A Pathfinder In The Peenemunde Raid
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| Author | : Arthur Spencer |
| Publisher | : Pen and Sword Aviation |
| Total Pages | : 114 |
| Release | : 2024-07-30 |
| Genre | : Biography & Autobiography |
| ISBN | : 1399079883 |
Arthur volunteered for aircrew service with the RAF in 1940 at the age of 19, as soon as his school examinations were completed. He trained as a navigator in Canada and Florida. After further training in the UK and crewing up with a pilot and other crew members, he joined 97 Squadron, flying Lancasters in December 1942. The following April the crew transferred to Pathfinder Force, where their operations included the shuttle-service attack on Friedrichshafen and the attack against Peenemünde. In September, having completed two tours, he was posted to the Mediterranean theater, initially in Libya and later in Italy. He flew five further operations, three in Halifaxes and two in Wellingtons, the latter in support of the Yugoslav resistance. In December 1944 he returned to the UK and joined Transport Command before being seconded to BOAC. Arthur's direct and detailed account of his experiences is a fascinating and valuable document of an astonishing feat to be exposed to such danger and to survive to tell the tale.
| Author | : Martin Middlebrook |
| Publisher | : Pen and Sword |
| Total Pages | : 423 |
| Release | : 2006-02-16 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 1473819539 |
The author of The First Day on the Somme recounts Operation Hydra, the British bombing on a Nazi army research center during World War II. On the night of August 17-18, 1943, RAF Bomber Command attacked a remote research establishment on the German Baltic coast. The site was Peenemunde, where Hitler’s scientists were developing both the V-1 flying bomb and the V-2 rocket whose destructive powers could have swung the course of the war. The raid was meticulously planned, and hopes were high. But the night sky was so cloudless that the British bombers presented an easy target for German night fighters, and over 40 were lost. Martin Middlebrook draws on the memories of over 400 people involved in the dramatic events on that night: RAF and Luftwaffe aircrew, German personnel at the research site, and foreign laborers who had been forced to work there. The result is a truly compelling account of this hazardous attempt to disrupt Hitler’s V-weapons program.
| Author | : Kevin Wilson |
| Publisher | : Simon and Schuster |
| Total Pages | : 417 |
| Release | : 2018-12-04 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 1681779463 |
The year 1943 saw the beginning of an unprecedented bombing campaign against Germany. Over the next twelve months, tens of thousands of aircrews flew across the North Sea to drop bombs on German cities. They were opposed not only by the full force of the Luftwaffe, but by a nightmare of flak, treacherously icy conditions, and constant mechanical malfunction. Most of these courageous crews were either shot down and killed or taken prisoner by an increasingly hostile enemy. This is the story of the everyday heroism of these crews in the days when it was widely believed that the Allies could win the Second World War by air alone. American pilots had a special role in the “Dambusters” campaign in particular. Even before the attacks on Pearl Harbor, scores of eager pilots travelled across the Canadian border to train with other future “Dam-busters,” all eager to take part. Authoritative and gripping, Airborne in 1943 brings these remarkable men and women to vivid life.
| Author | : Ted Stocker |
| Publisher | : Casemate Publishers |
| Total Pages | : 192 |
| Release | : 2012-11-15 |
| Genre | : Biography & Autobiography |
| ISBN | : 1909166715 |
The only RAF flight engineer to be awarded a Distinguished Service Order recounts his prolific WWII combat career in this engaging military memoir. Flight Lieutenant Ted Stocker lived a charmed life. Joining the Royal Air Force as a teenager, he trained as one of the famous Halton Aircraft Apprentices known as Trenchard’s Brats. Stationed at RAF Boscombe Down, he flew prototype Stirling and Halifax bombers just as the Second World War broke out. Qualifying as one of the RAF’s first flight engineers, he went on to join Bomber Command’s elite Pathfinder Force. Stocker was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1943 and eventually completed more than 100 bombing operations, often as a master bomber. Although his aircraft was frequently hit, and he survived a crash landing, Stocker was never wounded. His achievements were recognized with the only known Distinguished Service Order issued to a flight engineer. In this candid and fascinating memoir, co-written by acclaimed aviation historian Sean Feast, Stocker relates his incredible tale of singular courage and miraculous survival.
| Author | : Kevin Wilson |
| Publisher | : Weidenfeld & Nicolson |
| Total Pages | : 462 |
| Release | : 2012-04-09 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 1780224427 |
A gripping account of the everyday heroism of British bomber crews in 1943 - the year when Bomber Command believed it could win WWII by bombing alone. In 1943 the RAF began a bombing campaign against Germany, the like of which had never before been seen. Over the next twelve months, tens of thousands of aircrews flew across the North Sea to drop their bombs on German cities. They were opposed not only by the full force of the Luftwaffe, but by a nightmare of flak, treacherously icy conditions, and constant mechanical malfunction. Most of these crews never finished their tour of operations but were either shot down and killed, or taken prisoner by an increasingly hostile enemy. This is the story of the everyday heroism of British bomber crews in the days when it was widely believed that the Allies could win the Second World War by bombing alone. Kevin Wilson has interviewed hundreds of former airmen about what their lives were like in 1943: the stomach-churning tension of flying repeatedly over hostile territory, the terror at being shot down or captured, and the peculiar mixture of guilt and pride at unleashing such devastation on Germany.
| Author | : Sean Feast |
| Publisher | : Casemate Publishers |
| Total Pages | : 450 |
| Release | : 2012-10-24 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 1909808822 |
Veterans of the RAF’s legendary Pathfinder Force share their personal accounts of WWII in this authoritative history by the author of Master Bombers. During the Second World War, the Pathfinder Force was the corps d’élite of Bomber Command. Literally leading the charge in the Royal Air Force’s bombing raids over Nazi occupied territory, the aircrews of the PFF required top notch skills and nerves of steel. In Pathfinder Companion, aviation historian Sean Feast tells the remarkable stories of these brave men, drawing on extensive interviews with veterans as well as official records and archival documents. Pathfinder Companion highlights the raids and the losses, the successes and failures, the terror and the turmoil these men endured, as well as the inevitable humor in the face of tremendous adversity. Profusely illustrated throughout with photos and memorabilia, the book shows how a poorly equipped, disparate group was forged into one of the most effective fighting forces ever created.
| Author | : Martin W. Bowman |
| Publisher | : Pen and Sword |
| Total Pages | : 366 |
| Release | : 2016-03-30 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 1473881161 |
Charged with the formidable task of locating and marking German targets for attack by the main force of Bomber Command, the Path Finder Force - 8 (PFF) Group and those in 5 Group - was perhaps the most experienced and highly trained elite group created within the Royal Air Force during World War II. Its aircrew members were almost entirely volunteers and despite the terrifying odds against any individual (or complete crew) ever completing the sixty-sorties tour of operations with the PFF, the most feared punishment' was to forfeit their coveted Path Finder wings and be posted away to other units.This remarkable evocation of a remarkable force is made up largely of narrative and photographs from the men who flew with or were an integral part of the PFF. They alone are best qualified to recount the Path Finder story.While the subject matter herein largely covers the four-engined Stirlings, Halifaxes and Lancasters and twin-engined Mosquitoes of 8 (PFF) Group, the Path Finding techniques used by 5 Group are not forgotten and there are two chapters detailing the work of the Oboe Mosquitoes and other markers in support of the night and day Main Force raids on German and Italian cities and individual targets in the Reich.This book is a fitting tribute to the PFF and in particular, to the crews who failed to return from the PFF's many operations.
| Author | : Michael Cumming |
| Publisher | : |
| Total Pages | : 224 |
| Release | : 1962 |
| Genre | : World War, 1939-1945 |
| ISBN | : |
"Pathfinder Cranswick, D.S.O., D.F.C., was one of the war's unknown heroes ... This story of Alec Cranswick has been assembled with the same meticulous regard for accuracy as that with which Cranswick himself strived to ensure each one of his target-marking flares and bombs was dropped on every single mission. It begins in a place he loved almost beyond all else--the cockpit of a Lancaster bomber"--Prologue.
| Author | : Spencer C. Tucker |
| Publisher | : Bloomsbury Publishing USA |
| Total Pages | : 2730 |
| Release | : 2016-09-06 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 1851099697 |
With more than 1,700 cross-referenced entries covering every aspect of World War II, the events and developments of the era, and myriad related subjects as well as a documents volume, this is the most comprehensive reference work available on the war. This encyclopedia represents a single source of authoritative information on World War II that provides accessible coverage of the causes, course, and consequences of the war. Its introductory overview essays and cross-referenced A–Z entries explain how various sources of friction culminated in a second worldwide conflict, document the events of the war and why individual battles were won and lost, and identify numerous ways the war has permanently changed the world. The coverage addresses the individuals, campaigns, battles, key weapons systems, strategic decisions, and technological developments of the conflict, as well as the diplomatic, economic, and cultural aspects of World War II. The five-volume set provides comprehensive information that gives readers insight into the reasons for the war's direction and outcome. Readers will understand the motivations behind Japan's decision to attack the United States, appreciate how the concentration of German military resources on the Eastern Front affected the war's outcome, understand the major strategic decisions of the war and the factors behind them, grasp how the Second Sino-Japanese War contributed to the start of World War II, and see the direct impact of new military technology on the outcomes of the battles during the conflict. The lengthy documents volume represents a valuable repository of additional information for student research.
| Author | : David Wragg |
| Publisher | : The History Press |
| Total Pages | : 320 |
| Release | : 2007-01-18 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 0752495992 |
It opens with a brief history of the service, followed by a chapter that reviews its situation on the outbreak of war. The chapters that follow look at the structure of the RAF, from the Air Ministry and Chief of the Air Staff down to squadron level, to include each of the Commands, including Transport Command (a creation of the war years). The main aircraft types used are listed, as well as a full listing of squadrons and airfields in the British Isles. The training of personnel, and such matters as uniforms, rank insignia, medals and life on a typical airfield, are also covered. The main battles or campaigns in which the service was involved are also described.
