Charlie’s War

By Kevin Doherty

1941, France.

The Battle of Britain is over, but the German occupation of France continues. Young Spitfire pilot Charlie Quinn is one of the best in his field left, but he knows only too well that every sortie could be his last. Yet the irresistible urge to do everything he can to keep his fellow pilots, his family and England, safe drives the young ace to go above and beyond the call of duty.

His worst fear is quickly realised when he’s shot down over France during his latest mission. Charlie somehow manages to steer his stricken fighter to a crash-landing inside German-held territory near Étaples – a town, it turns out, synonymous with a terrible secret for Charlie’s family.

Badly wounded, Charlie survives – but the dogfight and crash trigger a mixed reaction among the French villagers who witness them. Can they help the English pilot? And more importantly, should they? What price will they pay if their German masters discover they are aiding or harbouring the enemy?

In Charlie’s War, Doherty presents a realistic and accurate picture of Nazi-occupied France and the dangerous world of the French resistance, while also providing a cockpit-seat glimpse of what it takes to battle it out in the skies over war-torn Europe.