Download or read book The Squadron That Died Twice The story of No 82 Squadron RAF which in 1940 lost 23 out of 24 aircraft in two bombing raids written by Gordon Thorburn and published by Metro Publishing. This book was released on 2015-07-02 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Apart from the quiet chatter of a few mechanics, who were checking that one aircraft was too badly damaged ever to fly again, there was a shocked silence over the aerodrome as everyone there tried to understand the impossible.Twelve twin-engined bombers of 82 Squadron RAF had set out on a fi ne May morning in 1940, from Watton, Norfolk, in a brave but hopeless attempt to slow down the German armour ripping through Belgium. Sergeant Thomas 'Jock' Morrison was the pilot of the only one to come home.Heavy losses in Bomber Command in the Second World War were common, normal, came with the territory, but this? Eleven out of twelve were shot down, by flak and fighters, and lay in burning fragments along the Belgium/ France border.It is said that history repeats itself. And so it was, almost exactly three months later, on a cloudy day in August 1940, that twelve more twin-engined Bristol Blenheim bombers, each with a crew of three men, set off from Watton, Norfolk, in a brave but hopeless attempt to destroy a Luftwaffe base in enemy-occupied Denmark. One aircraft had to turn for home before it reached the target. The other eleven pressed on as the clouds disappeared and, on a fi ne sunny morning, were all shot down, by flak and fighters, and lay in burning fragments on the shores of the Lymfjord.At the time, when the whole world was trying to understand the impossible, how Germany could conquer Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium and France in a few weeks, and Poland before that - and surely Great Britain next? - 82 Squadron's disasters were barely noticed.Based on the accounts of survivors and on squadron and other records, Gordon Thorburn's moving retelling of the story, of the events of it and the men in it, at last puts right that terrible omission.
Download or read book The Squadron That Died Twice written by Gorden Thorburn and published by . This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Apart from the quiet chatter of a few mechanics, who were checking that one aircraft was too badly damaged ever to fly again, there was a shocked silence over the aerodrome as everyone there tried to understand the impossible. Twelve twin - engined bombers of 82 Squadron RAF had set out on a fine May morning in 1940, from Watton, Norfolk, in a brave but hopeless attempt to slow down the German armour ripping through Belgium. Sergeant Thomas 'Jock' Morrison was the pilot of the only one to come home. Heavy losses in Bomber Command in the Second World War were common, normal, came with the territory, but this? Eleven out of twelve were shot down, by flak and fighters, and lay in burning fragments along the Belgium/France border. It is said that history repeats itself. And so it was, almost exactly three months later, on a cloudy day in August 1940, that twelve more twin - engined Bristol Blenheim bombers, each with a crew of three men, set off from Watton, Norfolk, in a brave but hopeless attempt to destroy a Luftwaffe base in enemy - occupied Denmark. One aircraft had to turn for home before it reached the target.The other eleven pressed on as the clouds disappeared and, on a fine sunny morning, were all shot down, by flak and fighters, and lay in burning fragments on the shores of the Lymfjord. At the time, when the whole world was trying to understand the impossible, how Germany could conquer Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium and France in a few weeks, and Poland before that - and surely Great Britain next? - 82 Squadron's disasters were barely noticed. Based on the accounts of survivors and on squadron and other records, Gordon Thorburn's moving retelling of the story, of the events of it and the men in it, at last puts right that terrible omission.
Download or read book Flight Artworks written by Gary Eason and published by . This book was released on 2015-09-18 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collected in book form for the first time – and also available as an ebook – are some of Gary Eason's acclaimed Flight Artworks: carefully researched and crafted photorealistic pictures of historical air combat. This first volume presents images of WWII scenes, selected from artworks created since 2011."From my point of view as a pilot for the last 43 years and an RAF fighter pilot for 30 years, the realism he captures is uncanny ...". - Squadron Leader Clive Rowley MBE RAF (Retd)Third edition, September 2015
Download or read book Eagles of the RAF written by Philip D. Caine and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1994-07 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: U.S. citizens fought and died in WW II long before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Among them were the pilots of the Eagle Squadrons, three fighter squadrons of Britain's Royal Air Force manned by young U.S. flyers. This book tells how the Eagle squadrons were formed and summarizes the history of the units and evaluates their deeds, motivations, and contributions. Draws on interviews from more than 35 surviving Eagles, their letters and memoirs, and official records. Depicts their daily lives along with special heroes and amazing sacrifices. "An important contribution to the study of American involvement in WWII. Highly recommended."
Download or read book Three s Company written by Jack T C Long and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2005-03-30 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No 3 Squadron was formed at Larkhill in 1912 from the No 2 (Aeroplane} Company under the command of the famous Major Robert Brooke-Popham. More importantly the squadron was the first in the RFC to be equipped with fixed-wing aircraft. Thereafter the squadron distinguished itself in both World Wars, its battle honors including Mons, Neuve Chappelle, Loos, Somme 1916, Cambrai 1917, Somme 1918, The Battle of Britain, Normandy and Arnhem. More recently it has seen service in the Falklands, the Balkans, Iraq, and has just returned from Afghanistan. No 3 Squadron have recently been nominated to operate the Eurofighter Typhoon. This book is a highly-illustrated history of the Squadron's operations throughout its history. The rare photographs have been collected by the author over many years and the text includes firsthand accounts from the Squadron archives. This book is the ultimate record of one of the world's oldest and proudest military flying units.
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 The Reich Intruders written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2006-03-19 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “One of Britain’s best-known aviation historians . . . provide[s] a moving and exciting account of the light bombers raids by No. 2 Group.”—Firetrench This is the story of 2 Group RAF during World War II. Much of it is told by the men who flew the Blenheim, Boston, Mitchell and Mosquito aircraft that carried out many daring daylight and night-time raids on vitally important targets in Nazi occupied Europe and Germany. These were not the famous thousand bomber raids that hit the wartime headlines, but low-level, fast-moving surprise raids flown by small formations of fleet-footed and skillfully piloted twin-engine light bombers. Their targets were usually difficult to locate and heavily defended because of their strategic importance to the Nazis. 2 Group also played a vital part in the invasion of Europe both before and after D-Day. Often they would fly at wave-top height across the English Channel or North Sea to avoid detection and then hedge-hop deep into enemy territory to deliver their precision attack. Enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire were a constant risk. This is a remarkable story of skill and bravery by a little-known branch of the RAF. “The most known modern air war historian . . . has made his usual traditionally meticulous and well-researched work. Through combination of first-hand accounts and document sources he describes the exploits of British, Commonwealth and Allied twin-engine bomber crews who fought and won their own war in Europe’s sky bravely and regardless its cost.”—Mykhaylo Akimov “If you are interested in British aviation history, then this book would make a good addition to any collection.”—Armorama
Download or read book No 7 Bomber Squadron RAF in World War II written by Tom Docherty and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2007-07-01 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the story of one of the RAF's oldest and most distinguished heavy bomber squadrons in WW2, although an outline history of the unit since it was formed in WW1 and its post-war history are included. It was the first operational Stirling Squadron, the RAF's first four engine heavy bomber, and flew the first long-distance raids into the heart of Nazi Germany. This new aircraft was a break-through in terms of range and bomb load but it was also an aircraft that suffered from many teething problems. Long-distance navigation was also a black art before the introduction of radio navigation systems and the squadron suffered many fatalities in those early wartime years. Having gained expertise in their task the unit was the first to be equipped with the H2S navigational aid and eventually became one of the original elite Pathfinder squadrons. When the Lancaster came into service the Squadron re-equipped and joined 8 Group and had the dubious reputation of suffering the third greatest loss of aircraft in Bomber Command. It did however participate in more Lancaster raids than any other 8 Group squadron.
Download or read book Squadron of Deception written by Stephen M. Hutton and published by Schiffer Military History. This book was released on 1999 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here at last is the exciting, detailed story of the U.S. Eighth Air Force's only Radar Countermeasure squadron that flew from England duing World War II. This book tells of the men of the elite 36th Bomb Squadron and the special operations they flew in modified B-24s to jam the German radar which controlled the fighter and flak batteries. Here too is the story of the men behind the scenes who sought to develop an extension of modern air warfare into the electronic arena and keep ahead of German scientists in the "War in the Ether." This chronological account gathered from secret records, personal diaries, and interviews with the "Old Crows" describes the night missions with the Royal Air Force and the daylight missions with the Eighth. The first jamming mission on the morning of D-Day "contributed materially to the success of the landings on the beachhead." Later missions during the Battle of the Bulge involved trickery, ingenious deception, spoofs, and tank communications jamming. This squadron flew on bad weather days, when the rest of the Eighth Air Force stood down, and paid its price in blood. Before the war in Europe ended the 36th Bomb Squadron screened Eighth Air Force radio transmissions to stop the enemy from learning important mission details. Here now is the story of how this secret squadron saved many Allied lives during World War II. Included are over 330 rare photographs and illustrations never before published.
Download or read book Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War Aircraft and crews lost during 1939 1940 written by W. R. Chorley and published by Midland. This book was released on 1992 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beretter om tabene ved RAF Bomber Command omfattende enheder, flytyper og besætningerne, herunder en kort beskrivelse af pågældende hændelse/mission.
Download or read book Biplanes and Bombsights British Bombing in World War I written by George K. Williams and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study measures wartime claims against actual results of the British bombing campaign against Germany in the Great War. Components of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), and the Royal Air Force (RAF) conducted bombing raids between July 1916 and the Armistice. Specifically, Number 3 Wing (RNAS), 41 Wing of Eighth Brigade (RFC), and the Independent Force (IF) bombed German targets from bases in France. Lessons supposedly gleaned from these campaigns heavily influenced British military aviation, underpinning RAF doctrine up to and into the Second World War. Fundamental discrepancies exist, however, between the official verdict and the first-hand evidence of bombing results gathered by intelligence teams of the RAF and the US Air Service. Results of the British bombing efforts were demonstrably more modest, and costs in casualties and wastage far steeper, than previously acknowledged. A preoccupation with “moral effect” came to dominate the British view of their aerial offensives. Maj Gen Hugh M. Trenchard played a pivotal role in bringing this misperception to the forefront of public consciousness. After the Armistice, the potential of strategic bombing was officially extolled to justify the RAF as an independent service. The Air Ministry’s final report must be evaluated as a partisan manifestation of this crusade and not as a definitive final assessment, as it has been mistakenly accepted previously. This study develops and substantiates a comprehensive evaluation of British long-range bombing in the First World War. Its findings run directly counter to the generally held opinion. Natural limitations, technical shortfalls, and aircrews lacking proficiency acted in concert with German defenses to produce far less results than those claimed.
Download or read book The Eagle Squadrons written by Vern Haugland and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Through to the End written by David Palmer and published by . This book was released on 2015-05 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Battle of Hamburg written by Martin Middlebrook and published by Penguin Uk. This book was released on 1994 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bestselling Martin Middlebrook's classic account of the battle for Hamburg: a description of a text book campaign, where the British Bomber Command got everything right.
Download or read book 49 Squadron RAF Bomber Command Squadron Profiles written by Chris Ward and published by Bomber Command Squadron Profil. This book was released on 2023-01-17 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chris Ward's Bomber Command Squadron Profiles series continues with this volume, focussing on 49 Squadron. Lavishly illustrated and with comprehensive operational details, this is a 'must read' for anyone interested in the wartime history of the squadron and its personnel. 49 Squadron was one of six front-line Hampden units serving with 5 Group at the outbreak of war. It was in action against the enemy on the day that war was declared, and apart from a brief spell on attachment to Coastal Command between the 26th of January and 19th of March 1940, spent its entire career in Bomber Command operating under the banner of 5 Group. Operations during the first two years and nine months of WWII were carried out in the trusty but increasingly obsolete twin-engine Hampden, a type which rendered magnificent service and in which 49 Squadron crews took part in the first mining operations in April 1940, the first strategic bombing operations over Germany in May and the attacks on invasion barges assembling in ports along the occupied coast as the Battle of Britain drew to a close in the late summer and autumn. At the limit of its range, the Hampden took 49 squadron crews to Berlin on many occasions, often arriving back over England flying on little more than fumes. The squadron took part in the infamous "Channel Dash" episode on the 12th of February 1942, during which the German fleet escaped from its long-time lodgings at Brest and passed under the noses of the British defences, through the English Channel and on to German ports. A massive daylight commitment of aircraft by Bomber and Coastal Commands and the Fleet Air Arm failed to halt the vessels' progress and four 49 Squadron Hampdens were among fifteen aircraft lost. The great hope was the Avro Manchester, the type intended to replace the Hampden, but its engine design was fatally flawed and the type was approaching the end of its brief operational career by the time that 49 Squadron converted in the early summer of 1942. It was not a happy two months of operations, which included the three "Thousand Bomber Raids on Cologne, Essen and Bremen, the last-mentioned bringing down the curtain on the Manchester's ill-fated career. Thereafter, 49 Squadron went to war in Lancasters and played a major role in the campaigns of 1943 against the Ruhr, Hamburg and Berlin, the last mentioned continuing until the spring of 1944. 5 Group gained independence from Bomber Command's main force in April 1944 and remained at the forefront of operations. pre-invasion against railways and coastal defences and post-invasion in tactical support of ground forces and in on-going campaigns against railways, V-Weapons and oil. The squadron suffered its heaviest loss on Midsummer's Night 1944, when losing six crews, including that of its commanding officer, in an attack on a synthetic oil refinery at Wesseling near Cologne. From late summer onwards, the squadron was involved in a second Ruhr campaign and in 1945 took part in frequent attacks on the Dortmund-Ems and Mittelland canals, which resulted in their destruction. 49 Squadron sustained consistently fewer casualties than most squadrons and set an example of excellence that few other squadrons matched and, certainly, none surpassed.
Download or read book Nothing Can Stop Us written by Simon Hepworth and published by . This book was released on 2015-09-07 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The deeds and sacrifice of RAF Bomber Command's squadrons and aircrews in the Second World War are well-recorded. However, whilst there has been much focus on high profile units such as 617 Squadron (the 'Dambusters'), other units played a part in the war of attrition that was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The heroism of their crews was every bit as prevalent as the exploits in more celebrated squadrons and tales abound of unbelievable courage, ingenuity and sheer guts. 514 Squadron was one such unit. Its service life was only eighteen months but its contribution, and the sacrifice of its crews, was considerable. Over the course of 220 operations 514 Squadron's Lancasters dropped nearly fifteen thousand tons of bombs at a cost of 88 aircraft. 437 members of the squadron gave their lives in the cause of our freedom with many others suffering serious injuries. Once shot down, those who survived tried to walk, or in some cases swim, home. One 'played dead', lying in a makeshift grave for 36 hours then, having been rescued by his Resistance helpers, shot an SS officer who chanced upon him. Others joined the Resistance or otherwise made life as difficult as possible for the Nazis. Some were sent to Buchenwald concentration camp whilst at least one was murdered by his captor. One pilot, burned alive as he struggled to keep his Lancaster steady so his crew could escape, was turned down for a VC as he had dropped his bombs seconds before, rather than after, the aircraft was hit. Nothing Can Stop Us is the companion volume to Striking Through Clouds, the War Diary of 514 Squadron. It combines the official operational record with personal stories of many who served with the unit, collated by Harry Dison who served in the squadron as a Flight Engineer. It is illustrated with over 150 contemporary photographs, most of which have never previously been published. With the benefit of painstaking research, along with contributions from veterans and their families, it is the definitive history of 514 Squadron, its people and aircraft.
Download or read book The Skull Crossbones Squadron written by Lee Cook and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 1998 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the true story of one of the most successful of all United States Navy Fighting Squadrons in World War II. They were the top guns of their day and came to be feared by the Japanese fighter pilots who described them as "attacks on us by wolves." Their victorious achievements are as follows: 152 Japanese planes destroyed in the air and two on the ground in only 76 days of combat; five small enemy cargo ships and 17 barges carrying troops and supplies sent to the bottom of the sea. No bomber escorted by them was lost to enemy aircraft and no ship covered by them was ever hit by bomb or aerial torpedo. The squadron had thirteen aces and two more who later went on to become aces with VF-84 (combat veterans of VF-17 composed the nucleus of this squadron). They were the first Navy squadron into combat action with the new Chance Vought Corsair and were instrumental in proving this powerful new fighter to the Navy. VF-17 were known as the Skull and Crossbones squadron and "Blackburn's Irregulars" - having adopted the old pirates ensign of the Jolly Roger as the squadron insignia; since World War II they have become known as the "Jolly Rogers." The Skull and Crossbones Squadron is a mission by mission chronicle of all the squadron's great air battles. Also included are more than 350 photographs and detailed appendices listing all squadron aces, every confirmed victory and war diary.
