Stephanie Pieck's Reviews > Goshawk Squadron

“War is not sporting. War is not fair.”
These are some of the last lines in the Afterword of Derek Robinson’s novel Goshawk Squadron, yet they perfectly sum up the entire book. In the final year of World War I, the British sent young men into the skies in constructs of polished wood, stretched canvas, and piano wire. Loaded with fuel and equipped with guns, these biplanes were used for observation, attack, and defense. The Germans had planes, too, but they were often faster and better built. British squadrons lost and replaced men so quickly that surviving members and officers were often hard-pressed to keep the names straight.
This fictional account of one such squadron was a glimpse into history. The squadron’s commanding officer uses unorthodox and harsh tactics to prepare his men for battle. The men, not understanding why he is training them this way or what he is trying to teach them, resent him.
Goshawk Squadron was not a pleasant book, even though it provided a useful historical context. I am glad I read it, but I am also glad I’m finished.