A veteran of the battle to defend Malta in 1942, Flight Lieutenant Jim Newman remembered barely surviving against Italian Macchi 200 aircraft.

A couple of years later, when promoted to Squadron Leader in the Balkan Air Force – a multinational unit based in Yugoslavia and fighting the Luftwaffe – the Englishman was less than pleased when some rebel Italian pilots joined their cause.

Although acknowledging that the Italians were gifted pilots, could Jim truly accept that the enemies of yesterday were now the allies of today?