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The raid on the secret rocket research establishment at Peenemünde
on the Baltic coast in August 1943 has gone down in history as one
of the most successful and remarkable of the war. The site was
virtually obliterated, and the Germans forced to move rocket
production and development elsewhere. But it came at a terrible
cost. More than 40 bombers and 215 RAF aircrew failed to return.
After the war, the bodies of many of those who were killed were
recovered by the Missing Research and Enquiry Service (MRES) and
buried in Commonwealth war graves. But not all. A series of mishaps
and miscommunication led the MRES to search in the wrong place.
Funds to continue the search dried up. And with the site falling
into Russian hands, and access to British and US search parties
severely restricted, the search ultimately had to be called off,
and the remaining men commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial as
having no known grave. But some of the missing men are still there,
waiting to be found. With a foreword from Peenemünde raid veteran
pilot George Dunn DFC L d'H, and illustrated with a wealth of
previously unpublished photographs, Sean Feast and Mike McLeod tell
the story of the forgotten graves of Peenemünde, the search to
discover the truth about their final resting place, and the chance
that their bodies may yet be discovered and returned.
The RAF Halton Apprenticeship Scheme has a deserved reputation for
excellence. The brainchild of MRAF Hugh Trenchard, the founder of
the Royal Air Force, it took the 'traditional' idea of an
apprenticeship and interpreted it in a novel way. It allowed
teenage boys from any social background or geography to learn a
technical trade that would equip them for their future lives,
within and beyond the RAF. It also gave the best an opportunity to
become pilots and break into the once public-school-dominated
officer class. Of the 50,000 boys trained as apprentices, seventeen
won the Sword of Honour at Cranwell, and more than 1,200 were
commissioned with 110 achieving Air Rank. Eighteen have been
knighted, with well over 1,000 others being honoured at various
levels of state. More than a hundred Halton Boys served as pilots
in the Battle of Britain (and many more as airframe/engine fitters
and armourers), including the mercurial Don Finlay, the former
Olympic hurdler. Others like Gerry Blacklock and Pat Connolly flew
bombers on perilous missions over Western Europe or took part in
the famous 'Dams' Raid. Then there were the three men murdered for
their part in the Great Escape, and those who battled and survived
years as prisoners of the Japanese in the Far East. In the jet era,
ex-apprentice Graham Hulse became an 'ace' in Korea, serving with
an American fighter squadron, and Mike Hines went on to become OC
617 Squadron after having first flown operations during the Suez
crisis. Others like Charles Owen became a pioneer commercial jet
pilot, and Peter Goodwin had the misfortune of being captured in
the first Gulf War and used as a human shield. Some forged
successful careers beyond the RAF, like Lawrie Haynes, who was on
the main board at Rolls-Royce and is now chairman of the Board of
Trustees of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, and Eugene
Borysuik - one of the many Polish apprentices trained at Halton,
who enjoyed a successful career at GEC. And there were many others
beyond air and ground crew including policemen, government
officials and even bishops whose careers started with the Halton
family. This is the story of Halton told through and by the boys
who were there and who are still proud to be called 'Trenchard
Brats'.
This definitive history of the Pathfinders and the role they played
in World War Two takes an in-depth look at the elite unit, from its
initial inception, and less than spectacular start, to its
development as a precision instrument that transformed bomber
operations. The aircraft, technology and weapons used are covered
in full, as are the characters involved with the unit. The author
also details the training and techniques deployed, in particular
the emergence of the Master Bomber and Long-Stop systems. Finally,
the Pathfinder Force's contribution to victory is assessed. This
comprehensive look at one of the war's most fascinating units will
give the reader a greater understanding of the unit's vital
contribution to the war and show how some of the techniques
developed are still in use today.
The aim of those who created the International Bomber Command
Centre (IBCC) was clear - to provide a world-class facility to
serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation
for Bomber Command. In 2018 that aim was achieved. 'Our Story, Your
History - The International Bomber Command Centre' details the
story behind the IBCC, the people who came up with the initial idea
and the extraordinary dedication and creativity that made the
project a reality. The IBCC's Mark Dodds tells the remarkable story
of how the concept arose, the various design and construction
phases, the remarkable efforts to raise the necessary funds, and
the cutting-edge development of the comprehensive losses database
and digital archive. Dr Robert Owen provides a military history of
Bomber Command from the first operational flight, less than an hour
after war was declared against Germany in September 1939, to the
end of hostilities five years and eight months later in May 1945.
Historian and author Steve Darlow tells the human story of the
aircrews who flew and fought in the skies above Germany and the
Nazi occupied territories, drawing on numerous first-hand accounts
from veterans. Dr Dan Ellin provides an insight in to the
experiences of the male and female ground personnel who served with
the Command, and author Sean Feast details the tragic stories
behind the loss of specific crews, all of whom are remembered on
the IBCC's Wall of Names. Illustrated throughout with images
showing the development of the project and wartime pictures of
those whose memory is central to the project, 'Our Story, Your
History' is a fitting reminder to current and future generations of
the commitment and sacrifice associated with the men and women,
from 62 different nations, who came together in Bomber Command
during the Second World War.
On 12 December 1944, with the war entering its final stages, Bomber
Command launched its last Main Force raid on the Krupps Steel works
at Essen. The attack was devastatingly successful, and completed
for the loss of only a handful of aircraft. Three of the airmen
lost in the raid are still listed as `missing', believed killed in
action. Extensive investigative research by aviation historians
Sean Feast and Marc Hall has discovered the truth about what
happened to these missing men, and how they are linked to the
murder of three unidentified RAF airmen, on a bridge, within
twenty-four hours of believing they were safe. They have also
discovered the truth about a fourth airman, a Canadian, shot down
on the same raid who died in mysterious circumstances and whose
near-naked body was discovered after the war, hastily buried in an
unmarked grave. In the centenary year of the RAF, the authors
reveal a darker side to the history of the `Third Service'.
Complementing historical research with the evidence of present-day
specialists, they have pieced together the harrowing story of four
murders, the identities of the victims and their killers, and the
tantalising possibility that at least one of the `missing' men may
at last have been found.
'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, utilising 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 colour 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'.
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