Title: Just Another Trip
Author: Martin Whittle
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: 978-1-50494-314-7
Pages: 382
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewed by: Joe Kilgore
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Pacific Book Review
Martin Whittle’s account of young British airmen, who flew multiple missions in the ongoing Battle of Berlin during World War II, is a heartfelt tribute to courage and sacrifice. From August of 1943 to March of 1944, England’s RAF lost 625 aircraft. 2690 aircrew were killed. The campaign itself was generally considered a failure, but the heroism of those who participated can never be denied.
The axis of the novel revolves around bomber pilot Matt White and his crew. Matt is portrayed as a stalwart Englishman, keen to do his part. He’s not braver than most, nor is he some sort of adventure addict. He simply realizes that war makes demands, which cannot be shirked if ultimate victory is to be attained—and not achieving that victory is unthinkable.
Other principal characters figure prominently in this tale of the traumas of war. Anne is a nurse and Matt’s lover. She becomes his fiancée as the missions mount in Matt’s tour of duty. Stephen is Matt’s flight engineer and longtime friend. Driven to the edge by increasingly violent and dangerous flights over Germany, Stephen’s fear begins to push him to his limits. Matt has to balance his personal feelings for his friend, with his obligations for the safety of his crew. As Matt’s responsibilities grow, so too do the burdens of command. Eventually he will wind up fighting battles not only with the Germans, but also with his sanity.
Devotees of stories about the First and Second World War will likely feel echoes of The Dawn Patrol while reading Whittle’s account of rousing drink fests in the company mess to toast recently fallen comrades. Of course, these benders were often as much to shore up one’s own courage, as they were to salute the departed.
The author does a particularly first-rate job of chronicling the Lancaster aircraft involved in multiple bombing runs over cities such as Berlin, Nuremberg, Mannheim, and more. Roles and responsibilities of crewmembers are brought vividly to life through dramatization, rather than simply relying on exposition alone.
Just Another Trip is an airman’s cavalier reference to the life and death journeys real individuals took to make sure tyranny would not triumph. The fear, dread, courage and sacrifice depicted in this World War II tale, reminds us of what others went through then, so we could live the lives we live now. In the end, what makes this war novel compelling, is Whittle’s skill in reminding us that each and every statistic is a living, breathing, human being whose gallantry should never be forgotten.
