An interesting part of history you don't often read about.

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The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

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Aeroplane Monthly, May 2018

In the hands of John Carr, this history of the RHAF and its men emerges as an engaging testament of courage and perseverance - and occasionally humour - in the face of adversity. On Spartan Wings is a worthy effort on an interesting if somewhat marginal topic.

stone&stone

John Carr tells a complex and little-known story with great brilliance. The writing is fluid yet precise, with a wealth of telling detail expertly marshalled into the overall narrative. Like the seasoned journalist he is, he vividly recreates scenes of combat and adventure, both in the sky and on the ground. This is not just good military and aviation history, it is a compelling human story and a significant contribution to our understanding of Greece in the Second World War.

Anglo-Hellenic Review

The Greeks suffered during the Italian and German invasion with a very poorly equipped air force and with support from the RAF which was also poorly equipped because first priority went to British home defence and then to Egypt, leaving little that could be sent to Greece.

The author tells the story of the Greek defeat and the development of a new Greek air force in Egypt that grew to three full squadrons equipped with modern British aircraft and returned to Greece after liberation to confront the communist rebels that were attempting to take over Greece.

This is a valuable account of Greek fortunes during WWII but it also adds to the under told story of the Greek civil war that followed liberation where the RHAF proved a stabilizing force against the communists.

Firetrench Reviews

This is the story of the Royal Hellenic Air Force in World War Two and if, like me, you knew nothing or little about it, it will be a real eye-opener. It is because information is so scarce that it makes it all the more valuable that somebody has produced a book telling of this little-known - in Britain, at least - epic of aviation heroism.

Shropshire Star (County)

All too often when studying the Second World War everything focuses on Britain, Germany, America, France and Russia; forgetting that there were many other countries involved and that each have their own stories to tell.  This book goes part of the way to changing that pattern.  Carr looks at the role of the Royal Hellenic Air Force.  It is a detailed study of an air force and air battles which are often overlooked or little known. 

He highlights the problems caused by the lack of an air defence warning system causing civilian aircraft to be mistaken for enemy planes.  Information is also provided about the role of the British contingent sent over to help the Greeks which gave the RHAF breathing space and undoubtedly kept the RHAF flying and fighting long after it could have done so unaided.  With the fall of Greece, many pilots refused to submit to the Germans and flew to Egypt to join with the Allied forces, resulting in the creation of the 335 Mira squadron with operational links with the RAF. 

Particulalry interesting are the tales of training in Rhodesia - again a little known subject, and one offering lots of challenges for the instructors and trainees.  Typical of these were how to cope if you have to land in the jungle, and the problems of teaching trainees with little knowledge of English.  An extremely interesting and informative book.  It has been well researched and fills a definite gap in the market.

MonstersandCritics