As a well-known author, Linklater was soon employed by the War Office Public Relations department to write official "instant histories" of the war, such as "The Defence of Calais" (1941) and "The Northern Garrisons" (1941), which described the life of British troops stationed in remote locations, including the Orkneys. This culminated in service in Italy in 1944–1945, which led to his novel about an equivocal Italian soldier, "Private Angelo" (1946), which contrasts nationalism with a sense of national community: "I hope you will not liberate us out of existence," is a remark Angelo makes. As one reference work puts it, Angelo "lacks 'the great and splendid gift' of courage, and consequently makes a poor soldier, although he is especially assiduous in retreating, and ultimately deserts." In 1951 Linklater published a semi-official account of "The Campaign in Italy" and also visited the Korean War for the War Office as a temporary Lieutenant-Colonel.