Before World War II Dahl begins a voyage to Africa in 1938, prompted by his desire to find adventure after finishing school, and boards the
SS Mantola for his new job working for the
Shell Oil Company. During this journey, he meets various people, reflecting on the different cultures and dialects spoken by British expatriates. He arrives in
Dar es Salaam,
Tanganyika (modern-day
Tanzania), forming a bond with the people by learning
Swahili and developing a close relationship with his house servant, Mdisho. He describes extraordinary events such as his gardener, Salimu, killing a
black mamba with a rake, a lion carrying a woman in its mouth, and the capture of a snake in a home.
During World War II World War II breaks out, and Dahl receives an order from a British captain telling him to capture all German nationals as soon as war is declared, making him a temporary army officer. While leading Kenyan troops into the jungle to arrest all German nationals, a harsh confrontation emerges with a batch of German convoys, leading to the leader threatening to kill Dahl after thrusting a
Luger pistol in his chest until he is shot and killed by a member of Dahl's troops. After the incident, Dahl discovers that his Arabian sword is missing, and his anxiety grows until Mdisho returns holding the sword, dried with blood. He tells Dahl that he killed a notable German
sisal planter via
decapitation with the sword after being motivated by the war. Dahl refrains from his disproval and instead explains the gravity of the situation and the possible repercussions from the local authorities, to which Mdisho becomes devastated. To confront Mdisho, Dahl tells him that he is being sent as a pilot to serve in the war, and gifts the sword to Mdisho to keep it. Mdisho, initially reluctant to accept the gift, accepts the gift and agrees to keep the details of his killing confidential. In November 1939, Dahl joins the
Royal Air Force and leaves the Shell Oil Company, making a solo trip from Dar es Salaam to
Nairobi. He learns to fly the
Tiger Moth, completing training after eight weeks after his first successful solo flight. He then goes for advanced training in
Habbaniyah, Iraq, where he and his comrades are split into different squadrons.
Flight to 80 Squadron crash On 19 September 1940, Dahl is given wrong orders to fly to
Marsa Matrouh, where he would meet
No. 80 Squadron's landing strip thirty miles south of
Fouka, when in reality it was fifty miles south. As dusk approached, his
Gloster Gladiator began running out of fuel, and, seeing no airstrip to land on, Dahl attempted to land on a seemingly smooth piece of ground; however, the Gladiator's undercarriage is stuck by a boulder and collapsed in the sand, breaking his skull, nose, and causing him to be temporarily blinded. He is sent to
Alexandria, Egypt to undergo surgery and develops a liking for a nurse named Mary Welland, imagining her to be similar in appearance to
Myrna Loy. After some time, he regains his vision and is discharged after five months of recovery in February 1941, where he spent four weeks in
convalescence before reporting back to the RAF in
Cairo. He then learns that No. 80 Squadron was now located in Greece, to which he flies with a
Hawker Hurricane.
German invasion of Greece and the Battle of Athens Dahl was among the last
Allied pilots to withdraw from
Greece during the
German invasion, taking part in the air for the
Battle of Athens on 20 April 1941. After the country fell to
Nazi Germany, he went to the
Middle East to fight
Vichy French pilots after staying for a brief time in
Alexandria, Egypt.
Post World War II Dahl returns home to
Grendon Underwood. ==Analysis==