Download or read book Raf Bomber Command Operations During 1943 written by Richard Worrall and published by Lund Humphries Publishers. This book was released on 2014-03-28 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Bomber Command War Diaries written by Martin Middlebrook and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-04-02 with total page 941 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essential WWII historical reference detailing RAF Bomber Command’s extensive campaign of strategic bombings across occupied Europe. The Royal Air Force Bomber Command's strategic bombing campaign started on the first day of the Second World War and ended five and a half years later with the final victory in Europe. It was a campaign of such enormous scale that historians have only recently begun to piece together the finer details of the individual raids. Aviation historian Martin Middlebrook and his research colleague, Chris Everitt, were the first to compile a complete review of all the raids and their background stories. The Bomber Command War Diaries not only documents every Bomber Command operation but also details their effects on the ground, drawing on local archives from Germany, Italy, and the occupied countries. It is a groundbreaking work on historical research, bringing together the two sides of Bomber Command’s war. This edition includes retrospective observations and a new appendix.

Download or read book The Science of Bombing written by Randall Thomas Wakelam and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After suffering devastating losses in the early stages of the Second World War, the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force established an Operational Research Section within bomber command in order to drastically improve the efficiency of bombing missions targeting Germany. In The Science of Bombing, Randall Wakelam explores the work of civilian scientists who found critical solutions to the navigational and target-finding problems and crippling losses that initially afflicted the RAF. Drawing on previously unexamined files that re-assess the efficacy of strategic bombing from tactical and technical perspectives, Wakelam reveals the important role scientific research and advice played in operational planning and how there existed a remarkable intellectual flexibility at Bomber Command. A fascinating glimpse into military strategy and decision-making, The Science of Bombing will find a wide audience among those interested in air power history as well as military strategists, air force personnel, and aviation historians.

Download or read book Air Battle of the Ruhr written by Alan W. Cooper and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-06-19 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published to acclaim in 1992, this book deals with the exploits of Bomber Command during their offensive against German Industry in the Ruhr during World War II. The author begins by describing the role of Bomber Command and goes on to define the Ruhr area and its great importance in terms of industrial output to the Germans. The author provides the statistics for bombers dispatched, the number, which actually got to the targets and those, which never made it for one reason or another. Air Battle of the Ruhr is a complete overview of a major aspect of the air war against mainland Germany a subject that has rarely been dealt with in such depth. This book fills in an important gap in the history of the Royal Air Force.

Download or read book The Berlin Raids written by Martin Middlebrook and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Berlin Raids written by Martin Middlebrook and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2010-07-12 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A “meticulously documented” account that covers the RAF’s controversial attempt to end World War II by the aerial bombing of Berlin (Kirkus Reviews). The Battle of Berlin was the longest and most sustained bombing offensive against one target in the Second World War. Bomber Command Commander-in-Chief, Sir Arthur Harris, hoped to wreak Berlin from end to end and produce a state of devastation in which German surrender was inevitable. He dispatched nineteen major raids between August 1943 and March 1944—more than ten thousand aircraft sorties dropped over thirty thousand tons of bombs on Berlin. It was the RAF’s supreme effort to end the war by aerial bombing. But Berlin was not destroyed and the RAF lost more than six hundred aircraft and their crews. The controversy over whether the Battle of Berlin was a success or failure has continued ever since. Martin Middlebrook brings to this subject considerable experience as a military historian. In preparing his material he collected documents from both sides (many of the German ones never before used); he has also interviewed and corresponded with over four hundred of the people involved in the battle and has made trips to Germany to interview the people of Berlin and Luftwaffe aircrews. He has achieved the difficult task of bringing together both sides of the Battle of Berlin—the bombing force and the people on the ground—to tell a coherent, single story. “His straightforward narrative covers the 19 major raids, with a detailed description of three in particular, and includes recollections by British and German airmen as well as German civilians who weathered the storm.” —Publishers Weekly

Download or read book Bomber Command Reflections of War Volume 3 written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2012-09-19 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This massive work provides a comprehensive insight to the experiences of Bomber Commands pilots and aircrew throughout World War Two. From the early wartime years when the RAFs first attempts to avenge Germanys onslaught were bedeviled by poor navigation and inaccurate bombing, to the final winning onslaught that finally tamed Hitler in his Berlin lair, these volumes trace the true experiences of the men who flew the bombers. Hundreds of first-hand accounts are punctuated by the authors background information that put each narrative into wartime perspective. Every aspect of Bomber Commands operational duties are covered; day and night bombing, precision low-level strikes, mass raids and operations throughout all wartime theaters. Contributions are from RAF personnel who flew the commands different aircraft from the early Blenheims and Stirlings to the later Lancasters and Mosquitoes. Each volume is full of accounts that tell of the camaraderie amongst the crews, moments of sheer terror and the stoic humor that provided the critical bond. The five volumes of this work provide the most vivid and comprehensive work on the outstanding part played by RAF Bomber Command in their vital role in the destruction of the Third Reich.

Download or read book Bomber Offensive written by Arthur Harris and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2005-03-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sir Arthur Harris - Bomber Harris - remains the target of criticism and vilification by many, while others believe the contribution he and his men made to victory is grossly undervalued. He led the men of Bomber Command in the face of appalling casualties, had fierce disagreements with higher authority and enjoyed a complicated relationship with Winston Churchill. Written soon after the close of World War 2, this collection of Sir Arthur Harris's memoirs reveals the man behind the Allied bombing offensive that culminated in the destruction of the Nazi war machine but also many beautiful cities, including Dresden.

Download or read book RAF Bomber Command Operations Manual written by Jonathan Falconer and published by Haynes Publishing UK. This book was released on 2018-10-23 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Night after night for six years of war, RAF Bomber Command's squadrons pounded away at the cities of Nazi Germany in a determined effort to bring the Third Reich to its knees. Pitted against Bomber Harris's aircrews and aircraft were some of the most effective and deadly defenses the world had seen up until then. For Bomber Command to launch a 'maximum effort' raid on the Ruhr by night, or a low-level strike on a target in enemy occupied Europe by day, it involved a huge amount of planning. Who decided what to bomb? Why, when and where were bomber airfields built? How was the overall command structure organized, from the Air Council down to individual squadron level? Who were the commanders and who were the men that made up the rank and file of the Command? How did the RAF train its bomber crews? What aircraft did they fly and what weapons did they use? How was a raid planned and once it was launched what happened? How was the effectiveness of a raid and bomber tactics analyzed afterwards? How did the RAF go about tracing the 'missing' (47,000 men 'failed to return' from operations)? How were damaged bombers repaired and made good again for operations? Useful appendices include a Bomber Command War Diary listing key events 1939-1945, squadrons and their commanders, an a-to-z of bomber airfields, and sample orders of battle from 1939, 1943 and 1945. Fully illustrated with some 300 photographs, the RAF Bomber Command Operations Manual gives a compelling insight into the workings of one of the most powerful instruments of 20th century warfare.

Download or read book Battle of Berlin 1943 44 written by Richard Worrall and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-09-19 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout late-1943 into early-1944, an epic struggle raged over the skies of Germany between RAF Bomber Command and the Luftwaffe. This campaign had been undertaken by the Commander-in-Chief Bomber Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, and was baptized 'The Battle of Berlin'. The Berlin campaign was a hard, desperate slog. Struggling against dreadful and bitter winter weather, Bomber Command 'went' to Berlin a total of sixteen times, suffering increasingly severe losses throughout the winter of 1943/44 in the face of a revitalized German air-defence. The campaign remains controversial and the jury, even today, is ultimately undecided as to what it realistically achieved. Illustrated throughout with full-colour artwork depicting the enormous scale of the campaign, this is the story of the RAF's much debated attempt to win the war through bombing alone.

Download or read book The Peenem nde Raid written by Martin Middlebrook and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2006-02-16 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of The First Day on the Somme recounts Operation Hydra, the British bombing on a Nazi army research center during World War II. On the night of August 17-18, 1943, RAF Bomber Command attacked a remote research establishment on the German Baltic coast. The site was Peenemunde, where Hitler’s scientists were developing both the V-1 flying bomb and the V-2 rocket whose destructive powers could have swung the course of the war. The raid was meticulously planned, and hopes were high. But the night sky was so cloudless that the British bombers presented an easy target for German night fighters, and over 40 were lost. Martin Middlebrook draws on the memories of over 400 people involved in the dramatic events on that night: RAF and Luftwaffe aircrew, German personnel at the research site, and foreign laborers who had been forced to work there. The result is a truly compelling account of this hazardous attempt to disrupt Hitler’s V-weapons program.

Download or read book Air Power at the Battlefront written by Dr Ian Gooderson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-13 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ian Gooderson presents a study of close air support in World War II, with the analysis focusing on the use of tactical air power by British and American forces during the campaigns in Italy and northwestern Europe between 1943 and 1945.

Download or read book Bomber Command 1936 1968 written by Ken Delve and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2005-09-29 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a comprehensive reference to the structure, operation, aircraft and men of Bomber Command from its formation on 1936 to 1968 when it became part of Strike Command. It includes descriptions of many notable bombing raids, the many types of aircraft used, weapons and airfields. The five main sections of the book include a general historical introduction and overview, operations, operational groups, aircrew training and technical details of each aircraft type. Lengthy Annexes cover personnel. the squadrons in World War II, accuracy of attacks, orders of battle for each wartime year, maps of airfields locations, tonnage of bombs dropped and nuclear weapons carried in the post-war years.

Download or read book Thus We Keep Faith written by Steve Holmes and published by Mention the War Limited. This book was released on 2021-05-22 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 196 Squadron was formed in late 1942 as a night bomber squadron, in No. 4 Group Bomber Command. It was February 1943 before the squadron became operational with the first sorties being bombing raids on U Boat pens at Lorient, France flying Vickers Wellington aircraft. As well as the bombing raids the squadron also was used for 'gardening' (minelaying) sorties. The unit was then transferred to No.3 Group and re-equipped with Mk III Short Stirlings. Soon afterwards, the Stirling was removed from front-line bombing operations, in favour of the Lancaster and Halifax. Later in 1943 the squadron transferred once more, this time to 38 Group, Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF). Its new role included glider-towing, troop carrying and secret operations for the S.O.E. and S.A.S. The squadron took part in all the main invasion operations on and after D-Day, including the ill-fated Arnhem operation and then the successful Rhine Crossings. Its operational effectiveness was at the cost of numerous aircraft and crews. When the war in Europe ended the squadron was used to repatriate troops and help misplaced refugees. Steve Holmes' book replicates the squadron's operational record, telling its story as it unfolded day by day. It is Steve's second book. His first, Sherlock's Squadron, is a biographical novel of his father and his father's crew in 196 Squadron during World War II. This prompted Steve to research and write this book on the squadron's history. Steve has been the squadron's historian for the past 25 years. He is retired and lives in the south of Spain. He spends his time researching and writing and helping his good friend with his charity business.

Download or read book Bombers Over Berlin written by Alan W. Cooper and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2013-02-19 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published to acclaim in 1985, this book is set to be a timely release, in line with the 70th Anniversary of the outset of the Raids, near approaching in November 2013. Berlin itself was 'the Big City'. It was deep in the heart of Germany and heavily defended with flak and night fighters, not only because it was the administrative capital but also because it was vital for the German war production machine. Heavy losses could be expected on any raid to Berlin. So when the curtain was swept back on the briefing map to reveal the red ribbon stretching towards Berlin there was added tension for the bomber crews. Between November 1943 and March 1944, Berlin was the target no less than sixteen times. 9,112 sorties were flown and 495 aircraft were lost.As in his previous books, Alan Cooper has painstakingly researched all the details of the raids, telling the stories of individual crews who flew on them, of those who returned safely and those who were shot down, becoming POWs or evading capture, either returning to the UK or remaining at large in occupied Europe. He tells of the heroism of the pilots and crews grappling with heavily -loaded bombers against night fighters, often nursing stricken aircraft back to base, with many failing to return.Acclaim for Bombers Over Berlin:What makes this book so remarkable and interesting is its anthology of short but graphic accounts of the trials and tribulations of the dozens of bomber crews involved...Bombers Over Berlin is unique in its compilations of such a large number of personal anecdotes covering the hazards of sustained fighter and flak attacks...a thoroughly well researched chronicle Ken Batchelor, former Chairman of the Bomber Command Association.

Download or read book Operation Gomorrah written by Gordon Musgrove and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Operation Gomorrah was RAF Bomber Command's attempt in 1943 to obliterate Hamburg, Germany's great northern port city. The bombers returned night after night, pulverising what was already rubble, whipping up a terrible firestorm and creating a holocaust so appalling that rescuers could only watch, helpless, from outside the city. An estimated 42,000 people died and 22 square kilometres of the city were incinerated."--Jacket.

Download or read book Battle of Berlin written by Martin W Bowman and published by Air World. This book was released on 2020-05-30 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Battle of Berlin, the bombing of the ‘Big City’ as it was known to the crews of RAF Bomber Command, raged from 18 November 1943 to the end of the war in Europe in 1945. It is recalled here both by those in the air over capital of the Third Reich, as well as those who suffered under the bombing onslaught. At the start of the Battle of Berlin, Sir Arthur Harris had predicted that the ‘Big City’ would ‘cost between 400-500 aircraft’, but that it would also ‘cost Germany the war’. He was proved wrong on both counts. Berlin was not ‘wrecked from end to end’, as Harris predicted on 3 November 1943 – ‘if the USAAF will come in on it’ – although a considerable part of it was destroyed. And the ‘Main Battle of Berlin’ did not cost Germany the war; a grinding land campaign had yet to be fought. More than 9,000 bombing sorties were flown during the battle on round trips of about 1,200 miles to Berlin and back. Berlin was bombed by four Allied air forces between 1940 and 1945. British bombers alone dropped 45,517 tons of bombs, whilst the Americans a further 23,000 tons. By 1944, some 1.2 million people, 790,000 of them women and children, about a quarter of Berlin’s population, had been evacuated to rural areas. An effort was made to evacuate all children from Berlin, but this was defeated by parents and many evacuees who soon made their way back to the city. However, by May 1945, 1.7 million people – 40% of the population – had fled the city. This fitting tribute to those who died in the relentless struggle to knock Berlin, and hopefully Germany, out of the war resonates with eyewitness accounts and background information which the author has painstakingly investigated and researched. The result is a hugely fascinating and highly readable narrative containing very real and unique observations by British and Commonwealth aircrew and, equally importantly, the long-suffering citizens of Berlin, and well as the capital’s defenders. Up to the end of March 1945, there had been a total of 314 air raids on Berlin, eighty-five of these in the last twelve months. Estimates of the total number of dead in Berlin from air raids range from 20,000 to 50,000; the relatively low casualty figure in Berlin is partly the result of the city’s formidable air defenses and shelters. The Battle of Berlin was not a defeat in absolute terms, but in the operational sense it was an offensive that Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris and his aircrews could not win. ‘Berlin won’ concluded Sir Ralph Cochrane, the Air Officer Commanding 5 Group RAF Bomber Command. ‘It was just too tough a nut.’