Flying to Norway, Grounded in Burma

A Royal Air Force pilot recounts his experiences on the front lines of WWII in both Europe and the Pacific in this fascinating military memoir. In 1936, Goronwy "Gron" Edwards joined the Royal Air Force on a Short Service Commission. After gaining his wings, he joined No. 233 General Reconnaissance Squadron and flew the Avro Anson, a hastily modified twin-engine aircraft. He later flew the Lockheed Hudson on reconnaissance patrols along the Norwegian coast. Searching for German capital ships hiding in the Fiords, Edwards also came up against Luftwaffe seaplanes—and won a Distinguished Flying Crossed for his valor during the Norwegian campaign. After becoming short-sighted and night-blind, Edwards was posted to the Navigational School at Cranage in Cheshire before qualifying as a Specialist Armament Officer. In September of 1944, he traveled to Maniur, India, where he became the Armament Officer of No. 221 Group. With the Japanese in retreat the group moved to Burma, where Edwards commanded the RAF advance party.