Malta - The Thorn In Rommel's Side: Six Months That Turned The War (SCARCE FIRST EDITION SIGNED BY LADDIE LUCAS) by Lucas, Laddie - 1992

London: Stanley Paul, 1992. NrF/VG+. First edition in d/w not price clipped. SIGNED BY LADDIE LUCAS, without dedication or inscription on title-page. Illustrated with photographs. Between June 1940 and December 1942, Malta was one of the most bombed places on earth. The Battle for this diminutive island , no larger than the Isle of Wight, proved to be one of the decisive turning-points of World War Two. In this intimate and personal narrative, Laddie Lucas uses his first-hand experience of the conflict to describe the intense pressures of relentless day-to-day combat. As the commanding officer of the Island's top-scoring Spitfire squadron he gives an insight into the tactics that reversed the overwhelming odds stacked against Allied success. Laddie Lucas (1915-1998) was a wartime fighter pilot who joined the RAF in 1940. He was posted to Malta in February 1942. During the Battle Of Malta he commanded Number 249 Squadron and in July 1942 Squadron Leader Lucas was awarded the Distinguish Flying Cross. With Index. Some age tanning to edges of pages; d/w has a short edge tear (9mm long) to head of spine; else a near fine copy, in a very good plus d/w. of a SCARCE first edition SIGNED BY LADDIE LUCAS. D/w now protected in a detachable, non-adhesive, clear sheaf.. Signed by Laddie Lucas. First Edition. Hardback. Near Fine/Very Good Plus.