Winged Victory

By: V.M. Yeates

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

The war on the land is taking to the skies.

Pilot Tom Cundall is ready to take on the enemy in his trusty Camel fighter plane. But as he sees more and more planes shot down in flames, he begins to question the war, and what, or who, he is fighting for.

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 - they all are part of a brilliantly told story of war and courage by one of the most valiant pilots of the then-Royal Flying Corps.

©1934 V. M. Yeates (P)2021 Tantor

From here all WWI flying clichés spring

I first read this book nearly fifty years ago while cycling through Wales. It was as riveting today as back then. Written in 1934 it is the quintessential tome of a British airman's daily life. The dog fights, the evening binges, the unhinged flight leaders, the short life-expectancy of the novice, and the comradery are all there, but Yeates is a good enough writer not to make these cliché. The protagonist, Tom, is a competent flier, but no British Richthofen. He is a good (or rather lucky) enough flier to survive long enough to develop some ideas about flying and fighting without his story simply being about racking up kills. Combat missions are interspersed with philosophical and political reflection. He even anticipates the coming of WWII as a fit of German revenge. Readers will have to accept the presence of some elements of anti-Semitism, sexism, and racial blinders that were part of the British worldview during the 1930s. There is also some flirtation with Marxist sentiments and of course the conviction that WWI was the handiwork of Capital's merchants of death. Jackson's narration is somewhat affected until you speed up the play to x1.1 and then he sounds alright.

Ensnared and Entranced

Others have given excellent summaries and critiques. I will only add that I found the story - and it’s presentation - to be engaging and evisceral. I resented having to set it aside.

The Best Book I've Read on Flying in WWI

An honest look at the lives of scout pilots in the RAF during WWI from an author who lived it. I've literally just finished as I'm writing this and I'm a bit numb. Very well written and gives a sense of what it must have been like. Also really appreciated Gildart Jackson's accent work in particular with respect to characters from different regions and countries.

A proper WW1 novel - better than “All Quiet”

This is one of the finest WW1 novels I’ve ever read. Yeates pulls off a perfect balance of action, thrill, introspection, joy, loss, hope, and disillusionment. Where “All Quiet” wallows in self-indulgent nihilism, “Winged Victory” explores Tom’a disillusionment and despair and loss and futility in the War but also balances it with other characters that either push back with their own good points or temper Tom with a level head. Tom’s progression into alcoholism also stops the reader from feeling too sorry for him or pitying him too much, as opposed to Paul in “All Quiet”
The novel has wonderful action sequences of the thrill of contour-chasing and aerial combat that really capture the thrill of the skies.
Jackson’s performance is spot-on.