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This is a true historical account of war in the air, at sea and on land in the battle for Malta's survival in the Second World War. It was a battle which decided the outcome of the war in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Adrian Warburton went missing in 1944 in a single-seat American aircraft. He had flown at least 395 operational missions mostly from Malta. Unusually for a reconnaissance pilot, Warby as he was known was credited with nine aircraft shot down. He lay undiscovered for sixty years. He is the RAFs most highly decorated photo-recce pilot.
In Malta, Adrian met Christina, a stranded dancer turned aircraft plotter in the secret world deep beneath Vallettas fortress walls. She too was decorated for heroism. Together, they became part of the islands folklore. How important was Malta and the girl from Cheshire to the man behind the medals? This tale takes the form of a quest opening in a cemetery in Bavaria and closing in another in Malta. In between, the reader is immersed within the tension and drama surrounding Maltas Greater Siege retracing the steps of the main characters over the forever changed face of the island following its heroic victory.
About the author
Paul McDonald is a former Royal Air Force pilot. He served as a photo-recce pilot in Malta and as a Tornado pilot in Germany. He was decorated for gallantry in 1980 and appointed OBE in 1995. He lives in North Yorkshire. His previous books Winged Warriors - The Cold War from the Cockpit (2012) and Malta's Greater Siege & Adrian Warburton DSO* DFC** DFC (USA) (2015) were also published by Pen and Sword Limited.
Summary
Join Paul McDonald on the search for Adrian Warburton, an esteemed and extensively decorated pilot once termed 'the most valuable' in the RAF.
