Innocent No More Books

The Gathering Clouds… Following on from the acclaimed Innocents At War Series which featured Tommy Stark, a Great War flying ace, his son, Thomas, after seeing action in Spain, joined the RAF in the long lead up to the Second World War. Young Thomas witnessed the atrocities that the Nazis had carried out in Spain and trained his pilots to show no mercy when towards the end of the book, he breached the rules to attack German planes. Published by The Electronic Book Company

The Breaking Storm … Following on from the Innocents At War Series featuring Tommy Stark, a WW1 flying legend, his son, Thomas, joined the RAF in the run up to the Second World War. Thomas witnessed the atrocities that the Nazis had carried out in Spain and trained his pilots to be merciless. In book two, after falling foul of the top brass, his squadron continued to attack German aircraft. Books best read in series order.

Squadron Leader Thomas Stark is stationed on the south coast near Beachy Head in July 1940. The squadron is protecting the convoys using the Channel, all the while waiting for the great Battle to commence. Invasion is highly unlikely, but Goering thinks it can be done, and Hitler hopes the threat will make possible a political solution to the War in the West. The RAF is split by internal conflicts – the peacetime professionals ranged against the many pilots who had experience in China and Spain, flying modern aircraft against the Luftwaffe in the latter case. The RAF had bitter experience during the Fall of France, which many senior officers prefer to ignore. There is still open war between those who support the Fighting Area Attacks and the fliers who saw action. As the Battle of Britain slowly commences, Thomas is in the thick of the fight, leading his pilots in a war that cannot be won and must not be lost. There are too few of them, growing increasingly tired and battle fatigued – but they must fly.

The Battle of Britain is over and Squadron Leader Thomas Stark is posted to Hurribombers; a new incarnation for the old fighter. He is tired, short-tempered, snappy – he needs a rest from flying and command. But, that’s not to be. Sent to North Africa with the squadron, it becomes clear a few weeks into the action that the short-ranged Hurribomber is unsuitable for desert work, and he is soon shifted across to a squadron of Marylands – unloved twin engine light bombers capable of being used as long-range fighters, but with a reputation for being hard to fly and a string of crashes behind them. Stark makes the best of the squadron and takes them out on a special mission... which is perhaps too successful.

Thomas Stark’s return to Australia is delayed by a short campaign in Syria – the active, shooting war with Vichy France that followed on the defeat in Greece. Having led a makeshift squadron through the messy, untidy fighting with colonial France, Thomas is finally sent back to Australia. There, he finds himself unwelcome for having gained experience in the real war while the senior officers of the RAAF have stayed home and learned nothing new. Following a few happy weeks with his wife and new son, Thomas is sent away, off to Singapore where his comments on RAAF training and competence cannot be heard. Reaching Singapore, Thomas finds the bulk of senior officers are those who were sent away from England, either for being jolly good chaps and hopelessly incompetent, or for being Fascist supporters who were insufficiently active to be interned, but were nevertheless untrustworthy. Some were both. The Island of Singapore cannot be defended from attack from the land side. This is known but ignored as such an attack is impossible, and in any case, the Japanese are only little yellow men. The Air Force is equipped with hopelessly inadequate aircraft and poorly trained pilots who have been enjoying the tropical life style. Thomas is unable to break down the massive complacency and can only wait on the inevitable attack and Japanese victory, and hope to be one of the few who escape.

The Innocents No More series has more than 5000 5-Star reviews. Thomas Stark has been put out to grass for the last six months, occupying a meaningless post as liaison to American forces who are not present in his part of Queensland. He is now rested and fit to fly and command, in control of his temper, drinking less and recovered from the burnout consequent on nearly three years of war flying. Orders come to create a Wing of Beaufighters at Port Moresby to provide ground support to the Australian forces who have fought the Japanese to a standstill on the Kokoda Track and are now pushing them back. The Wing is to be built up from nothing and will comprise three recently created squadrons who have just completed training on their new aircraft. Thomas is the only man in the Wing who has flown in the Territories of Papua and New Guinea. He has an interesting task ahead of him.