The Crew

The Crew PDF Author: Margaret Mayhew
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1448109353
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 418

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Book Description
Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Donna Douglas, a saga full of the heart-wrenching emotion and drama of World War II from bestselling author Margaret Mayhew. READERS ARE LOVING THE CREW! "I could not put the book down" - 5 STARS "Loved this book" - 5 STARS "Excellent! Highly recommended! Wonderful WWII story. Great character development." - 5 STARS "This book really has you never wanting to put it down until the end." - 5 STARS *********************************** THE HEROIC STORY OF SEVEN MEN...AND THE WOMEN WHO LOVED THEM. A crew of seven men in one Lancaster bomber: one American, one Scot, one foppish aristocrat, one Aussie, one aged London cockney, one semi blind mid-upper gunner and one seventeen year old who has lied to get into the air force. Initially they fail to get on or work together - almost crashing on their first landing. Yet, as they begin their first real gut-dropping bombing raids over Germany and despite their mixed backgrounds, they begin to develop as a real crew, depending on each other. Off the airfield, the women who love them pray every night for their safe return. A wonderful emotive, gripping, heart-wrenching novel of men, and women, at their best.

The Crew

The Crew PDF Author: Margaret Mayhew
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1448109353
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 418

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Book Description
Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Donna Douglas, a saga full of the heart-wrenching emotion and drama of World War II from bestselling author Margaret Mayhew. READERS ARE LOVING THE CREW! "I could not put the book down" - 5 STARS "Loved this book" - 5 STARS "Excellent! Highly recommended! Wonderful WWII story. Great character development." - 5 STARS "This book really has you never wanting to put it down until the end." - 5 STARS *********************************** THE HEROIC STORY OF SEVEN MEN...AND THE WOMEN WHO LOVED THEM. A crew of seven men in one Lancaster bomber: one American, one Scot, one foppish aristocrat, one Aussie, one aged London cockney, one semi blind mid-upper gunner and one seventeen year old who has lied to get into the air force. Initially they fail to get on or work together - almost crashing on their first landing. Yet, as they begin their first real gut-dropping bombing raids over Germany and despite their mixed backgrounds, they begin to develop as a real crew, depending on each other. Off the airfield, the women who love them pray every night for their safe return. A wonderful emotive, gripping, heart-wrenching novel of men, and women, at their best.

Legend of the Lancasters

Legend of the Lancasters PDF Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1781598649
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1249

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Book Description
This book is a riveting account told in ten big chapters of the young RAF crews who flew Lancasters in RAF Bomber Command from 1942 to the end of the war in Europe in April 1945. It is unique in that the story is told using first person accounts from RAF aircrew and German night fighter crews who fought each other on raids on occupied Europe and Germany from 1942 onwards. Details of what it was like to be on the receiving end in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne etc are also included. A whole host of incredible first-hand accounts by British, Commonwealth, American and German air crews permeate the action and describe the aerial battles as only they can. This unique book also includes many accounts and photos that have not previously been seen before while the rich mix of combat accounts from all sides are brought together for the first time in one volume.

Air Gunners

Air Gunners PDF Author:
Publisher: Tim O'Flynn
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 599

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Book Description
Air Gunners is a tale of the life and loves of two men. One from the Irish Free State, the other from New Jersey in the USA who are thrown together during the mad days of World War II. Tim O'Leary meets up with Hal Grainger at an RAF aircrew training centre in Yorkshire, England while training to become air gunners. While they're still in training the Lancaster Bomber they're undergoing training in comes under attack by two Messerschmitt 110 hit and run raiders. They manage to shoot down both of their attackers resulting in both of them ending up being recommended for the Distinguished Flying Medal. Once they finish their training they move on to an Operational Training Unit where they 'crew up' and undergo further training before moving on to an Operational Squadron. Having become firm friends during their time in training they form a deadly partnership as the rear and mid-upper gunners of a Lancaster Bomber crew that by wars end they end up being credited with over 55 'kills' between them.

Men of Air

Men of Air PDF Author: Kevin Wilson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1643130994
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 610

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Book Description
Bomber combat crews faced a wide array of perils as they flew over German territory. Bursts of heavy flak could tear the wings from their planes in a split second. Flaming bullets from German fighter planes could explode their fuel tanks, cut their oxygen supplies, destroy their engines. Thousands of young men were shot, blown up, or thrown from their planes five miles above the earth; and even those who returned faced the subtler dangers of ice and fog as they tried to land their battered aircraft back home.The winter of 1944 was the most dangerous time to be a combat airman in RAF Bomber Command. The chances of surviving a tour were as low as one in five, and morale had finally hit rock bottom. In this comprehensive history of the air war that year, Kevin Wilson describes the most dangerous period of the Battle of Berlin, and the unparalleled losses over Magdeburg, Leipzig and Nuremberg.Men of Air reveals how these ordinary men coped with the extraordinary pressure of flying, the loss of their colleagues, and the threat of death or capture. Brilliantly placing these stories within the context of The Great Escape, D-Day, the defeat of the V1 menace, and more, Wilson shows how the sheer grit and determination of these "Men of Air" finally turned the tide against the Germans.

Lancaster: Reaping the Whirlwind

Lancaster: Reaping the Whirlwind PDF Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752476971
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
The narrative description and condensed history of the Lancaster's construction, combat career and post-war service, brought together to tell the complete, concise history of the world's most famous aircraft of all time and undoubtedly the finest bomber of World War Two. A superlative colour section of 50 photos of the BBMF Lancaster and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Lancaster (the only two Lancasters still flying) are featured in which is a unique photo section to complement the 150 mono contemporary images, many of which have never been published before. Appendix sections, detailed and expert captions and other material complement the exciting narrative which includes a special chapter on the Dam Busters to conincide with the release of the new movie by Peter Jackson and the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in Hyde Park, London.

Flying into the Flames of Hell

Flying into the Flames of Hell PDF Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783409347
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 527

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Book Description
The book contains twenty-three stirring accounts of what life flying as air-crew in World War Two was really like. The writers are a mixed bunch of pilots, navigators and gunners who flew medium and heavy bombers or Mosquitoes. It conveys the terror of being coned by German searchlights over the target, attacks by Luftwaffe night-fighters, catastrophic damage to aircraft and the ensuing struggle to keep the machine airborne on the return trip to base. It tells of the comradeship between the crew and often the humor between them which was often bred from fear.The gentle and unassuming narratives convey the sense of purpose that these men felt in doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the war. It is a fitting tribute to those that survived and the many thousands who died in the struggle against Hitler's dreadful ambitions in Europe.

Fighter! Fighter! Corkscrew Port!

Fighter! Fighter! Corkscrew Port! PDF Author: Pat Cunningham
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783461470
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
The young men who flew with RAF Bomber Command in World War Two were a complex mixture of individuals but they all shared the gift of teamwork. A crew of seven may have comprised all non-commissioned men and some crews included commissioned officers but not always flying as pilots. The outstanding fact was that each man relied on every other member of his crew to return from each mission safely.This book contains ten intriguing reminiscences of bomber aircrew; some were pilots, others navigators, flight engineers, bomb-aimers or gunners. They flew as both commissioned or NCO airmen. Understandably, a common problem was that of coping with fear. Many former aircrew hold that anyone who claims to have felt no fear on operations is either lying or has allowed the years to blank out that fear. But there are a few who do maintain that they never felt afraid. For the majority, though, handling fear was something to be worked out by the individual. Some hit the bottle, others womanized to excess; others tightened the gut and bit the lip; or drew the curtain and focused upon the plotting table or the wireless set. The passing years may have silvered what hair remains, dulled the eye that formerly registered on the merest speck; lent a quiver to the hand that once controlled the stick, penciled in the track, manipulated the tuning dial, set the bombsight, tapped the gauge, or rotated the turret. And yet for all the attributes of age their irrepressible youthfulness shines through.

Extraordinary Things

Extraordinary Things PDF Author: Diana DeLuca
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595415059
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
"The heart-tugging dialogues between a mother and her daughter are the most sensitive and insightful I've ever read."-W/C T. W. H (Howard) Hewer, CD, RCAF ret., author of In for a Penny, In for a Pound. "Makes the reader want to finish the story before putting it down."-S/L George Sweanor, RCAF, ret., 419 Squadron, author of It's All Pensionable Time. "his is how I saw life on the squadron sixty-two years ago."-F/O Doug Sample, CD, RCAF ret., rear gunner, 415 Squadron, President-Chairman, Yorkshire Air Museum, Canada Branch. "An untold story, aircrew and their families. Accurate, moving, and compelling."-F/O "Jeff" Jeffery, DFC, RCAF ret., pilot, 432 Squadron, president, The Halifax Aircraft Association. Night after night, WWII bomber aircrews flew operations from English airfields. They were ordinary men asked to do extraordinary things. Many left behind families and secrets. One involves Barbara MacDonald, a London actress, who learns from her dying mother that her father was shot down over Germany in 1943. Barbara's quest to find out about him takes her across England and out to Canada. What she learns changes her attitude toward her parents, herself, and her profession. But it will also confront her with the greatest challenge of her life.

Betrayal in Burgundy

Betrayal in Burgundy PDF Author: Howard Shaw
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1780884885
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
It was still dark. Lancaster Z-Zebra lost height as it crossed the Channel and headed back to England. James Chalmers pushed the control column forward and eased himself into a more comfortable position, relaxing for the first time since taking off from Wynton Thorpe. The throb of the four Merlins was reassuring. While other pilots saw it as a matter of pride to be among the first to land, Chalmers believed in nursing his engines and had throttled back. The crew had not spoken since leaving the French coast. After the hazards of the Ruhr the worst was over.This is the story of a Lancaster bomber pilot during the Second World War when, night after night, aircrew risked their lives over Germany and more than fifty-five thousand young men were killed, many dying without experiencing the love of a woman.Set in backdrops ranging from a bleak RAF bomber aerodrome in rural Lincolnshire to the beautiful Yonne valley in France, Betrayal in Burgundy shows the developing romance of a young pilot as well as the stresses faced by aircrew whose lives are formed of extraordinary contrast, one moment drinking with a girl in the sanctuary of an English country pub, the next struggling for survival amidst flak and German night fighters over the Third Reich. When the story moves to Burgundy, it covers the varied reactions of the population to the German occupation as well as meeting the secret world of the French Resistance and the help it received from the Special Operation Executive in London, the organisation instructed by Winston Churchill to ‘set Europe ablaze.’Betrayal in Burgundy perfectly captures the conflicts and choices brought about by war.

Lancaster

Lancaster PDF Author: Leo McKinstry
Publisher: John Murray
ISBN: 1848543557
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 969

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Book Description
The Spitfire and the Lancaster were the two RAF weapons of victory in the Second World War, but the glamour of the fighter has tended to overshadow the performance of the heavy bomber. Yet without the Lancaster, Britain would never have been able to take the fight to the German homeland. Highlights the scale of the bomber’s achievements, including the famous Dambusters attacks. With its vast bomb bay, ease of handling and surprising speed, the mighty Lancaster transformed the effectiveness of the Bomber Command. Whilst addressing the political controversy surrounding the bombing offensive against Germany, Leo McKinstry also weaves individual tales into this compelling narrative. Rich characters are brought to life, such as Roy Chadwick the designer, who taught himself engineering at night school and Sir Arthur Harris, the austere head of the Bomber Command. This is a rich saga, a story of triumph over disaster and the history of an iconic plane.