struggle, for escaped prisoners of war weren't generally allowed to return to the front, but Martin pestered the authorities and, at last, found himself back in France.

But the character of the war was changing. Everyone had suddenly become efficiency-conscious, and the freedom of choice which he had valued so much in his life as a pilot was disappearing. Martin had to settle down to the grim, monotonous business that aerial warfare had now become.

It was work that took a terrible toll on the nerves, even of someone as young and strong as he was. He longed to be able to solve the problem, and for the war to be over, so that he could start to find out what he really wanted from life.

A gripping story, totally convincing in its portrayal of the ordeals and rewards of flying in the First World War, for fans of Alexander Fullerton and W. E. Johns.