The Big Little War

James Dunford Wood's "The Big Little War" tells a little-known episode of the Second World War: the campaign fought in Iraq in 1941, when a British-backed monarchy was threatened by a coup sympathetic to Nazi Germany. At the centre of the book is a small and improvised force of RAF pupil pilots and their instructors, based at the training station at Habbaniya, who found themselves thrust into active combat despite having no formal preparation for it. The author argues that this episode, despite its strategic importance in preserving British influence in the Middle East, has been largely forgotten by military historians and popular memory alike.

The strength of the book lies in its careful reconstruction of events at RAF Habbaniya during the siege of April and May 1941. Dunford Wood explains how the base, intended purely for flight training, became an unlikely front line when Iraqi forces surrounded it following the coup led by Rashid Ali. With few combat-ready aircraft and even fewer experienced pilots, the defenders had to improvise. Training aircraft such as Airspeed Oxfords and Hawker Audaxes, never designed for offensive operations, were hastily armed and flown by instructors and trainees alike. The narrative captures the tension of this period well, describing how a garrison with limited resources managed to hold off a much larger besieging force and eventually go on the offensive.

One of the book's more compelling arguments concerns the broader strategic stakes of the campaign. Had Habbaniya fallen, the author suggests, British control over Iraqi oil supplies and the wider Middle Eastern theatre could have been seriously compromised at a critical point in the war, potentially altering the course of the North African campaign and beyond. This context helps explain why Dunford Wood considers the episode more significant than its relative obscurity would suggest.

The author draws on a range of primary sources, including personal accounts and official records, to piece together the day-to-day experience of those involved. This approach gives the book an immediacy that benefits from personal testimony, allowing readers to appreciate the physical and psychological strain endured by young pilots and instructors who were suddenly required to become combatants. The descriptions of aerial engagements, ground defence preparations, and the broader chaos of the siege are detailed without becoming overly technical, making the book accessible to readers without specialist knowledge of aviation history.

The book's subtitle promises an explanation of why this episode was "excised from history," and Dunford Wood does address this question, situating the campaign within the broader context of wartime priorities and postwar historical narratives that tended to focus on larger, more conventional battles. This section of the book invites readers to consider how historical memory is shaped, and which stories receive attention in the retelling of the Second World War.

Structurally, the book moves chronologically through the events of the siege, interspersing tactical detail with broader political context regarding the coup in Iraq and British strategic interests in the region. This dual focus, combining ground-level detail with wider geopolitical framing, helps readers understand both the immediate drama of the siege and its longer-term significance.

Some readers may find certain sections dense with logistical and tactical detail, particularly those less familiar with military terminology or the specifics of RAF operations during this period. However, the overall narrative remains engaging, buoyed by the inherent drama of the situation: a small, poorly equipped force facing what seemed like overwhelming odds.

"The Big Little War" succeeds in bringing attention to an overlooked chapter of British military history. It offers a detailed account of an unusual and dramatic episode, while also prompting reflection on how certain events fade from public consciousness despite their historical importance. For readers interested in the lesser-known corners of the Second World War, particularly those touching on the Middle East and the experiences of ordinary servicemen thrust into extraordinary circumstances, this book provides a thorough and thoughtfully argued account.