Pros: A very interesting espionage story – that doesn’t resort to the usual cast of characters.
Cons: Not heavy on suspense – you can see the plot twists coming pages in advance.
The Bottom Line: This is the well-written and intriguing story of how the Allies MIGHT have learned of German radar advances. Look for THE TEST in this posting.
gungian's Full Review: Ken Follett - Hornet Flight
THE STORY
My Mother gave birth to me on April 9, 1947. Six years before I was born, Germany celebrated April 9th by invading Denmark. The invasion was neither long nor bloody. Many Danes quickly adapted to life under German rule. Many Danes never did.
It was the spring of 1941. Germany owned “Fortress Europe” and was poised to swat the bothersome gnat of Great Britain. There were no British combat troops engaged on the continent. England’s sole offensive capability was RAF’s Bomber Command. And then, inexplicably, those bombing missions began suffering near 50% casualties. As one severely wounded flying officer put it; “When we get to Germany, they’re ready for us. They know we are coming.” [p. 7]
To the exhausted, decimated British aircrews that must brave those dangerous skies it did not figure. “. . . the cost to us of replacing lost aircraft must be more than the cost to the enemy of the repairing the damage done by our bombs. Why do we do it? What’s the point in bombing?” [p. 9]
But Hitler had Europe in a death grip. Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Holland, and France were conquered countries. Italy was formally allied with Germany and Spain was openly sympathetic to the Nazi cause. True, the Soviet Union and Sweden remained neutral, but even that seemed to work to Germany’s benefit. The War Department response to the question posed by the despairing airman was, unfortunately, deceptively simple. “If the bombing stops, the war is over – and Hitler has won.” [p. 9]
The sudden increase in the accuracy of the Luftwaffe’s night fighters was alarming. Some analysts inferred loose lips in Britain, others suspected Nazi spies, and still others feared a German technological breakthrough. Most had a theory – but none had answers.
One thing was perfectly clear. The riddle must be quickly solved or there would be no planes left to fly against Germany.
The truth is that in early 1941 England was at great risk of loosing WWII in the night skies above Europe. Ken Follet has crafted a marvelous fictional pearl around this little sand speck of historical fact. Hornet Flight takes us on a fascinating trek in search of the reason behind the devastating effectiveness of the German fighter aircraft. Our stops on this literary odyssey include an ancient Danish cathedral, Benchly Park, British pubs, the Copenhagen Police Department, a Danish boarding school, deserted ruins, the North Sea, a Swedish fishing boat, and the skies above Europe.
The characters (animate and inanimate) of Hornet Flight are just as diverse as the locales. Airplanes, ballet dancers, British intelligence agents, commercial airline mechanics, clergymen, Copenhagen police, Danish Army pilots, farmers, fishermen, headmasters, husbands, lovers, peat-powered motorcycles, politicians, schoolboys, technology, spies, wives – each has a role to play in untangling this Gordian Knot.
Among that group are ten “players” that are keys to unlocking the mysteries of Hornet Flight. Those are represented by the alphabetized list below.
(a) Arne Olufsen
(b) Digby Hoare
(c) Freya
(d) Harald Olufsen
(e) Hermia Mount
(f) Hornet Moth
(g) Josef “Tik” Duchwicz
(h) Karen Duchwicz
(i) Peter Fleming
(j) Tilde Jesperson
THE BOOK
Generally I have one of two reactions to a book. In one case I am grabbed from line one and read near continuously until the final punctuation mark. In the other I am engaged enough to stay with the book but find I pick it up and put it down rather haphazardly. Neither was the case with Hornet Flight.
Activities in the Gungian household were frantic this week as we prepared for Christmas and the arrival of our children. Mrs. G had lots of tasks for me – some taking only a moment or two and others requiring hours. This was not the reading environment I usually inhabit.
Thankfully, even at 420 pages, Hornet Flight was an effortless read. The Prologue, thirty-one short chapters, an Epilogue, and an Afterword comprise the text. Follett’s story telling maintained my interest throughout – and yet – the short chapters made it easy for me to come and go as Mrs. G’s summons dictated. So I actually wound up spreading my reading pleasure out over three days.
Ken Follett has penned another winner. I heartily recommend Hornet Flight. [While fictional, the story does revolve around one harsh factual reality. It demonstrates once again that the pointy end of that spear called war is often forged of the very young.]
THE TEST
When you are done reading Hornet Flight, you too will be able to match the descriptions from the numerical list below with the alphabetized list of “players” provided earlier in this review.
(1) Closed cockpit, wooden-prop, bi-plane
(2) Detective Constable, Copenhagen Police Force
(3) Detective Inspector, Copenhagen Criminal Investigation Department
(4) Lieutenant, Army Aviation School at Vodal
(5) Graduating senior, Jansborg Skole
(6) Heir to a wealthy Danish banking family
(7) Intelligence Analyst, Head of MI6’s Denmark Desk
(8) Youngest son of the Pastor of the church at Sande
(9) Secret German air search radar
(10) Understudy to the lead dancer, Danish Royal Ballet
From the Gungian home to yours, Happy Holidays. May each of you enjoy a safe, serene transition into 2003.
Hornet Flight
Ken Follett
Penguin Books
New York
Hardback 2002
ISBN 0-525-94689-6
Ken Follett and the intrigue of World War II- a winning formula ( Entertainment Weekly ) if ever there was one. With his riveting prose and unerring i...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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