Since the Victoria Cross was first instituted on 29th January, 1856, the medal has been awarded 1,357 times, the most recent was gazetted on 22nd March, 2013, posthumously to L/Cpl J T D Ashworth for his gallantry in Afghanistan. Being the youngest of Britain's military services, it is understandable that few VCs have been awarded to airmen of the RFC, RNAS, RAF and FAA. In fact, just 51 'aerial' VCs have been awarded between 1915 and 1946 and out of this small number, 23 have been won by men from Bomber Command, or credited with flying bomber aircraft, during the Second World War. The range of actions within the book begins with the fruitless Battle of France in May 1940 through to the final stages of bomber offensive over Germany, in February 1945. Several actions came about through volunteering, while others were simply caught up in the melee of unpredictable events which hang over any operation in a bomber from the moment it lifts from the runway to the point it returns. This book will serve as an inspiration to those who are used to thinking of the citation, 'For Valour'. as referring to an action based only on land and sea. Bomber Command's catch phrase, 'Press on Regardless'. was never better exemplified than in the extraordinary bravery of the men whose stories are told here.
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RAF Bomber Command lost 55,000 men during WWII. Their motto was Press on Regardless and the majority of their operational missions involved flying into the fiery, smoke-filled skies of occupied Europe. No less than 23 of their members were awarded Britain's highest decoration for valour The Victoria Cross; most of them posthumously."
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CONTENTS Introduction 1. Carnage over the Albert Canal - Donald Garland and Thomas Gray (12 May 1940) 2. The Dortmund-Ems Canal Roderick 'Babe' Learoyd (12/13 August 1940) 3. Inferno over Antwerp John Hannah (15/16 September 1940) 4. Daylight over Bremen - Hughie Edwards (4 July 1941) 5. Out Onto the Wing - James Ward (7/8 July 1941) 6. Lone Attack on Singora - Arthur Scarf (9 December 1941) 7. The Lancaster's Baptism of Fire - John Nettleton (17 April 1942) 8. Cologne Raid in 'D' for Dog - Leslie Manser (31 May 1942) 9. The Faithful Crew - Rawdon Middleton (29 November 1942) 10. Massacre over Chouigui - Hugh Malcolm (4 December 1942) 11. The Kiwi Great Escaper - Leonard Trent (3 May 1943) 12. The Dam Busters - Guy Gibson (16/17 May 1943) 13. Target Turin - Arthur Aaron (12/13 August 1943) 14. Press On Regardless - William Reid (3 November 1943) 15. Against All Odds - Cyril Barton (31 March 1944) 16. Just One More 'Op' - Norman Jackson (26 April 1944) 17. The 'Selfless Recipient' - Andrew Mynarski (13 June 1944) 18. Second to None - Leonard Cheshire (July 1944) 19. With the Pathfinders - lan Bazalgette (4 August 1944) 20. 'Oboe' VC - Robert Palmer (23 December 1944) 21. Putting Your Life on the Line - George Thompson (1 January 1945) 22. Springbok Pathfinder - Edwin Swales, SAAF (23/24 February 1945) Appendix Abbreviations Bibliography Index
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"...As a companion to anyone wanting a short account of what each bomber command VC and his crew went through, this is well worth the money."--Victoria Cross Society

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781846743221
Publisert
2014-10-27
Utgiver
Vendor
Countryside Books
Høyde
231 mm
Bredde
163 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
192

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

Martyn Chorlton was born in the north Cambridgeshire fens during the late 1960s. He joined the RAF as an Air Photographer in 1984. After tours in Germany and Northern Ireland, his service came to an end in 1997 and, a few years later he wrote his first aviation book. He is a regular magazine contributor to Aeroplane Monthly, Jets, Airfix and Aviation Classics and is the author of Bomber Command The Victoria Cross Raids and The RAF Pathfinders.