BATTLEFIELD BOMBERS: Deep Sea Attack

Take a deep dive into the history of British and Commonwealth bomber command aircrews during WWII. The book charts the extraordinary efforts of pilots, gunners, navigators and engineers through a series of first-hand recollections, told through humour and occasional cynicism, including a comprehensive account of RAF Bomber operations on the infamous German warship Tirpitz is included, alongside many other similarly dramatic episodes. Stand aboard the ship Lulworth Hill on 18 March 1943 with carpenter Kenneth Cooke as it travelled from Mauritius to Freetown with 413 tons of rum. Wait with bated breath as the Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci surfaced, only to be driven back down by the Lulworth Hill opening fire. Learn how, in September 1941, the increase in shipping losses forced the Admiralty to explore the possibility of using bombers in the war at sea. Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, turned over large numbers of twin-engined bombers to Coastal command but refused to allocate any four-engined bombers. The reader will be transported to 19th March 1943 when two Sunderland aircraft caught U-boats on the surface. Lieutenant G. A. Church and his crew on 228 Squadron carried out a depth-charge attack but no damage was caused to the submarine. The history will allow readers to admire the first coastal Beaufighter which was modified only after it came off the production line, losing its wing guns and fitted with fifty-gallon fuel tanks as well as a navigation table in the fuselage. There is also a sense of whimsy in the accounts of the brave men in this book, including that of Wing Commander A. K. Gatward on 1 April 1944 who led a formation of 15 Beaufighters to attack enemy ships between Belle Ile and the French mainland: 'We saw a few old fishermen who waved to us and there were children in some of the fishing boats, who waved too.' The book includes fantastic photographs showing Liberators at Aldergrove in Northern Ireland in March 1943, a 461 Squadron RAAF Sunderland flying boat with a gaping hole torn in its hull during a rescue attempt on 29th May 1943, and a Fortress in 220 Squadron which operated from Ballykelly in November 1942. There are also stunning shots of familiar faces too such as Canadian pilot Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Own Morre who claimed to have sunk two U-boats and Squadron Leader Terence M. Bulloch who became the most highly decorated pilot in RAF Coastal Command after sinking more U-boats than any other pilot. Illus, index, 210pp.