Torpedo Leader.

London England: Grub Street. Fine/Very Good. 1992. First Edition. Cloth. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall 0948817569 Hardback Hardback. First Edition. Very slight shelf wear to edge of D/J. The manuscript for Torpedo Leader was written in 1943 when the events and actions it portrays were still fresh in the mind of its author. Intended as a successor to Not Peace But a Sword, it has lain untouched since then. Written during the war without the benefit of hindsight, official documentation or reference work, it is therefore a highly remarkable and valuable account, which is here published in full for the first time with only very minor modifications. A first-hand and very personal story, its lucid, exciting and readable narrative describes firstly the author's frustrations as a Staff Officer in Cairo, then more significaantely his triumohs and disasters as Beaufort Flight Commander on anti-shipping operations from Malta in that crucial summer of `1942. Fighting uphill battles against 'the powers that be', Gibbs remained utterly dedicated to the airborne torpedo as a weapon of war against shipping, and succeeded in changing not only tactical but also strategic policy - very rare indeed for a junior officer. But his book also gives new insight into the often haphazard way war was waged in the Mediterranean, the daily dangers, the ineevitable losses, Gibbs' contribution was immense. As Laddie Lucas has written, 'there were few operational efforts in World War II to compare with it. There is not the least doubt that the success of his strike operation had a material effect upon the fortunes of our 8th Army in the Desert and the outcome of Alamein'. 206 pp. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions ,and all types of Academic Literature.) .