This book tells the stories of the 23 men who won Britain's highest military accolade for Bomber Command during World War II.
Bomber Command's catchphrase of 'Press on Regardless' was never better exemplified than in the extraordinary bravery of the men whose exploits are recounted here. These are stories of incredible heroism, often carried out in the face of certain death.
The subject is brought to life with detailed accounts, alongside photos of the men themselves and their aircraft. The actions described begin with the Battle of France in 1940 and go through to the final stages of the bomber offensive over Germany in February 1945.
Among the heroes you'll meet are:
Wing Commander Roderick 'Babe' Learoyd, who set off to bomb the Dortmund-Ems Canal aqueduct on 12 August, had his plane shot to pieces, but somehow managed to successfully fly it home and land what was left of it
Pilot Officer Donald Garland, Sgt Thomas Gray and Air Gunner Reynolds, who volunteered without hesitation to attack a bridge at Veldwezelt
Pilot Officer AC Mynarski, whose loyalty to his fellow airmen saved their lives but cost him his own
Air Commodore Hughie Edwards, the first of only three Australian airmen to be awarded the VC, who led a bombing raid over Bremen
Sgt James Allen Ward, the boy from Wanganui, who earned his VC for climbing out on the wing of his aircraft in total darkness, to extinguish a fire caused by enemy contact
Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who led No 617 Squadron in the Dam Busters raid of 1943, and ultimately completed over 170 sorties during the war
Those are just a handful of the accounts that appear in this fascinating book. The 23 men here not only represent the 55,000 who were killed during the Bomber Command raids, but also the hundreds of thousands who survived.
CONTENTS
- Introduction
- 1. Carnage over the Albert Canal - Donald Garland and Thomas Gray (12 May 1940)
- 2. The Dortmund-Ems Canal Roderick 'Babe' Learoyd (12/13 August 1940)
- 3. Inferno over Antwerp John Hannah (15/16 September 1940)
- 4. Daylight over Bremen - Hughie Edwards (4 July 1941)
- 5. Out Onto the Wing - James Ward (7/8 July 1941)
- 6. Lone Attack on Singora - Arthur Scarf (9 December 1941)
- 7. The Lancaster's Baptism of Fire - John Nettleton (17 April 1942)
- 8. Cologne Raid in 'D' for Dog - Leslie Manser (31 May 1942)
- 9. The Faithful Crew - Rawdon Middleton (29 November 1942)
- 10. Massacre over Chouigui - Hugh Malcolm (4 December 1942)
- 11. The Kiwi Great Escaper - Leonard Trent (3 May 1943)
- 12. The Dam Busters - Guy Gibson (16/17 May 1943)
- 13. Target Turin - Arthur Aaron (12/13 August 1943)
- 14. Press On Regardless - William Reid (3 November 1943)
- 15. Against All Odds - Cyril Barton (31 March 1944)
- 16. Just One More 'Op' - Norman Jackson (26 April 1944)
- 17. The 'Selfless Recipient' - Andrew Mynarski (13 June 1944)
- 18. Second to None - Leonard Cheshire (July 1944)
- 19. With the Pathfinders - lan Bazalgette (4 August 1944)
- 20. 'Oboe' VC - Robert Palmer (23 December 1944)
- 21. Putting Your Life on the Line - George Thompson (1 January 1945)
- 22. Springbok Pathfinder - Edwin Swales, SAAF (23/24 February 1945)
- Appendix
- Abbreviations
- Bibliography
- Index
Martyn Chorlton was born in the north Cambridgeshire fens during the late 1960s. He joined the RAF as an Air Photographer in 1984. After tours in Germany and Northern Ireland, his service came to an end in 1997 and, a few years later he wrote his first aviation book. He is a regular magazine contributor to Aeroplane Monthly, Jets, Airfix and Aviation Classics and is the author of Bomber Command The Victoria Cross Raids and The RAF Pathfinders.
