Going Solo

After the battle, Dahl and David Coke are attempting to wash off the sweat when they are suddenly ground-strafed by a line of Messerschmitt 109s. The two pilots take cover on the grass, narrowly avoiding the bullets kicking up around them. The German planes, mistaking the vulnerability of the airfield’s defenses, make only one swift pass before retreating. Remarkably, none of the Hurricanes are hit, and the pilots are ordered to leave immediately. Dahl quickly checks his aircraft, which had been hastily repaired by the ground crew, and takes off along with the remaining Hurricanes. They circle for about an hour, hoping for another attack to retaliate from a higher altitude, but the Germans do not return. Dahl goes on two more missions that afternoon to combat Ju 88 bombers targeting Piraeus harbor.

That night, the remaining pilots are instructed to move to a secret landing field near Megara at dawn. As they await further orders, a large black car arrives, revealing the Air Commodore who hands Dahl a mysterious, vital package to be delivered back to Elevsis. When he reaches the deserted airfield, he hands over the package to a man named Carter. He quickly returns to Megara, where the remaining pilots take off and fly in formation to Argos. They meet the Squadron-Leader there, who tells them that their mission is to patrol over the fleet that evening. The seven of them are responsible for protecting the air over all of Greece.

After leaving the Squadron-Leader’s tent, Coke and Dahl search the camp for food. As they sit under an olive tree between their two Hurricanes, they discuss their bleak situation and the likelihood of a German attack. Their fears are confirmed when a Messerschmitt 110 conducts a low reconnaissance over the camp.

The Adjutant comes with orders for all seven Hurricanes to patrol over the fleet at six o’clock. Dahl and Coke argue that this would coincide with the expected German attack, but the orders remain unchanged. At six o’clock precisely, Dahl takes off, followed closely by Coke. They fly out to sea, searching for the Royal Navy, but find no ships. They later learn the evacuation was happening further west at Kalamata, where the navy was heavily bombed by German planes.

Returning to the airfield, they find it engulfed in smoke from a recent attack. Landing through the thick smoke, they discover that Messerschmitts had strafed the camp, but there were surprisingly few casualties. The Adjutant gathers the surviving pilots and informs them that the five most senior pilots would fly the remaining Hurricanes to Crete immediately. The rest, including Dahl, would be evacuated by a small aircraft waiting in a nearby field.

They land in the Western Desert of Libya and are driven to Alexandria, where they are warmly welcomed and cared for by the Peel family, with whom Dahl had lived when he was convalescing. Over breakfast, they discuss the disastrous campaign in Greece, noting the heavy losses and the subsequent impact on the Allied forces in the Western Desert.

After the Germans take Greece in May 1941, they then turn their attention to the Middle East. The British, aware of the strategic threat, quickly initiate the Syrian Campaign to dislodge the Vichy French and prevent the Germans from gaining a foothold that could allow them to march into Egypt through the back door. The remnants of 80 Squadron are tasked with providing air cover for the army and navy during this campaign. About a dozen new Hurricanes are sent from England to replace those lost in Greece.

At their base in Haifa, Dahl and his squadron are kept busy protecting the navy from frequent German air raids. One day, Dahl is tasked with scouting a small, secret landing field behind Mount Carmel, intended as a fallback if Haifa was bombed. He discovers it is occupied by Jewish refugees, mostly orphans, led by a tall, bearded man with a German accent. Dahl, unfamiliar with the broader context of Jewish persecution and displacement at the time, struggles to understand the gravity of their situation. The man’s perspective seems to transcend the immediate war, viewing their struggle as part of a much longer historical conflict. Despite Dahl’s attempts to draw parallels between their struggles and the ongoing war, the man emphasizes the unique and enduring nature of their fight for a homeland. He describes the Jews’ need for a country of their own, comparing their situation to other peoples who had their own nations. Throughout the conversation, the man’s intense, almost prophetic demeanor leaves a lasting impression on Dahl. He realizes that the man sees their immediate struggle against Hitler as a temporary issue, whereas his battle for a homeland is a deeply rooted, existential one.

After flying intensively at Haifa for four weeks, Dahl begins to experience severe headaches, which lead to blackouts. The squadron doctor attributes this to Dahl’s prior head injuries and deems him unfit to fly, resulting in his being invalided home to Britain. He embarks on a journey home via several troop-ships, facing frequent attacks by U-boats and German bombers, but they eventually reach Liverpool safely.

In Liverpool, Dahl struggles to find his family’s new address. Laden with his kit-bag and sacks of supplies, he travels by train to London and then to Hampstead to stay with his half-sister, who provides him with his mother’s new telephone number. Calling his mother is an emotional reunion, and they arrange for Dahl to visit the next day. He makes his way to Marylebone Station, catches a train to Aylesbury, and then takes a bus to Grendon Underwood. Upon arriving, he is warmly welcomed by his mother, who had been eagerly waiting for him at the cottage gate.