Bomb Aimer Over Berlin

Bomb Aimer Over Berlin PDF Author: Les Bartlett
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473812550
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
The English pharmacist-turned-RAF-aircrew-member recounts his missions fighting against the Third Reich during World War II. Les Bartlett has become one of the great characters of World War II history. He flew as bomb aimer with the then Flying Officer Michael Beetham, who later became Marshal of the Royal Air Force. At that time he was a sergeant but gained his commission in April 1944 and flew his tour, including twenty-seven raids over Germany and France between November 1943 and May 1944. On his second operation his aircraft was attacked by a Ju 88, leaving it with no flaps or brakes—a crash landing at Wittering ensued. At the end of his third mission they found the whole of Lincolnshire fogbound and eventually landed at RAF Melbourne in Yorkshire just before that airfield was closed also because of the fog. His aircraft was hit in the wing by a 30lb incendiary bomb dropped by another Lancaster flying above them on his sixth operation—but they survived. On his twelfth operation to Leipzig he used the nose guns to destroy a Ju 88 night fighter, for which he was awarded the DFM. In February 1944 the port outer engine caught fire and the crew baled out. Les was then posted as Assistant Adjutant to RAF Thornaby.

Bomb Aimer Over Berlin

Bomb Aimer Over Berlin PDF Author: Les Bartlett
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473812550
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
The English pharmacist-turned-RAF-aircrew-member recounts his missions fighting against the Third Reich during World War II. Les Bartlett has become one of the great characters of World War II history. He flew as bomb aimer with the then Flying Officer Michael Beetham, who later became Marshal of the Royal Air Force. At that time he was a sergeant but gained his commission in April 1944 and flew his tour, including twenty-seven raids over Germany and France between November 1943 and May 1944. On his second operation his aircraft was attacked by a Ju 88, leaving it with no flaps or brakes—a crash landing at Wittering ensued. At the end of his third mission they found the whole of Lincolnshire fogbound and eventually landed at RAF Melbourne in Yorkshire just before that airfield was closed also because of the fog. His aircraft was hit in the wing by a 30lb incendiary bomb dropped by another Lancaster flying above them on his sixth operation—but they survived. On his twelfth operation to Leipzig he used the nose guns to destroy a Ju 88 night fighter, for which he was awarded the DFM. In February 1944 the port outer engine caught fire and the crew baled out. Les was then posted as Assistant Adjutant to RAF Thornaby.

Bomb Aimer Over Berlin

Bomb Aimer Over Berlin PDF Author: Peter Jacobs
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 184415596X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Les Bartlett has become one of the great characters of World War II history. He flew as bomb aimer with the then Flying Officer Michael Beetham, who later became Marshal of the Royal Air Force. At that time he was a sergeant but gained his commission in April 1944 and flew his tour, including 27 raids over Germany and France between November 1943 and May 1944. On his second operation his aircraft was attacked by a Ju 88, leaving it with no flaps or brakes - a crash landing at Wittering ensued. At the end of his third mission they found the whole of Lincolnshire fogbound and eventually landed at RAF Melbourne in Yorkshire just before that airfield was closed also because of the fog. His aircraft was hit in the wing by a 30lb incendiary bomb dropped by another Lancaster flying above them on his sixth operation - but they survived. On his twelfth operation to Leipzig he used the nose guns to destroy a Ju 88 night fighter, for which he was awarded the DFM. In February 1944 the port outer engine caught fire and the crew baled out. Les was then posted as Assistant Adjutant to RAF Thornaby.

Bombers Over Berlin

Bombers Over Berlin PDF Author: Alan W. Cooper
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783036516
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
First published to acclaim in 1985, this book is set to be a timely release, in line with the 70th Anniversary of the outset of the Raids, near approaching in November 2013. Berlin itself was 'the Big City'. It was deep in the heart of Germany and heavily defended with flak and night fighters, not only because it was the administrative capital but also because it was vital for the German war production machine. Heavy losses could be expected on any raid to Berlin. So when the curtain was swept back on the briefing map to reveal the red ribbon stretching towards Berlin there was added tension for the bomber crews. Between November 1943 and March 1944, Berlin was the target no less than sixteen times. 9,112 sorties were flown and 495 aircraft were lost.As in his previous books, Alan Cooper has painstakingly researched all the details of the raids, telling the stories of individual crews who flew on them, of those who returned safely and those who were shot down, becoming POWs or evading capture, either returning to the UK or remaining at large in occupied Europe. He tells of the heroism of the pilots and crews grappling with heavily -loaded bombers against night fighters, often nursing stricken aircraft back to base, with many failing to return.Acclaim for Bombers Over Berlin:What makes this book so remarkable and interesting is its anthology of short but graphic accounts of the trials and tribulations of the dozens of bomber crews involved...Bombers Over Berlin is unique in its compilations of such a large number of personal anecdotes covering the hazards of sustained fighter and flak attacks...a thoroughly well researched chronicle Ken Batchelor, former Chairman of the Bomber Command Association.

To Hell and Back

To Hell and Back PDF Author: Laurie Woods
Publisher: Boolarong Press
ISBN: 1921920424
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
To Hell and Back is the story of some of the other Australian airmen who flew with Bomber Command. Laurie Woods either knew these men personally or had heard of them during the campaign.

Night Duel Over Germany

Night Duel Over Germany PDF Author: Peter Jacobs
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473897122
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Bomber Commands night offensive against Nazi Germany, which lasted for nearly six years, was one of Britains major contributions to the Allied effort during the Second World War. But the decision to conduct its main operations at night only came about following heavy losses by day, when its prewar medium bombers had been found lacking in modern air warfare. The Luftwaffe, too, had its early problems. Initially without a dedicated night fighter, it was ill-equipped to defend the Reich, and so the stage was set for what would become one of the most critical strategic encounters of the war.Things had to change on both sides. Soon there came new and more capable aircraft, in ever-increasing numbers, coupled with new tactics and technology, as each side strove to gain the upper hand. It became a fascinating encounter between the crews of Bomber Command and the Luftwaffes night fighter force, the Nachtjagd, with no shortage of courage and heavy losses on both sides. Amongst the epic encounters were Bomber Commands Thousand Bomber raids, the attack on the German V-weapons research establishment at Peenemnde, the campaigns against the industrial Ruhr, Hamburg and Berlin, and the disastrous raid on Nuremberg. This new publication consolidates accounts from both sides and from all ranks of service in an effort to provide a comprehensive account of some of the most ferocious nocturnal engagements of the Second World War.

Stay the Distance

Stay the Distance PDF Author: Peter Jacobs
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1848325525
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 329

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Book Description
Sir Michael Beetham enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the Royal Air Force. He joined the RAF as a pilot in 1941 and was awarded the DFC whilst serving with Bomber Command during 1943/44. Remaining in the post-war RAF, a number of flying and staff appointments followed, notably he drafted the first specification for the ill-fated TSR 2 and later joined the V-Force as commanding officer of 214 Sqn at Marham. Beetham then served at the heart of Bomber Command s affairs when the V-Force was at the forefront of the nation s defenses. The most critical moment came with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. In 1964 he was given command of Khormaksar in Aden, the RAF s biggest overseas station. His arrival coincided with the start of a terrorist campaign against British forces in Aden.More senior appointments followed, notably as Commander 2nd Tactical Air Force and Commander-in-Chief RAF Germany, but the big prize came in 1977 when Beetham was appointed Chief of the Air Staff. In 1982 came the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands; as acting Chief of the Defence Staff, he was involved in the decision to send the Task Force to battle. After victory in the Falklands, Sir Michael Beetham handed over as CAS and was appointed Marshal of the Royal Air Force."

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.

To Hell and Back

To Hell and Back PDF Author: Mel Rolfe
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
ISBN: 1908117540
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
The author of Flying into Hell climbs into the cockpit with the pilots of Bomber Command for classic stories of gallantry in World War II. This new edition of Mel Rolfe’s successful book contains twenty dramatic but true stories of Bomber Command adventures. Some of them defy belief—like the RAF bomb aimer who was blown out of his Liberator over Warsaw at 400ft without a parachute and made a poignant return in 1989 to witness the unveiling of a memorial on the crash site. Others defy logic—like two men of the same crew who survived a terrible crash, neither aware of the other’s existence but both saved by the tolling of the same church bell. All are riveting. A journalist by profession, Rolfe has conducted his interviews and prepared the stories in such a way as to take the reader into the events as they happened. To read these accounts is to step back into the war itself.

The Other Few

The Other Few PDF Author: Larry Donnelly
Publisher: Red Kite / Air Research
ISBN: 0954620127
Category : Britain, Battle of, Great Britain, 1940
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
This title pays tribute to the achievements of Bomber and Coastal Command pilots who made such a vital contribution to the war, but whose efforts have gone largely unrecorded.

The Night Air War

The Night Air War PDF Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 178383191X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Of the 7,953 Bomber Command aircraft lost on night operations during the Second World War, an estimated 5,833 fell victim to Luftwaffe night fighters. In this detailed re-enactment of the air war over Western Europe and the raids flown by the men of RAF Bomber Command, the author has pieced together official data and the words and memories of the pilots and air crew who participated in the proceedings. Across fifteen chapters, many unique experiences are regaled, enlivening the history of the night bombing raids that were hurled against Hitler's war machine during the latter half of the Second World War. They span the period between November 1943 and 1945 and cover the encounters between the Luftwaffe and RAF Bomber Command during their heyday. 'No Operation Was Easy' was a commonly coined phrase amongst this group who, night after night, struck out at targets such as the 'The Big City' (Berlin), Stuttgart and the Ruhr. These truly epic stories, gleaned from the memories of the men who made up Bomber Command, serve as an appropriate epitaph to their collective effort.