"Attack Alarm" is one of Hammond Innes early works. Published in 1941 it was written when he was assigned to an anti-aircraft artillery unit during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley (RAF airbase) in 1940. So to say that this novel has the "ring of authenticity" would be an understatement. I am a longtime fan of the British television series Foyle's War and while I was reading this book I kept expecting Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle to appear in the story and begin questioning Gunner Hanson. The big difference between the two stories is that "Attack Alarm" was written when the war was actually going on by a man who was participating in it. As if that isn't enough Innes wrote this novel in the Fall of 1940 when England was truly on it's own against Nazi Germany. The Soviet Union had not yet been invaded, the United States was still neutral, France had fallen, Norway had fallen and Germany appeared to be an invincible colossus. Invasion was expected at any moment by late 1940 and the the sky above London and other parts of England was full of fighters and bombers. It was a time of anxiety and fear. So naturally Mr. Innes decided to write a suspense novel. The story is actually fairly simple. Gunner Hanson is an enlisted solider in the British Army. He is part of a 3" gun crew. For those unfamiliar with such things a 3" gun is a type of high-powered gun designed to shoot down aircraft. The duty is a mix of boredom, routine and frenzied action when the Germans are attacking. There are three air raid sequences and they are excellent. Mr. Innes descriptions of what it is like to experience an air raid, in the open, while simultaneously serving on an anti-aircraft,gun instead of being down in a bomb shelter, are superb. I actually found myself breathing faster (a classic sign of adrenalin being dumped into the body) and at one point my palms got sweaty. It was that good and keep in mind "Attack Alarm" was written seventy-three years ago! Now that's impressive writing.In between the air raids Gunner Hanson stumbles onto a Fifth Column plot to cripple the fighter bases scattered across the south of England. At the time that Mr. Innes was writing this novel there was a very real fear of the Fifth Column (traitors and German spies working together inside of England). Many believed in 1940 that if it hadn't been for the Fifth Column France wouldn't have fallen to Germany and there is no denying that Vidkun Quisling (an infamous Norwegian traitor) played a role in assisting the Germans during the invasion of Norway. It's now known that the Fifth Column wasn't as prevalent as was believed at the time, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is in 1940 Mr. Innes believed it and he knew that his readers believed it. As a result the story doesn't come across as being contrived or a piece of propaganda. Actually ,considering when the book was written, there is very little flag waving. The stronger feeling is one of getting the job done and trying to stay alive. I suspect that there is little flag waving due to the fact that Mr. Innes was writing from the trenches and not the comfort of his study.Another reviewer here on Goodreads has described reading a Hammon Inne's novel to be like that of watching a superior black and white adventure movie and I for one think that is an excellent comparison. If I might add to that description I also believe that this is a book that could have easily been made into a suspense movie by Alfred Hitchcock. I was surprised by how much I liked this novel and I strongly recommend it.I found my copy in my favorite used bookstore. My edition was published by Fontana Books in 1972 and appears that "Attack Alarm" was never published in the United States. If you live in the U.S.A. you might have to do some work looking for it, but it will be worth the search. Those Goodread members living in the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland will probably have an easier time of it.
