This is the story of a wartime bomber, its crew and of a
tantalising detective story unfolding over nearly a quarter of a
century of intensive research. It is also a story of courage,
fortitude and endurance and of one man's will to survive against
seemingly insurmountable odds. Bomber Command's horrific loss rate
during the Second World War cannot be underestimated. Of the
120,000 young aircrew who served, 55,373 were to perish, most of
them losing their lives over the night skies of Europe. The Battle
of the Ruhr, the campaign to destroy the industrial heartland of
Germany which raged between March and July 1943, was both savage in
intensity and costly in terms of aircrew. Prospects for survival
for anyone involved in operational flying with Bomber Command at
that time were particularly bleak. Young aircrew could expect a
lifespan measured in terms of weeks where seemingly only a fiery
death in an exploding aircraft or captivity as a Prisoner of War
awaited. It is with this period that the book is primarily
concerned and, more specifically, with the crew of Halifax JB869 of
102 Squadron, of which the author's father was the navigator, and
its loss on the night of 4 May 1943. He survived baling out and,
later, an attempted lynching on the ground to become a Prisoner of
War. But his escape from his shattered aircraft was only the first
of many episodes in his two and a half years of captivity that
would see him pushed to the limits of endurance and face death more
than once. Like so many veterans the author's father chose not to
speak about his wartime experiences until quite late in his life
and it was only after his death and the chance discovery of an
archive of letters, logbooks, accounts and other material that the
full story of his incredible series of escapes came to light.
Through extensive research, including face-to-face interviews and
correspondence with a significant number of ex-aircrew, the author
has painstakingly pieced together the complete story of the crew of
this aircraft, identifying and contacting relatives of each crew
member and, for some, bringing closure after decades of not knowing
how (or in some cases where) their loved one had met their deaths.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(7)
