Bomber Crew: Taking on the Reich

by John Sweetman

From the withdrawal from Dunkirk in 1940 to the Allied invasion of Germany four and a half years later, RAF Bomber Command was the only British force to strike directly at the enemy homeland. During raids, bomber crews were confined to cramped quarters, buffeted by flak, and at the mercy of storms, high winds, prowling fighters, and equipment malfunction. Bomber Crew vividly portrays the wartime experiences of these young men and the loved ones they so often left behind.

Genres: Military History, Aviation, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably a lot of research went into this, but the organisation of the material, roughly chronologically, means that various personnel are introduced then dropped until later chapters and its difficult to remember who they are when they next appear.The style is also rather dry. So I can only give this an "ok" 2 stars.

[Stefan Mitev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Английският министър-председател Стенли Болдуин е казал, че "бомбардировачът винаги ще премине". Той се оказва напълно прав. Втората световна война е войната на бомбардировките - от първия до последния ден. Отначало, по време на "странната война" (ситцкриг) кралските военновъздушни сили разпръскват само пропагандни листовки над германските градове, но завършват с пълното унищожение на Дрезден през февруари 1945 г. "Благородният" стремеж към прецизно фокусиране върху чисто военни цели бързо отстъпва на по-практичното "килимно" бомбардиране на огромни зони. Страдат най-вече цивилните. Парадоксалното е, че бомбардировките въобще не оправдават очакванията на атакуващата страна - нито влияят особено много върху морала на цивилното население, нито пречат на производството, което нараства с всяка изминала година до края на войната.

Съвременното общество трябва да е запознато с ужаса на бомбите. Именно цивилните плащат цената за глупостта и егоизма на политиците. Тоталната война унищожава всички. Не трябва да допускаме да се случи отново.

[Philip Talmage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mainly a compendium of reminiscences, some already published elsewhere, by aircrew members of RAF Bomber Command. It is held together by a description of how the machines and equipment, strategy and tactics of the campaign developed from 1939 to 1945.
Like many, my father would hardly ever talk about his experiences as a Lancaster navigator. So this book supplements the log book, maps and a few photographs which he left behind - most already donated to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Museum at East Kirby airfield, where 57 Squadron was based.
Inevitably, the stories are mainly told by those who survived. They have helped to bring back memories of my father, and I shall keep it to re-read on occasion.

[Bill V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an OK read. I did pick up some details that I wasn't previously aware of, such as the various electronic aids the British invented and implemented as the war progressed. Overall, the book didn't really grasp my interest beyond a superficial level. In part this is due to all the various people and characters introduced during the course of the book. This made following the narrative difficult at times.

[Steve Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent account of the WWII bombing campaign. Using factual events linked to personal recollections it shows the effect on bomber crew and their family/ friends of bombing missions. It also chronicles how aircraft and technology developed rapidly in such a short period.

[Huw Rhys · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a little disappointing. It attempts to tell the story of British bombing of Europe mainly during the Second World War. It relies heavily on reminiscent materials, and it tries to follow a chronological line through the conflict.

It lacks focus really. You get an anecdote about a specific person, then hear nothing more about him for maybe 100 pages or so- by which time his character is just a dim memory. There also appear to be random one liners about random individuals "a captain Andrew Smith, of 468 squadron, also reported heavy flak over Dresden that night" - almost as if the author had found half a line somewhere and felt honour bound, for some reason, to include the reference.

The author also relies heavily for much of his source material on other books of a similar ilk which have been published over the years - therefore, for those of us who have a taste for this sort of topic (and I suspect it is a little niche anyway) we get the feeling that we've read a lot of these stories before- because we probably have.

So as I say, all in all, a pretty unsatisfying read, sadly.

[Susan Paxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Sweetman has ably illustrated Bomber Command's war with this book of well-chosen personal experiences of aircrew and the people who knew them; many of the sources are especially valuable for being contemporaneous.

That said, I would probably have given this book 3 and a half stars were such available. Anyone who wants to use this book for their own research would be advised to check the original sources. I am very familiar with one of the crewmen he discusses extensively, and some of what Sweetman says is just mistaken for whatever reason. But I would still recommend it as a gripping read full of personal stories in turn touching, humorous, deeply sad, and terrifying.

[Danita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important, interesting and heart-rending book. We should never forget the men inside those bombers, nor the people on the ground underneath them.