Read an excerpt from my upcoming book, “Monty’s Flying Fortress,” in which Monty recruits American pilots in Sicily. Order the book here or from your local bookstore!

The weather in Sicily was sweltering hot. The troops of the Eighth Army were adjusting well to living and fighting there, surrounded by orange groves and the seaside, plenty of women to fraternize with and a relaxed attitude to uniforms that allowed them to dress in a slapdash manner, with the result that they appeared rather more like pirates than regular soldiers. Their commander, Montgomery, didn’t care what his men wore as long as they were fit, healthy and battle-hardened. He wanted them to fight well.

When the C-47 crew delivered the jeep, they met a very unconventional British general with an assertive manner, a firm jaw and a rough little scrap of a mustache. He had a deep bronze tan that made his icy blue eyes more fiercely striking and the dark tattoos on his arms almost invisible. While fighting in Sicily, he worked out of captured trucks in an orange grove, with camouflage drapes and nets concealing his hideout. Fond of animals of all kinds, Montgomery – like many soldiers – had been collecting various creatures as pets along the battlefront. He was at the time building a collection of captured Italian songbirds, including canaries, who had the Eighth Army insignia emblazoned on the side of their birdcage.

This wild character surprised Russell with a show of British hospitality. “Make yourself comfortable,” Monty said on receiving the jeep. “Anything you need, ask my headquarters.” Russell was bewildered. They came to drop off a jeep and suddenly this famous general was rolling out the red carpet for them. It was probably something slightly more than hospitality.

Although the American airmen didn’t know it at the time, this was definitely not the last they would be seeing of Montgomery. In fact, it was only the beginning. “I will be calling on you again from time to time,” said Monty.