The Bomber Aircrew Experience

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The Bomber Aircrew Experience

Author : Philip Kaplan
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2016-06-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9781510702639

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The Bomber Aircrew Experience by Philip Kaplan Pdf

Discover the wartime experiences of the bomber boys in World War II. Flying bombers during World War II was a harrowing ordeal. Unlike the fighter jocks, who pit their skill and wits against each other in agile aerial combat, the bomber boys had to endure the fear and savagery of the air war with grim acceptance—their only option to sit and take it. Manning lumbering machines that could not maneuver or defend themselves effectively, the aircrews had to rely on tight aircraft formations and their own bravery to survive the onslaught of enemy fighters and anti-aircraft artillery. Within these great planes, they developed bonds like no other; young men thrust together in a shared fate, risking their lives in slow-moving yet beautiful and powerful aircraft over the skies of numerous war zones, thousands of feet above the battlegrounds but no further away from the horrors. Fully illustrated with hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs, as well as dozens of interviews, Philip Kaplan’s The Bomber Aircrew Experience offers an intimate glimpse into the life and times of these wartime airmen. The bomber boys recount their harrowing missions over Germany’s industrial heartland, paving the way for Allied victory in the Second World War’s European Theatre. Discover what it was like to man such planes as the great Flying Fortress and the Liberator, and what it was like for the British and Commonwealth boys flying night missions in the Lancasters, Halifaxes, and Stirlings. And then finally, learn about the development of the modern stealth bombers: the F-117 Nighthawk and the B-2 Spirit. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

The Fear in the Sky

Author : Pat Cunningham
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 431 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2012-09-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783036301

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The Fear in the Sky by Pat Cunningham Pdf

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.

Courage and Air Warfare

Author : Mark K. Wells
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 278 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2014-03-05
Category : History
ISBN : 9781135204891

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Courage and Air Warfare by Mark K. Wells Pdf

Colonel Wells investigates the nature of aerial warfare and the men who took part. The book analyzes aircrew selection, reaction to combat, adaptability to stress, morale, leadership and combat effectiveness, and compares the efforts of the US Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command.

With Wings As Eagles

Author : Philip Kaplan
Publisher : Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
Page : 514 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2017-03-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9781510705159

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With Wings As Eagles by Philip Kaplan Pdf

Beginning in 1942, the Eighth Air Force began a precision bombing raid offensive deep into Nazi Germany, embarking from bases in rural England. Nearly 350,000 Americans were transplanted to English soil, joining their British colleagues for this joint Allied offensive. For many it was a period of great risk, and arguably the greatest adventure of their lives. With Wings As Eagles celebrates the heroics of these pilots and their missions. A lavishly illustrated, full-color, hardcover original, the narrative is the result of the author’s exclusive interviews with many of the pilots and crew, as well as research from contemporary diaries, journals, and scrapbooks. Readers relive the nostalgia and vivid reminiscences — of days of seemingly endless boredom and fatigue, the loneliness of soaring in an aluminum cocoon four miles over an intended target, and a surprising account of parachuting onto German soil and being captured by women and children. With Wings As Eagles relives the drama and history of an heroic era.

Escort Pilot

Author : Philip Kaplan,Andy Saunders
Publisher : Skyhorse
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2017-05-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9781510705173

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Escort Pilot by Philip Kaplan,Andy Saunders Pdf

Spitfire, Mustang, Lightning, Thunderbolt… in the darkest days of World War II, these legendary fighters escorted lumbering heavy bombers over enemy territory, providing protection, drawing cover, and taking on everything Germany’s Luftwaffe could throw at them. Escort Pilot is the lavishly-illustrated celebration of these unique heroes, painstakingly researched and beautifully designed. It conjures up the lost world of these daring US, British, and other Allied pilots. Readers witness gripping, first-hand accounts of deadly dogfights over Germany, accompanied by warm, humorous personal reminiscences of life on the ground, accompanied throughout by hundreds of period photos and reproductions of vintage artifacts and keepsakes - many in full color. Filled with engaging anecdotes, little-known fighter lore, and a wealth of fascinating and colorful details you’d expect – from favorite, long-forgotten local pubs to personalized flight jacket artwork – Escort Pilot is a richly evocative reminiscence of a heroic era and the larger-than-life personalities that inhabited it.

No Prouder Place

Author : David L. Bashow
Publisher : St. Catharines, Ont. : Vanwell Pub.
Page : 584 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : History
ISBN : WISC:89082317223

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No Prouder Place by David L. Bashow Pdf

No Prouder Place provides a fresh and objective look at the bombing campaign by emphasizing the highly significant role it played in defeating the Axis powers. It is a story of sustained courage in the face of daunting odds as well as a celebration of the Canadian aircrew experience and its place in wartime Bomber Command. The text contains scores of original recollections from the veterans themselves, interwoven with material from primary, archival and secondary sources. It is illustrated with original art-work by Ron Lowry including colour side profiles of selected Bomber Command (from RCAF units) and Luftwaffe aircraft.

Bombs Away!

Author : Martin W. Bowman
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 489 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2010-06-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783032747

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Bombs Away! by Martin W. Bowman Pdf

This is a unique selection of wide-ranging experiences of British and Commonwealth Bomber Command aircrew during World War II. Their endearing bravery and fortitude and sometimes their despondency and cynicism, shows through in these stirring, daring, often irreverent, humorous and sometimes sardonic but memorable stories. All reflect the ethos, camaraderie, fear and bravery of the largely ordinary men, most of whom were plucked from civvy street and thrust into a frightening, bitter conflict which was made even more dangerous by the lethal advance of technology.Death would normally come from an anonymous assassin, either in the black of night, or from behind a cloud or out of the sun, or simply from the Flak gunner on the ground. And, if all this was not enough, the often unmerciful weather was no respecter of mortality. There was no escaping the all-embracing shock wave that rippled through the bomber squadrons after a heavy mauling over enemy territory. Nothing could be more poignant than the vacuous places at tables in the depleted mess halls, the empty locker of the departed, or the dog pining by the barracks for its missing master. Each man had to deal with tragedy in his own inimitable way. Some hid their feelings better than others did only for the pain to resurface months or even years later. Some who had survived the physical pressures and who completed their tours then succumbed to the mental torture that had eaten away at their psyche during the incessant and interminable onslaught day after day, night after night. There was little respite. The valorous men of Bomber Command were, in turn, the Light Brigade, the stop gap, the riposte, the avengers, the undefeated. Always, they were expendable.

Aircrew

Author : Bruce Lewis
Publisher : Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Page : 287 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2022-08-18
Category : History
ISBN : 9781474626293

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Aircrew by Bruce Lewis Pdf

A vivid, first-hand account of the tension and excitement of flying missions over Nazi Germany The British and American bomber crews of the Second World War often had to endure the most terrifying conditions. Not for them the glorious, all-or-nothing exhilaration of the Battle of Britain pilots - rather, the slow dwindling of courage as mission followed mission, the long, freezing, ear-shattering journey to the target, the bursting flak, the prowling night fighters. Then, if they were lucky, the long haul home, sometimes nursing a battered, barely flyable machine, often perilously short of fuel. Bruce Lewis flew in thirty-six such raids. In this book he records, in his own words and those of his fellow survivors, the events that made operational flying such a fearful experience. This is a blisteringly honest account of life for the Second World War bombers.

Master Bombers

Author : Sean Feast
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 239 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2012-09-26
Category : History
ISBN : 9781909166981

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Master Bombers by Sean Feast Pdf

The wartime exploits and experiences of an RAF bomber pathfinder squadron are recounted in this WWII history—“A stunning war book” (Oxford Times, UK). Formed in July 1942, the Pathfinder Force was the corps d’élite of the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command. The Squadrons of the PFF were tasked with marking targets and leading bomber formations to the right place at the right time. And the best of the force formed the crews of the master bombers, the aircraft in charge of the whole attack. It took nerves of steel for the crew to linger high over the target area, often for hours, in constant fear of attack from fighters or flak. In Master Bombers, aviation historian Sean Feast shares the wartime stories of the men and women of No. 582 Squadron. This bomber pathfinder squadron was formed in April of 1944 and began operations with a night raid on Occupied France a week later. The aircrew and supporting staff of No. 582 distinguished themselves in numerous operations, with one pilot, Ted Swales, winning a posthumous Victoria Cross over Pforzheim.

Bomber Command: Reflections of War, Volume 1

Author : Martin W. Bowman
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 542 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2011-12-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783032716

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Bomber Command: Reflections of War, Volume 1 by Martin W. Bowman Pdf

This massive work provides a comprehensive insight to the experiences of Bomber Commands pilots and aircrew throughout WWII. From the early wartime years when the RAFs first attempts to avenge Germanys onslaught were bedeviled by poor navigation and inaccurate bombing, to the last winning onslaught that finally tamed Hitler in his Berlin lair, these volumes trace the true experiences of the men who flew the bombers. Hundreds of firsthand accounts are punctuated by the authors background information that puts each narrative into wartime perspective. Every aspect of Bomber Command's operational duties are covered; day and night bombing, precision low-level strikes, mass raids and operations throughout all wartime theaters. Contributions are from RAF personnel who flew the Commands different aircraft from the early Blenheims and Stirlings to the later Lancasters and Mosquitoes.Each volume is full of accounts that tell of the camaraderie amongst the crews, moments of sheer terror and the stoic humor that provided the critical bond. The five volumes of this work provide the most vivid and comprehensive work on the outstanding part played by RAF Bomber Command and their vital role in the destruction of the Third Reich.

Bomber Command: Reflections of War, Volume 2

Author : Martin W. Bowman
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 584 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2012-10-24
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783032563

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Bomber Command: Reflections of War, Volume 2 by Martin W. Bowman Pdf

This massive work provides a comprehensive insight to the experiences of Bomber Commands pilots and aircrew throughout WWII. From the early wartime years when the RAFs first attempts to avenge Germanys onslaught were bedeviled by poor navigation and inaccurate bombing, to the last winning onslaught that finally tamed Hitler in his Berlin lair, these volumes trace the true experiences of the men who flew the bombers. Hundreds of firsthand accounts are punctuated by the authors background information that puts each narrative into wartime perspective. Every aspect of Bomber Command's operational duties are covered; day and night bombing, precision low-level strikes, mass raids and operations throughout all wartime theaters. Contributions are from RAF personnel who flew the Commands different aircraft from the early Blenheims and Stirlings to the later Lancasters and Mosquitoes.Each volume is full of accounts that tell of the camaraderie amongst the crews, moments of sheer terror and the stoic humor that provided the critical bond. The five volumes of this work provide the most vivid and comprehensive work on the outstanding part played by RAF Bomber Command and their vital role in the destruction of the Third Reich.

To Hell and Back

Author : Mel Rolfe
Publisher : Grub Street Publishing
Page : 355 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2008-10-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781908117540

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To Hell and Back by Mel Rolfe Pdf

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.

Bombers

Author : Philip Kaplan
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Bombardiers
ISBN : 0760720576

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Bombers by Philip Kaplan Pdf

The crews of the Lancasters, Halifaxes, Mosquitoes, the Fortresses, Liberators and Marauders - and, for that matter, the Heinkel 111s, the Junkers 88s, the Mitsubishis and the Savoia-Marchettis - had some of the most thankless and most dangerous jobs of all those who fought in the Second World War. For the most part, they performed them with courage, skill and determination. Few had chosen their role, many disliked it, but most believed it was necessary for the cause they fought for. The majority were young, in their teens or early twenties - often too young to vote for their government, but never too young to die for their country. This book is an account, largely in their own words, of what these men (and their successors who flew in Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf and elsewhere) experienced: flying five to six miles above the earth, deep into enemy territory, and then returning to a short interlude of comparative normality at 'home' before contemplating the next briefing, the next mission. Unlike many other combatants, they had little control over their own fate - there are no foxholes in which to take cover in the sky, 99 of the projectiles fired at their aircraft might burst in harmless puffs of smoke, the hundredth might tear a wing off or riddle their body with shrapnel. The fighters that preyed upon them could soar and jink like hawks while they had to fly straight and level, holding formation by day, alone and vulnerable by night. -- Amazon.com.

Bomber Command

Author : Martin Bowman
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2011-10-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9781848844926

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Bomber Command by Martin Bowman Pdf

This massive work provides a comprehensive insight to the experiences of Bomber Command's pilots and aircrew throughout WWII. From the early wartime years when the RAF's first attempts to avenge Germany's onslaught were bedeviled by poor navigation and inaccurate bombing, to the last winning onslaught that finally tamed Hitler in his Berlin lair, these volumes trace the true experiences of the men who flew the bombers. Hundreds of firsthand accounts are punctuated by the author's background information that puts each narrative into wartime perspective. Every aspect of Bomber Command's operational duties are covered; day and night bombing, precision low-level strikes, mass raids and operations throughout all wartime theaters. Contributions are from RAF personnel who flew the Command's different aircraft from the early Blenheims and Stirlings to the later Lancasters and Mosquitoes. Each volume is full of accounts that tell of the camaraderie amongst the crews, moments of sheer terror and the stoic humor that provided the critical bond. The five volumes of this work provide the most vivid and comprehensive work on the outstanding part played by RAF Bomber Command and their vital role in the destruction of the Third Reich.

Physiological Problems Of Bomber Crews In The Eighth Air Force During WWII

Author : Major James J. Carroll
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
Page : 38 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2014-08-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781782897897

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Physiological Problems Of Bomber Crews In The Eighth Air Force During WWII by Major James J. Carroll Pdf

Aviation physiology is a highly relevant field to flyers of unpressurized aircraft that flew at altitudes in excess of 25,000 feet. Crew members had to contend with severe environmental factors while flying long bombing missions during WWII. The limits of human physiology must be the main concern of any battle plan involving flyers and fatality/mortality rates should be the primary focus in evaluating the success or failure of such a plan. The purpose of this research project is to determine if human factors were overlooked intentionally or by accident. If they were overlooked unintentionally, then what was done to resolve the physiological problems of the aircrews? The project will also underscore the continued need to address the human machine during any plan in today’s demanding aviation environment. Chapter one explores whether or not the limits of the human being was taken into account when the WWII bombing planners developed AWPD-1. It provides an insight into why AWPD-1 was created without regard to the aircrew members, and how this neglect could have possibly been remedied. Chapter two examines the machines of the day, in particular the B-17, to see if it was ready to carry out the assigned missions envisioned by the war planners. The early wartime experience of the B-17 by the Royal Air Force was disappointing, but nevertheless it was looked upon by the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as the ultimate bomber that could complete any assignment. This chapter also provides some insight into a “typical” mission the B-17 aircrew had to endure and the aircraft’s ability to carry out the assigned bombing missions. Chapter three deals with the physiological problems experienced by the aircrews and what was done to alleviate them. Chapter four focuses on the non-combat accident rates of the Eighth Air Force, what they meant, and how the leadership reacted to them.