A remarkable account of a remarkable portion of a remarkable life. Rereading this as an adult, I left with a much greater appreciation for my late grandfather's WW2 air force service and the ghastly "waste of life" he, too, was lucky enough to survive.

I have Roald Dahl to thank for a huge chunk of my love for reading. Because Matilda was the first full-length book I ever read (cover-to-cover and over and over at that); I have often been tempted to buy more of his works way out into adulthood, for their charm is simply unmatchable. It seemed imperative to me one of these days as I passed down Book Street in Mumbai that I have to read Dahl again as a 21 year old, and so I grabbed a copy of Going Solo and got right to it.

Going Solo is part two of the author's autobiography, and deals with his experiences during the second World War, first as an employee of the Shell Oil Company in Dar-es-Salaam, and then as a fighter pilot in the RAF. While narrated with the author's characteristic sense of observation and of humour, this book nevertheless is a much deeper reflection on a harrowing military experience, and of the ravages and wastes of the World Wars in general.

At first, Dahl sets out to Africa to work for Shell, and — after a curious ship journey where he meets a lot of 'dotty' englishmen serving in the British Empire — records his adventurous encounters with deadly Mamba snakes, lions who mysteriously abduct women; and also his friendship with his 'boy', Mdisho.
One can see in the beginning, that as bwana of a small Tanzanian hamlet, 21-year-old Dahl has a certain sense of civilizational authority and affectionate patronizing as a white Englishman, one who has left home for three years in order to see the world and perhaps help govern it.

However, as the war breaks out, Dahl — in an act of patriotism and daring, but also as means of exploring the skies — enlists himself in the Royal Air Force. Here begins the retelling of horrors and harrowing experienced that not only amaze one for having taken place at all, but also reveal the negligence in certain aspects of the war as sheer, mindless power-play which led to the death of many pilots and military men. In the words of the author and his colleague, David Coke, it [the war and particularly the British mission in the Middle East] was a complete 'cock-up'.

Dahl's experiences as a Pilot Officer, in fact, act as a great exposé of military operations of the war, where action, however mindless, was more important than the lives of soldiers and young men. Dahl himself is sent on his very first combat mission after very minimal training on antiquated equipment and no experience whatsoever of manning the kind of 'kite' assigned to him. His own brushes with death; and his accounts of the depersonalized deaths of others on his squadron; make known that a massive number of the deaths in the war were a result of the negligence and lack of training imparted by the British, rather than martyrdom caused by direct enemy action.

The propagandist nature of war is revealed in the story of Dahl's crash landing in no-mans land, which was a result of being provided incorrect co-ordinates by ill-advised leaders, and led to long months immobilised in the hospital. This near-death experience, he says, was modified by an American Magazine to be result of enemy action in the skies, rather than what it was: the absolute unpreparedness of the British forces for this war.

In Greece, Dahl's Squadron 80 is composed of about 15 fighter planes against several hundreds of German bombers, fighters and other deadly aircrafts that spewed fire, and is entrusted with preventing a German takeover of the country as well as supposedly protecting the Navy as it leaves the shores of Greece (except that it is never to be found). Unbelievable, isn't it? Dahl is one of the only 7 pilots left alive at the end of a few weeks, and escapes death by a hair's breadth in several incidents including the Battle of Athens. Without proper ground crew, equipment, and (in Megara, Greece) even food and water, the squadron is ordered to keep functioning and 'following orders' that nobody is sure of. The myopic idea of suffering in war is seen in Dahl recounting his meeting some Jewish Refugees in Palestine with no idea of what was happening to them. In the end, Dahl is repatriated due to splitting headaches that resulted from his grave injuries in Egypt, and goes home to a war-ravaged England.

Dahl wrote Going Solo over forty years after the war ended. However, his striking recollection of events and his own reactions to them makes one remember the kinds of damage done to people by war, in both life and death. Dahl personalises his experiences even more by including in the book his (unanswered) letters home to his mother; excerpts from his official Log Book and telegrams sent by the authorities; and pictures taken by him through these years on his Zeiss camera.

While the book is listed as reading for Young Adults and can introduce them to the nuances of war, it is an incredibly reflective and insightful account of war for all ages. Indeed, the Quentin Blake-illustrated cover is misleading.

Roald Dahl's life and experiences was worth way more than just the fiction he wrote, and Going Solo makes that evident as never before.

I had a whale of a time reading this!

There are these books that enthrall you so much that you feel like a 10 year old at a funfair.

Not only that, you feel wholesome.

Dahl writes like magic. But more than that, he makes you fall in love with the world once more.

He has this thirst to enjoy life, steal moments of joy amidst danger and doom and for someone that's become too cynical at 29, and with a pandemic ravaging the world, this was a balm.

جنگ جهانی دوم، از نگاه یه انگلیسی جوان خلبان.
بعضی قسمتهاش جالب بود.
***
رولد دال برای کار در شرکت نفت میره آفریقا. جنگ جهانی دوم شروع میشه و انگلیسی های جوانِ ساکن آفریقا رو میکنن افسر ارتش. روزی که شروع جنگ رسما اعلام میشه، رئیس دال بهش میگه بره تو جاده جلوی راه آلمانی هایی که قصد فرار دارن رو بگیره و اسیرشون کنه. (آلمانی هایی که تو آفریقا زندگی می کردن و غیرنظامی بودن.) دال میگه تعدادشون زیاده، اگه مسلح بودن چی؟ رئیسش میگه با مسلسل کلکشون رو بکنید، با مسلسل میشه 500 تا مرد مسلح رو درو کرد. دال میگه اگه زن و بچه همراهشون بود چی؟ رئیسش میگه ابتکار عمل با خودته!
خلاصه میره تو جاده می ایسته و موفق میشه جلوی فرارشون رو بگیره و اسیرشون کنه (و البته این وسط یه آلمانی هم کشته میشه.)
شب میره خونه، می فهمه خدمتکار آفریقایی ش وقتی شنیده جنگ شروع شده، رفته با شمشیر (!) سر آلمانی همسایه شون رو قطع کرده. دال شوکه میشه، ولی چیزی بهش نمیگه؛ «نمی خواستم او را به خاطر کاری که انجام داده بود سرزش کنم. او یک آفریقایی وحشی بود که به دست ما اروپایی ها در قالب خدمتکاری خانگی درآمده بود و حالا قالب را شکسته بود.»
خب معلومه کاری که اون آفریقایی کرده برای ما خیلی وحشیانه و غیرمعمول به نظر میاد، اما نکته جالب اینجاست؛ اون وقتی که رئیسش بهش میگه اگه مجبور شدی 500 تا مرد غیر نظامی رو بکش، حتی اگه همراه زن و بچه بودن، دال قبول میکنه و میره ماموریتش رو انجام بده، اما در مقابل کشته شدن یه آلمانی این طوری شوکه میشه. چون قرار بوده اون مردها خیلی تمیز و شیک با مسلسل کشته بشن! و به دست یه انگلیسیِ باکلاس، نه یه آفریقاییِ خدمتکارِ وحشی!
***
دال خلبان جنگ میشه. یه جا ماموریت داره بره یه زمینی تو فلسطین رو بررسی کنه ببینه برای فرودگاه شدن مناسبه یا نه. میرسه اونجا می بینه یه مزرعه بزرگ ه که یه زن و مرد با 40-50 تا بچه یتیم اونجا زندگی میکنن. مرد میگه ما یهودی های تبعیدی هستیم.
از او پرسیدم: این زمین مال شماست؟
گفت: هنوز نه.
پرسیدم: یعنی امیدوارید که بتوانید آن را بخرید؟
او مدتی ساکت مرا نگاه کرد و بعد گفت: در حال حاضر این زمین متعلق به یک کشاورز فلسطینی است، اما به ما اجازه داده که در اینجا زندگی کنیم و برای تامین خورد و خوراکمان، کشت و زرع کنیم.
از او پرسیدم: پس شما و این بچه ها از اینجا به کجا می روید؟
او لبخندی زد و گفت: ما به جایی نمی رویم، همینجا می مانیم.
گفتم: پس همه تان فلسطینی می شوید، شاید همین الان هم فلسطینی هستید؟
او بدون رودربایستی، دوباره لبخندی زد و گفت: نه، فکر نمی کنم که فلسطینی شویم... وقتش شده که ما هم برای خودمان یک کشور داشته باشیم...

I wish I could say I have been all over the world, have crashed landed a plane, or have shot-down German aces, which is why I really admire Roald Dahl. Dahl leaves England at age twenty one to work for the Shell oil company in Africa. Dahl worked in Africa until the outbreak of World War II, when he enlisted in the RAF and learned to fly warplanes. After becoming a pilot officer, Dahl fought in Greece as it was overtaken by the Germans. Dahl’s book “Going Solo” tells all about his adventures with vivid detail. He describes lion attacks and dog fights with a classic British style that portrays the attitudes of the characters he interacted with so well that you feel as though you new them. After reading the book, I felt like I had met ex-patriots from India, RAF veterans in the midst of battle, African natives chasing lions, and Jewish refugees dreaming of their homeland. While reading, I still laughed out loud during most pages at his characteristically British wit that is almost tongue-in cheek. Perhaps more than any other feeling the reader gets a sense of awe for the adventures of he and his generation, along with an inspiration to go on grand escapades yourself.

This is the second autobiography of Roald Dahl's life. The first book was Boy: Tales of Childhood. I suggest reading them in order, but it wouldn't be the worst thing ever if you didn't!
Here is my review on the first book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This book starts at the age of 18 (and the first book goes up to the age 18). I really enjoyed this book! BUT, it only focused on him fighting in the war. I was hoping it would cover more than that. The war only lasted for a couple of years... He did get badly hurt and almost die, so that was extremely interesting to read about. It was crazy to think what literature would be like if Roald had died in the war.

However, this book left me with a ton of unanswered questions. Like, what happened when he went home after the war? What did he do for work? How did he start writing, etc? I felt it was only an autobiography about a tiny bit of his life. It was probably the most tragic part of his life, but still only a little bit of it. It made me feel like there was still a lot missing or that there should have been another book after Going Solo.

I suggest this book to anyone that enjoys him as a an author or likes autobiographies.

anti-zionist king

"You seem surprised to find us here," the man said. "I am," I said. "I wasn't expecting to find anyone."

"We are everywhere," the man said. "We are all over the country."

"Forgive me," I said, "but I don't understand. Who do you mean by we?"

"Jewish refugees."

I really didn't know what he was talking about. I had been living in East Africa for the past two years and in those times the British colonies were parochial and isolated. The local newspaper, which was all we got to read, had not mentioned anything about Hitler's persecution of the Jews in 1938 and 1939. Nor did I have the faintest idea that the greatest mass murder in the history of the world was actually taking place in Germany at that moment.

"Is this your land?" I asked him.

"Not yet," he said.

"You mean you are hoping to buy it?"

He looked at me in silence for a while. Then he said, "The land is at present owned by a Palestinian farmer but he has given us permission to live here. He has also allowed us some fields so that we can grow our own food."

"So where do you go from here?" I asked him. "You and all your orphans?"

"We don't go anywhere," he said, smiling through his black beard. "We stay here."

"Then you will all become Palestinians," I said. "Or perhaps you are that already."

He smiled again, presumably at the naivety of my questions.

"No," the man said, "I do not think we will become Palestinians."

Um relato emocionante da vida do autor, desde dos seus tempos em África enfrentando cobras e leões até ao se tornar piloto da RAF combatendo contra os alemães.
Ao longo do livro aparece alguma da sua correspondência com a sua mãe e imagens que nos ajudam a nos contextualizar.
Foi uma leitura muito agradável !

This is probably the most exiting autobiography I've ever read. I feel as if I'm friends now with the author eventhough there's a 73 year gap between us. The book gives you a glimpse of how it was like to live in the British Empire or The many many countries occupied by Britain, I should say. out of the many odd events and characters Roald had seen, the German Jewish/Zionest setteler near Haifa was by far, the creepiest, most twisted and disturbing in the intire book.

Un divertido e interesante relato sobre las aventuras de Roald Dahl durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial: el entrenamiento, los accidentes, las batallas aéreas, y mucho más. Es un libro ameno, con anécdotas curiosas, y con la malicia y el cinismo que tanto me gustan de Dahl. Este libro nos da pistas de situaciones o personajes que luego escribirá en sus novelas infantiles.

Un altre dels llibres que em vaig portar de la FIL de Guadalajara.
L'inici és mandrós, amb la vida de Dahl com a treballador de la Shell a Tanganica, amb anècdotes de sopar. Ben escrites, però batalletes.
Fins que arriben les batalletes de debò.
Ja només per com t'explica l'inici de la seva guerra mundial paga la pena tot el llibre. L'experiència d'haver d'aturar el comboi d'alemanys (i tot el que passa a continuació) és esfereïdora. I després passem com si res a la instrucció com a pilot de vol (!) i la seva participació en algunes campanyes militars (Grècia, Egipte, Palestina, Síria), mig en conyeta mig dramàtic, que no podia deixar de llegir.
Barret a les mans, tant per la forma de narrar-ho com per la forma de viure-ho.

Following on from Boy: Tales of Childhood, this was another Roald Dahl novel I managed to miss.

Ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would. Love a bit of World War II history, but it was told in true Roald Dahl style which was super entertaining and very nostalgic