Bomber! : 13 Famous Bomber Campaigns that Shaped World War II

The seminal account of the heroism, daring and ingenuity of the men of Allied Bomber Command, who took the war to the enemy’s doorstep. The Second World War saw aerial bombing – of both civilian and military targets – become a new front line in warfare, as advances in aircraft and engine design allowed planes to fly further, faster and carrying heavier loads. The RAF pilots in their Lancasters, Wellingtons and Halifaxes, the USAAF pilots in their B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators, and the Luftwaffe pilots in their Junkers and Heinkels, flew thousands of sorties deep into enemy territory, into the teeth of flak and agile enemy fighters, with staggering losses. In Bomber!, Robert Jackson uses thirteen famous raids to chronicle the bomber mission as it evolved over the course of the war, from the ferocious North Sea Battle in 1939 to the French crew who became the first Allied airmen to bomb Berlin. From the US bombing of Tokyo that forced Japan to commit her navy in the Pacific to the Earthquake Raids carried out by 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron in the closing days of the war with terrifying 12,000lb ‘Tallboy’ bombs. Here, Jackson gives bomber crews a voice, weaving their accounts with historical analysis to create a minute-by-minute account of these events, letting you experience them as they happened. Perfect for readers of John Nichol and Rowland White. **Praise for Bomber!**‘Jackson has made a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the air war’ New York Times