Lancaster Men: The Aussie Heroes of Bomber Command

by Peter Rees

Over 10,000 Australians served with Bomber Command, a highly trained band of elite flyers who undertook some of the most dangerous operations of World War II. They flew mission after mission over France and Germany, knowing that the odds were against them. Stretched to breaking point, nearly 3,500 died in the air. Their bravery in extreme circumstances has barely been recognized. Peter Rees traces the extraordinary achievements of these young aviators. He tells their hair-raising stories of battle action and life on the ground. And he recounts how, when they returned to Australia, they were greeted as Jap dodgers and accused of 'hiding in England while we were doing it tough'. This is a book as compelling, as full of life and exciting as Desert Boys and The Other Anzacs.

Genres: History, War, Nonfiction, World War II, Aviation

Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Peter Rees was a journalist for more than forty years, working as federal political correspondent for the Melbourne Sun, the West Australian and the Sunday Telegraph. He is the author of The Boy from Boree Creek: The Tim Fischer Story (2001), Tim Fischer's Outback Heroes (2002), Killing Juanita: a true story of murder and corruption (2004), and The Other Anzacs: The Extraordinary story of our World War I Nurses (2008 and 2009) and Desert Boy: Australians at War from Beersheba to Tobruk to El Alamein (2011 and 2012). He is currently working on a biography of Charles Bean to be published in 2015.

Reviews

[Jason Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. So sad how these crews were treated on their return to Australia

[Under Milkwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although my father had spent a short time piloting a Lancaster in the latter stages of the Second World War, I had never really given much thought to the operations and strategies connected with Australia's involvement in Bomber Command in Europe from 1939 to 1945. Also, with the rising anti-war sentiment through the Vietnam era and beyond, the idea of Aussie Heroes of Bomber Command almost seemed like glorified nostalgia. This well-researched and compelling book shines a much-needed light on a large group of ordinary young men who stepped up in extraordinary times.
It was no secret that Great Britain treated their loyal colonial servicemen like second class citizens in both World Wars. But didn't they value them when it came to getting the job done. What was eye-opening about this book is the second by second descriptions of flying in freezing cold and cramped conditions over flak-filled European skies.
It also looks at the psychological traumas that developed for many air crews as they watched innocent victims flee from bomb attacks. Not to mention the sheer horror at witnessing their mates in another Lancaster exploding in flames.
And most surprisingly there is a long discussion on LMF. Lack of Moral Fibre! Men who showed any weakness through fear were publicly ostracised and made to carry an official recognition of this for the rest of their lives.
There are also letters from home that bring tears to the eye. As well as letters to loved ones from boys who seemed to sense that their number was up.
And let's not forget the sombre reception bestowed on these 'Aussie flyboys' when they sailed home to Australia: 'lucky' guys who holidayed in England while there was a war on in the Pacific!
This is a rewarding and indeed, sobering read.

[Julene Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

My uncle makes an appearance in this book, so I read it.
Not being one for war books, I was ready to be bored, but this is quite readable and sets up the details well. What those bombers went through was amazing and with such a high rate of being shot down they were certainly brave. Statistics are amazing in this book. Many of the famous or famed pilots are in there. A couple of times I googled people to get their background.
Best of all it is about Australians who "did their bit" for Britain.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was very interesting and easy to understand (not too technical). However, it did jump around a bit and I sometimes couldn’t remember the previous stories of the crew. That being said, I still highly recommend it!!

[Mark Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant telling of the heroics of these men

[Peter Holford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read quite a few memoirs of the Second World War, but this one was not typical. It is written by contemporary journalist, Peter Rees, and published only three years ago in 2013. It a long (424pp) and well-researched work, drawing from the memoirs of dozens of Australian airmen, personal interviews and many hours in the research rooms of the Australian War Memorial. Therefore it contains material that was never available to historians and writers in the decades immediately following the war and it contains a distinctly Australian view of Bomber Command. Although sources are identified in the lengthy 'Notes' at the end, I would have appreciated footnoting throughout.

The style was a little difficult at first, moving from the account or perspective of one person to another within and between chapters. Sometimes the threads were easy to follow but, if like me you are reading it over months while reading a number of other books, I missed some threads and found it a little disorienting. That said, it was still very enjoyable. It contained many of the exciting and extraordinary accounts of bravery and sacrifice that aficionados of this era have come to expect, including chapters on the Dambusters and other well-known raids.

I particularly enjoyed coming across personal accounts from people in my part of Australia, including Keith Campbell (of Tamworth) and Jim Rowland (of Armidale). The latter returns to the narrative well over a dozen times - a good example of the style of narrative described above. His story is particularly interesting in that he later became Chief of Air Staff (RAAF) and Governor of NSW. We lived on Rowlands Road, Armidale in 2013 and I wonder if it is named after him or his family.

The controversy of Dresden is reconsidered with the hindsight of nearly 70 years. Accurate casualty figures are presented based on the findings of the Dresden Commission of Historians (2010) and real responsibility for the civilian death toll is laid at the feet of the leaders of both Allied and Nazi forces - not the brave men who flew the mission: "The men of Bomber Command have had to wear the blame for the destruction wrought on the city for far too long due to their political leaders distancing themselves from responsibility" (p356).

The way Bomber Command aircrew were overlooked after the war is explained in the closing chapters. They had to fight for recognition for decades after the war: the Bomber Command memorial was only opened in London in June 2012 (I visited it in December of that year) and the Bomber Command clasp was issued for the first time that year, 67 years after the end of hostilities. New to me was learning of how badly Australian airmen of the European theatre were sometimes treated by their compatriots, both during the war and after. Sometimes, Australian aircrew on active duty in Europe were even sent white feathers as cowardly 'Jap dodgers'. Some, who remained in the RAAF after the war, were overlooked for promotion because they hadn't served in the Pacific theatre.

Overall, this book represents a valuable and important contribution to the history of World War Two air combat. I recommend it.

[Bruce McNair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of the Australian airmen that served in World War 2 under Bomber Command. There are many stories of mateship through long bombing campaigns, and harrowing accounts of lost mates and loved ones. Throughout the horrors of war are evident: the strategic attacks, the miscalculated ones, the loss of planes being shot down or involved in collisions. However, little is said about the civilian casualties. The recollections of the bombing of Dresden in February 1945 are especially poignant. There was, and still is, doubt as to whether it was necessary. Those personally involved were mostly pragmatic - they had a job to do, and did it with clinical detachment. As one pilot wrote: "The war had reached the stage where moral attitudes had given way to pragmatic ones. We wanted to survive the war." One regret they had was the lack of recognition for their role in the war. Many found they were not welcomed home. Some were deemed cowards hiding in Europe from the Japs, despite the fact that Bomber Command had the highest rate of casualties. A lot struggled with their memories afterwards - some suffered from guilt knowing they had survived the downing of their aircraft while many of their crew did not, or were responsible for huge numbers of civilian casualties. It's difficult to compare war stories, especially those from different eras, but the difficulties and horror that these men went through to combat the terror of Nazi Germany, and continued to struggle with later, surely ranks as heroic. I cannot condone war, but I respect these men for the part they played in ending it.

[Meaghan Lake · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this book it was informative, honest and very hard to put down once i started to read it i couldnt stop, like most things about war it made me think of my beautiful grandfather who fought in the 2nd world war and it did bring a tear to my eye what wonderful men and women they were.