Don't think anyone disputes his courage, slim_slag.
The reason Ward gets it in the neck (at least from me) is that there's now a lot of evidence about to sustain the charge that while the book is a cracking, forthright read, it is deeply unfair in many places, inaccurate in others and seems to be accompanied by the faint whiff of vinegar from the chip he appears to have on his shoulder (not just about the RAF), evinced by a mildly Monty-esque tendency to denigrate the efforts of other, equally brave, men.