Officers and Gentlemen

Officers and Gentlemen is the second book of the trilogy. It first appeared in 1955, three years after its predecessor. Critics immediately noticed its more sombre tone, which is partly attributable to the absence of Apthorpe. They also admired the awesome account of the Battle of Crete, an account which did not soften the debacle which that struggle became. It did not shirk the utter inadequacy of the British forces under pressure.

An often very funny book.... Every bit as good as Men at Arms, whose splendid characterizations and fine writing led many in 1952 to predict that its author had begun the best English fictional account of World War II.