Peter’s War

It’s summer 1944. The Allies are still locked in life and death struggle with the Axis, and few yet talk of peace. But a select contingent from Britain is combining with our American and Russian allies in something very new.

Their mission? To build order from the ashes in vanquished enemy countries. Their weapon? The Allied Control Commissions. Unlike the punitive protocols after the Great War, the spirit of these unique instruments of peace is to be co-operative and constructive.

The story is told by Peter Ching, a young British Intelligence officer posted to a succession of military governments. His letters are vivid, humorous and frank as he migrates from sunny Algeria to war-wracked Italy, the snowy peaks of the Balkans and a newly-liberated Greece facing civil conflict.

His longest posting is Sofia. A highlight of the book is the profound respect he develops for his Red Army comrades. Many have heroic war records but defy daunting reputations and baleful commissars by proving punctilious, competent and very friendly.

Fatefully, within months of the Nazi surrender ideological tensions are threatening the fragile partnerships. And a rare moment when British and Russian soldiers could work constructively together in the great cause is passing into history.