Charles Lamb Books

I cannot add to Tim F Martin's or Matherson's reviews other than to say I agree with their every word. But I thought I should add my voice in order to recommend this book very highly indeed to anyone remotely interested in this genre. And particularly to those who might have thought the 'Stringbag' was ineffectual just because it seemed antiquated!

A magnificent war memoir by Charles Lamb, a Fleet Air Arm pilot who flew the Fairey Swordfish, the last combat biplane and one of World War 2's most successful torpedo craft. He gives a moving account of the sinking of the first aircraft carrier on which he flew, he then gives a vivid account of his years flying in the Mediterranean theater (where he participated in the Battle of Taranto, in which virtually the whole Italian battle fleet was sunk at anchor by a squadron of torpedo-carrying Swordfish). He then tells of his adventures in Malta and his capture by the Vichy French in Morocco, whose prisons left much to be desired, hygeine-wise. A superb tale by a modest and compassionate man.

_To War in a Stringbag_ is the extraordinary true story of Commander Charles Lamb, a pilot in the British Navy's Fleet Air Arm who flew the Fairey Swordfish, a sturdy, robust, multi-seat naval aircraft that served a variety of roles in World War II, among them reconnaissance at sea and on land, day or night, convoy escort duties, anti-submarine searches and attacks, torpedo and dive-bombing attacks on ships, mine laying, and the carrying of heavy loads (including flares). Its probably most famous weapon was its torpedo, which weighed 1,610 pounds and was capable of sinking a 10,000 ton ship in minutes. To deliver this weapon - often against intense fire and in daylight though nighttime raids were more common - the pilot was taught to attack from a steep dive, at a speed of 180 knots or more and then straightenout and fly at a mere 90 knots (producing a very vulnerable target).

A tremendously maneuverable aircraft that was difficult to stall, the Swordfish was the only British aircraft that was flying at the outbreak of the war and still flying against the enemy in 1945. It had a stalling speed of 55 knots and could out maneuver but not outrun virtually every airplane in the sky and for good reason; it was a biplane. In many ways the Stringbag as it was also called was an obsolescent aircraft. It was very slow and poorly armed; equipped only with World War I era forward firing Vickers gun and a rear cockpit mounted Lewis gun fired by the air gunner or the observer. It had to rely on deft maneuvers, nighttime operation, and secrecy to survive against much more modern aircraft. It had an open cockpit (brutal when operating for instance in the North Sea), didn't have radar, and lacked a sensitive altimeter (at least in the beginning of the war), a crucial bit of equipment as the rather temperamental torpedoes had to be dropped from a height of 60 feet, no more and no less. Aircraft to ship communications were difficult - when they weren't blacked out due to the security concerns - so the possibility of not finding the carrier upon completion of a mission was a real possibility (and one that occurred several times).

Despites its shortcomings the Swordfish played an impressive role in World War II. Lamb provided a riveting (thought at times strangely humble and sometimes even understated) account of his actions in the war as a Swordfish pilot. He was there from the very beginning of the war, his 815 Squadron's history a "constant repetition of involvement in campaigns which ended in German victory" despite heroic efforts to the contrary; he saw some dark days indeed when days into the war his carrier the _HMS Courageous_ was sunk by a U-boat, laid mines off the German coast, attempted to stem the advance of Germany into the Netherlands, flew over Dunkirk to provide cover for the retreat, and operated against the Axis first in Greece and later from a secret base in Albania, in both cases forced to retreat as the enemy overran his position. He was involved in some very notable success, in particular the epic raid on the Italian fleet in Taranto Harbor and in virtually ending the shipment of goods to Rommel in North Africa.

About the first two thirds/three fourths of the book recounts his days flying against the enemy (with a small section at the beginning of the book describing his entry into the world of naval aviation and the interwar years in British military aviation). The last section of the book describes Lamb's unfortunate experiences in a Vichy French interment camp (most of his stay was at Laghouat, a facility in southern Algeria, deep in the Sahara). Caught while doing cloak and dagger missions, landing operatives in Vichy French territory, the book completely changes in style and tone in the part recounting his months in the camp as Lamb details the revolting conditions and the horrid Vichy French and Arab jailers. Though I knew obviously (or at least probably) that Lamb escaped as he survived to write the book - his post World War II days are recounted at the very end - I did not know for sure how he would get out of the camp and found that section quite engaging, the tale filled with stories of torture, escape attempts, and guards both cruel and sympathetic. Suffice it to say he did manage to survive that ordeal and even served in the Pacific against the Japanese.

The only complaint I have to offer about the book is that several times Lamb provided dialogue in French from his captors without a translation. I do not speak French, and while I could puzzle out some of the passages, either through my limited exposure to French (as well as other languages) or through context, I wasn't always able to do so. I have seen this before in other works both fiction and non-fiction and have never cared for it then either. The author didn't do this too frequently so this is not a major complaint.

All in all it was a very good book and I one I really enjoyed. This edition has black and white illustrations of every aircraft even mentioned in passing in the book which I liked, as well as a few maps. It provided to me some insight into the Mediterranean theater of operations, something I don't know as much about as I would like, as well as a view of the Vichy French in North Africa, and even the American role prior to Pearl Harbor (among other things Lamb recounts the actions of the American diplomat in Vichy French territory - officially neutral - in trying to help the British internees).

The story of a Swordfish (british bi-plane torpedo bombers) pilot in World War II...A very good book that tells both a personal story intertwind with events going on around the character who meets a fair lot of famos and interesting people-it covers the war in Greece, Taranto Raid, and events in africa and some in the pacific>>if you can get it read it..

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.

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.

This book is the "bible" of smoke cooking. Charlie and Ruthie lead you systematically through the benefits of charcoal and electric smoke cookers then give you a blueprint of how to achieve the best smoked meats, fish, vegetables, etc. They go through what to look for when choosing meat, what temperature to bring the meat to for done-ness and how to check for done-ness. There is a complete section on rubs to choose/use with various meats (including recipes for making your own rubs). As a bonus, the book also includes time honored recipes that will make your mouth water (try the garlic roasted pecans)! Great book for smoke cookers!!

This fresh and exciting critique belongs on the bookshelf of any student who has an interest in nineteenth-century British literature--or an interest in aesthetic-cultural issues. I had to write a paper on the art of Romantic prose and this book saved my sanity. The connections between Lamb's specific essays and those of other artists of his time and earlier periods is its best feature. Lamb was tapped in, clued in, but until now has never been psyched out (unless Monsman's earlier study of Lamb in 1984 was an anticipation). It's the work of an open-minded writer, a "reconceptualization" that spices up a difficult area with compact, free-flowing commentaries. A++ for sure.