During the Second World War Roald Dahl served in the RAF and even suffered horrific injuries in an air crash in the Libyan desert. Drawing on his own experiences as a fighter pilot, Dahl crafted these 10 spine tingling stories : of Air battles in the sky ;of the nightmare of being shot down; infectious madness of conflict; and the nervy jollity of the Mess and Ops room.

Dahl brilliantly conveys the bizarre reality of a wartime pilot's daily existence, where death is a constant companion and life is lived from one heartbeat to the next.