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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.
During WWII, on one raid alone, Nuremburg March 1944, more Bomber
Command airmen lost their lives than were lost in the Battle of
Britain. These were ordinary men who became part of extraordinary
events. One such was Arthur Darlow, the author's grandfather. A
pilot of a Lancaster crew in 405 RCAF, he was one of the legions of
men who took the offensive against the enemy for most of the war.
Their story, vivdly recreated here, is special. The crew's tour
starts with Bomber Command's Main Offensive in late 1943. German
night fighters and flak regiments defend their homeland with grim
determination and losses are high. But our crew survive. Thousands
do not. Darlow's crew continue, through D-Day and the invasion of
Western Europe. One day though, they are shot down over Belgium, to
become, in turn, prisoner, evader, casualty. Collectively they
experience it all. Not romanticised but written with feeling and
respect, this book should be read by all age groups.
'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'.
In the Summer of 1944 Nazi Germany launched its terrifying
Vergeltungswaffen (reprisal weapon) attack against the population
of south-east England. Under direct attack the Allies responded.
The Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower was quite
clear that the V-weapon counter measures were of paramount
importance over everything except the urgent requirements of the
D-Day and Normandy land battle, 'this priority to obtain until we
can be certain that we have definitely gotten the upper hand of
this particular business.' He would use all the resources at his
disposal including the Royal Air Force's heavy bomber force. The
task for RAF Bomber Command was simple. If the bomber crews could
reduce the number of V1s launched, the fighter aircraft and gun
defences had a better chance to intercept and shoot down the flying
bombs. But these pilotless aircraft were not the only menace, the
V2 rocket offensive would soon be launched, and the Allies closely
monitored the construction of what they came to learn was the V3
'supergun' site. When the war came to a close Bomber Command could
justifiably claim success against the V-Weapons. There was a cost
though - a cost in aircrew lives. V-Weapons Bomber Command Failed
to Return tells the story of some of those airmen who were prepared
to risk their lives countering the German V-Weapon offensive in
direct defence of the civilian population. They had responded to
what British Prime Minister Winston Churchill described as the
attempt to 'blast the viper in his nest'. Their story deserves to
be told. 'We Will Remember Them'.
Churchills Few will forever be remembered by history as men who
thwarted the seemingly invincible German war machine, when all
seemed lost. They countered the full force of the Luftwaffe in the
daylight battles during the summer of 1940, and in the night skies
of the winter and spring of 1940/41. They were at the time, and
still are, perceived as knights of the air, as our heroes. Now,
five distinguished RAF airmen, four pilots and one radar
operator/navigator, who fought that air battle during the Battle of
Britain and the Blitz, have recounted their experiences in detail
to author Steve Darlow. Their stories have never before been
published, and they talk engagingly of their service life, combats,
losses, injuries, friendships and fears flying Spitfires,
Hurricanes, Blenheims, Beaufighters and Havocs. One pilot tells of
the time he fell victim to the enemy My Spitfire stopped being a
flying machine, it became a lump of metal. I was going down with it
and I couldnt get out. I broke the seat by standing on it. The
pressure throwing me into the bottom was terrific A Beaufighter
radar operator remembers being involved in shooting down a German
aircraft He took a vertical dive, struck the ground and exploded
with a shower of incendiaries. I felt like a child with a new toy.
I had at last proved myself but for some reason I suddenly felt a
little sad. But Five of the Few is not just about the experiences
of these men during 1940/41. They would also distinguish themselves
in subsequent air campaigns night defence of the UK, offensive
operations over the continent and support to D-Day and beyond. In
between the aerial combats and ground attack operations,
promotions, decorations and command responsibilities would come
their way. But not all would make it through safely to the end of
the war. One would end up behind barbed wire. Collectively Five of
the Few is a war story of youth maturing, through aspiration and
idealism, courage and bravado, fear and heroism, memory and
reflection. It is a reminder of why so much was owed, and still is,
by so many to so few.
From 1943 to 1945, the Allied bombing offensive escalated to
unprecedented levels. "Special Op: Bomber" is an action-packed
account of this battle in the skies over Europe, from the
perspective of the men who undertook the highly dangerous job of
flying the bombers.Throughout the unrelenting and destructive air
campaign there were certain vital operations that required the
airmen of the RAF and the USAAF to take their skills to new levels,
and to display courage above and beyond the call of duty. "Special
Op: Bomber" draws upon a wealth of these courageous veterans'
stories, many of them previously unpublished.The vivid firsthand
accounts convey the peril of Allied air combat in World War II with
breathtaking immediacy.
'For you the war is over'. 'Last of the Kriegies' tells the
extraordinary stories of five of the last remaining Second World
War RAF Bomber Command Prisoners-of-War: pilot Reg Barker, bomb
aimer Charles Clarke, air gunner David Fraser, air gunner Albert
Gunn and navigator Henry Wagner. Each veteran shares the journey
they went through joining up with the Royal Air Force, their
training and crewing up, and operational duties with RAF Bomber
Command. We accompany them on raids over enemy territory as they
fight to survive against the relentless flak, searchlights, and
deadly enemy nightfighters. Eventually each airmen's next of kin
receives a knock on the door and the dreaded 'regret to inform' you
telegram. Reg, Charles, David, Albert and Henry describe the
circumstances in which they are shot from the sky, descending by
parachute in to hostile territory, and their subsequent failed
attempt to avoid capture. Interrogation follows and we hear how the
downed airmen negotiate the aggressive and devious tactics employed
by their captors as they try and extract secret information. Our
'Kriegsgefangener' soon find themselves behind the barb wire of a
German prison camp facing the trials and tribulations of daily life
as a 'kriegie'; the battle with hunger and frustration, the baiting
and harassing of prison guards, friendships made, and attempts to
break out and escape their captivity. In the final months of the
war some of our POWs endure the gruelling and harsh conditions of
the forced 'Long March'. Despite frustrating delays, as the Nazi
regime enters its final death throes, our airmen eventually taste
the sweetness of liberation and journey home to loved ones and
family. Fighting High Publishing and Bomber Command historian Steve
Darlow present the extraordinary testimony of five veterans who
endured and survived being shot down, captivity, degradation, and
suffering. Illustrated with previously unpublished photographs and
with a foreword from former Gulf War POW Squadron Leader Bob
Ankerson RAF (Ret'd) 'Last of the Kriegie's' reveals the
extraordinary strength and resilience of the human spirit
struggling with incarceration and the loss of freedom.
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