Download or read book To Hell and Back written by Laurie Woods and published by Boolarong Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To Hell and Back is the story of some of the other Australian airmen who flew with Bomber Command. Laurie Woods either knew these men personally or had heard of them during the campaign.
Download or read book Heroes of Bomber Command written by Michael Wadsworth and published by Heroes of Bomber Command. This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yorkshire was home to Bomber Command's 4 Group. August 1942 saw the creation of the Pathfinder Force, whose task was marking targets for the groups of bombers behind them with a precision that called for reckless heroism. In this excellently researched book Michael Wadsworth describes the air war in Yorkshire, and the young airmen who flew night after night against desperate odds. The bravery determination and resolve of the 'Bomber Men' must never be forgotten.
Download or read book Heroes of Bomber Command written by Graham Smith and published by Heroes of Bomber Command. This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this excellently researched book, Graham Smith describes the air war in Cambridgeshire, and the young airmen who flew night after night against desperate odds. It was from Cambridgeshire airfields too, that the legendary Pathfinder Force (P.F.F.) first took to the skies, marking targets for the force of bombers behind them with a precision that called for reckless heroism. Bomber Command suffered no less than 55,500 airmen killed, some 7,400 wounded, and over 9,800 made prisoners of war. Despite this their members did not receive any campaign medals though many heroes emerged and countless gallantry medals were awarded including twenty one Victoria Crosses. The bravery, determination and resolve of the 'Bomber Men' must never, ever be forgotten.
Download or read book Lincolnshire written by Rupert Matthews and published by Heroes of Bomber Command. This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, such was the build-up of men and materials in the RAF that Lincolnshire was already known as 'Bomber Country'. Its four main airfields - Hemswell, Scampton, Waddington and Cottesmore - were home to eight squadrons of Bomber Command under the legendary Arthur 'Bomber' Harris. Night after night the skies of Lincolnshire reverberated with the sound of aircraft taking off and landing. For the aircrews the missions were very dangerous and physically exhausting. The chances of surviving a full tour of 30 operations were only 50/50, less in the first five sorties while aircrews gained valuable experience. Their targets were roads, railways, bridges, harbours, dams, factories and oil installations. Many medals were won - some of them posthumously. On the Dambusters Raid alone, 36 were awarded; a VC for the leader Guy Gibson, five DSOs, 14 DFCs, 12 DFMs and three Conspicuous Gallantry Medals. In this well researched and excellently written book, Rupert Matthews - himself the son of a Bomber Command sergeant who fought in the Second World War - describes many of the operations in detail and tells the story of courageous individuals who, despite the odds, flew mission after mission - heroes every one of them.
Download or read book Heroes of Bomber Command Norfolk written by Rupert Matthews and published by Heroes of Bomber Command. This book was released on 2006-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Norfolk was one of the most important counties used by Bomber Command in the last war. From airfields in Norfolk such as Swanton Morley, Marham, Downham Market and Watton, crews flew almost suicidal operations, many in daylight and some at heights of 50 feet or lower, against heavily defended industrial installations in Germany and occupied Europe. The bomber crews were engaged in a special type of warfare; a matter of hours separated them from the relative peace and tranquility of the English countryside and a flight into hell. They had to contend with adverse weather, intense cold, physical and mental fatigue, phalanxes of searchlights, heavy and intense flak and the Luftwaffe's night-fighters, before returning, if they were lucky, across a hostile North Sea often in damaged aircraft before landing safely; a blessed return to some form of normality but with the sure and certain knowledge that the next night they would face such horrors again, and again and again until their tours were completed or their luck deserted them and they did not return, like so many of their friends and colleagues. Despite this they did not receive any special Campaign medal. Winston Churchill himself was moved to write that "The charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava is eclipsed in brightness by their daily deeds of fame". In this well-researched and excellently written book, Rupert Matthews - himself the son of a Bomber Command sergeant stationed at Swanton Morley - describes many of the raids in detail and tells the story of courageous individuals who, despite the odds, flew mission after mission - heroes everyone of them. Rupert Matthews is a well established author with a particular interest in military history. He is also the author of Heroes of Bomber Command Lincolnshire.
Download or read book Lancaster Men written by Peter Rees and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over 10,000 Australians served with Bomber Command, a highly trained band of elite flyers who undertook some of the most dangerous operations of World War II. They flew mission after mission over France and Germany knowing that the odds were against them. Stretched to breaking point, nearly 3500 died in the air. Their bravery in extreme circumstances has barely been recognised. Peter Rees traces the extraordinary achievements of these young aviators.
Download or read book 1 Group written by Patrick Otter and published by Pen & Sword. This book was released on 2013 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the recent unveiling of the monument to Bomber Command in London's Green Park, the publication of this lovingly crafted account of the exploits of oft-overlooked 1 Group is set to be a timely one. Patrick Otter combines an appropriate level of detail regarding operations, aircraft, bases and incidents, with accounts of human endurance and squadron fraternity, which works to create a thoroughly well researched account of the wartime proceedings of 1 Group which is rooted firmly in humanity. The book is heavily illustrated throughout with both images of aircraft and pilot profiles, supplementing the text perfectly and working further to humanize the accounts which the author relays, as well as satisfying the Aviation buffs curiosity for new and interesting images of aircraft in their wartime contexts. Although often considered a somewhat controversial operational unit, the bravery of the men who made up Bomber Command has never been in question. This book is further testament to that fact.
Download or read book Air Heroes of World War II written by Robert Jackson and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Heroes of Bomber Command written by Graham Smith and published by Heroes of Bomber Command. This book was released on 2008 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A tribute to the pilots and crew who flew from airbases in Suffolk during the last war and whose actions displayed some of the finest examples of courage and devotion to duty.
Download or read book Heroes of Coastal Command written by Andrew D. Bird and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-09-30 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Real-life, action-packed, personal stories of valor from the history of the RAF’s maritime arm during World War II. It took thirty minutes for one Coastal Command crew to sink two U-boats. The crew of Flying Officer Kenneth “Kayo” Moore in their 224 Squadron Liberator carried out this remarkable achievement on the evening of 7/8 June 1944. While patrolling the western end of the English Channel, Moore’s crew first dispatched U-629, followed just under thirty minutes later by U-373. The story of this remarkable engagement is just one of many recounted by the author in Heroes of Coastal Command. Established in 1936, Coastal Command was the RAF’s only maritime arm. Throughout the war, its crews worked tirelessly alongside the Royal Navy to keep Britain’s vital sea lanes open. Together, they fought and won the Battle of the Atlantic, with RAF aircraft destroying 212 German U-Boats and sinking a significant tonnage of enemy warships and merchant vessels. Often working alone and unsupported, undertaking long patrols out over opens seas, Coastal Command bred a special kind of airman. Alongside individuals such as Kenneth Moore, there were Allan Trigg, Kenneth Campbell and John Cruickshank, all of whom were awarded the Victoria Cross; Norman Jackson-Smith, a Blenheim pilot who flew in the Battle of Britain; Jack Davenport, who flew his Hampden to Russia; John Watson, the sole survivor of a Short Sunderland which was lost during a rescue mission; and Ken Gatward, who flew a unique daylight mission over Paris to drop a Tricolore on the Arc de Triomphe. Theirs are just some of the many exciting stories revealed by the author.
Download or read book Halfway to Hell written by Laurie Woods and published by Boolarong Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The content of this book are based on personal interviews, personal service stories among my mates, members of the Royal Australian Air Force, and with historic records of airmen who were mainly trained in the Empire Air Training scheme. The scheme was set up to keep up a supply of trained aircrew to replace the immense numbers who were giving their lives. This book also tells of Australians among the heroic crews of Bomber Command and of their amazing courage and the record of achievement that is recorded forever in this history of Australian courage. It tells in detail the high price paid by aircrews to achieve victory, the loss of comrades and the extreme hazards faced day after day, which called for great courage and effort that in the end stole their youth.
Download or read book Hell on Earth written by Mel Rolfe and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2008-09-22 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Twenty true stories of bravery, survival, and good and bad luck involving Bomber Command during World War II from the author of Flying into Hell. In their own words, the heroes of Bomber Command tell their harrowing stories . . . “It is believed that when Dacey realized the aircraft was on fire he grabbed an extinguisher, hurried aft and tried, in vain, to put out the flames. Somehow he became trapped behind the spreading inferno and was unable to return to the cockpit for his parachute. Alone with his screams, he could do nothing except wait and die as his unsuspecting companions jumped into the cold night. It is likely that Dacey was already dead before the Halifax plunged into the ground and blew up, atomizing his body.” “We were marched to a deserted and tatty industrial area, into a short cu-de-sac, where most of the property was badly damaged. A factory wall stood across the bottom and they put us against it. A line of a dozen (German) soldiers stood pavement to pavement, rifles against their shoulders. A corporal stood near them with his hand up. Stan said to me in a low, horrified voice: ‘They’re going to shoot us.’” “We could see the (Lancaster) wing flapping up and down. It could have broken off at any time and going through my mind was the thought that it probably would. But we pressed on. I took a realistic view. I knew the chances were against us getting back and this might be the time everything was going to end. But I didn’t experience fear which interfered with what I had to do.”
Download or read book Heroes of the Skies written by Michael Ashcroft and published by Headline. This book was released on 2012-09-13 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the dawn of aerial combat in the First World War, the heroism of the men who put their lives at risk in the air has known no bounds. There were no more heroic airmen than the fighter pilots and bomber crews of the Second World War - men who sacrificed their own lives in order to save their crew or who, although in extreme pain, managed to get their aircraft home rather than risk becoming PoWs. In telling the stories of more than eighty such men, Heroes of the Skies paints a picture of aerial combat from the First World War right through to Afghanistan, and allows us to celebrate the extraordinary feats of our flying heroes.
Download or read book Lancaster Men written by Peter Rees and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2013-04-01 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than 10,000 Australians served with Bomber Command, a highly trained band of elite flyers who undertook some of the most dangerous operations of World War II. They flew raid after raid over France and Germany knowing that the odds were against them. Stretched to breaking point, nearly 3500 died in the air. Their bravery in extreme circumstances has barely been recognised. Peter Rees traces the extraordinary achievements of these young aviators. He tells their hair-raising stories of battle action and life on the ground. And he recounts how, when they returned to Australia, they were greeted as Jap dodgers and accused of 'hiding in England while we were doing it tough'. Exciting, compelling and full of life, Lancaster Men is a powerful tribute to these forgotten Australian heroes of World War II.
Download or read book Reaching for the Stars written by Mark Connelly and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2001-02-16 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: _Reaching for the Stars_ shows why Bomber Command, in one of the largest and bloodiest campaigns of the war, with 55,000 aircrew lost and more officer fatalities than in World War I, has received so much attention and yet remains a 'lost and black sheep' among British wartime achievements. There has been little official recognition: at the 50th anniversary of VE Day there was hardly a mention and the Bomber Command story has been dogged by the controversy over carpet-bombing. The role of Bomber Command in the Second World War is still shrouded in mystery. This book provides a new and revisionary narrative of the campaign and is both a military history and an investigation of how the modern image of Bomber Command has developed. There have been hundreds of books about the RAF and Bomber Command ranging from highly researched histories, technical studies of the aircraft, to popular works; as well as countless films and plays, and television and newspaper reportage. Mark Connelly pulls all the strands together to produce a fascinating and entirely new perspective on this aspect of World War II.
Download or read book Flying Among Heroes written by Norman Franks and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: T.S.C. Cooke joined the RAF as war began in 1939, aged 18, and trained to be a bomber pilot. Rising to the rank of squadron leader and decorated three times, Cooke bombed Berlin on 7 October 1940 in a Whitley Mk V, nearly ditching in the North Sea. Throughout this tour he faced the usual dangers of wartime aircrew, his aircraft being hit by AA fire on several occasions, once almost having to order his aircrew to bail out but landed safely at the last minute. They were also attacked by night fighters, encountered icing and even shot up a train and bomber station at tree-top level.Flying Wellingtons and Stirlings, Cooke took part in the infamous 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne and Essen, before returning to operations flying Special Ops Halifax aircraft, dropping agents into enemy-occupied France. After a dozen missions, he was shot down but he and his navigator survived and evaded capture. Helped by the French resistance, they got into Spain and returned home via Gibraltar. Both men received the DFC for their bravery. While their story is not totally unique, their adventures and courage make this tale akin to an adventure novel.
Download or read book Bomber Command Battle of Berlin Failed to Return written by STEVE. BOND and published by . This book was released on 2017-05-28 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Tonight you are going to the Big City. You will have the opportunity to light a fire in the belly of the enemy that will burn his black heart out.' The message from Commander-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command Sir Arthur Harris was clear. As the Second World War continued into a fifth year, the airmen of Bomber Command were to fly deep into hostile airspace and bring the war direct to the German Nazi capital Berlin. From the autumn of 1943 to the last days of winter in early 1944, during the hours of extended darkness, the bomber crews braved the flak, the searchlights, enemy night fighters and extremes of weather, to bombard the 'black heart'. Prior to the all-out campaign against the 'Big City' Sir Arthur Harris firmly believed his bomber force could break the German will to wage war, but he also prophesied that 'It will cost us between 400 and 500 aircraft'. Fighting High Publishing brings together acclaimed Bomber Command historians to tell the story of some of the thousands of airmen who failed to return from operations as part of the 1943 and 1944 Bomber Command Battle of Berlin. The authors, utilizing family archives, personal testimony and records, wartime memoirs, diaries and letters, witness recollections, logbooks, and official documents, piece together the remarkable, yet ultimately tragic events surrounding the losses described. Illustrated throughout with previously unpublished black and white and color photographs Bomber Command Battle of Berlin Failed to Return ensures the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice is kept alive. 'We Will Remember Them'.
