The second volume of Spike Milligan's war memoirs. I haven't read the first, but it wasn't in the bookshop! This covers his time in North Africa, up until Rommel's surrender.

I've tried reading some of Milligan's other works, and they were just a bit too surreal, but this mixes diary entries from both Milligan and his wartime acquaintances, fictional accounts of what the likes of Hitler and Mussolini were doing at the time (Hitlergrams!), and oddball illustrations.

There's the odd bit which would now be considered racist or politically incorrect, but this was written in the 1970s, about events from the 1940s, which are both very different times to now, so the odd racist, sexist or homophobic comment shouldn't shade the whole volume too much.

This is incredibly funny, but also has tinges of sadness for lost comrades and the events overtaking the world. Milligan was always anti-war, and after reading of some of his experiences it is easy to see why. However, no one can ever say he didn't play his part in the war effort.