Bomber Command WWII recollections extracts

[Airspeed]

Season to be jolly, and all that, but I feel the need to share this with you.
I've finished reading four books on Bomber Command.
One was an assemblage of facts and figures working up to the "thousand bomber" night raids.
The second was fiction, written from the perspective of P.O.W.s and residents of Dresden, before, during and after the big raid.
Both others were recollections by aircrew involved.
Some points which stood out for me, from the latter two:
INTERESTING
A pilot took violent evasive action to avoid colliding with another Lancaster. After many attempts to avoid it, he was faced with an unavoidable head-on collision. He was stunned to pass through the other bomber, then realised that he had been dodging his own reflection from water droplets.

A Lancaster lost both ailerons, large sections of wing panels, all external aerials, and the use of many instruments, during a savage storm. They made it back to base, but without ASI. The rear gunner was familiar with the wind sound at various speeds, having listened to the cockpit calls during landing. This gunner was able to call his estimates, resulting in a safe landing.

Prior to electronic assistance and marker flares, few bombs landed within five miles of the target. After these advances, many bombs still missed their target by miles. One PFF directed raid on Berlin, missed the city and hit a refugee camp.

DISTRESSING
Some navigation was so poor, that the outgoing aircraft was twenty miles off course before they crossed the English coast. Coming home, some were so far off course, English defences fired on them.

Numerous bombers returned from missions, only to crash in fog in England. This usually resulted in total loss of crew.

Lancasters bombed from several thousand feet higher than Halifaxes and Stirlings. No doubt, separation of the types was considered, but in fact, the lower bombers all too often were bombed themselves.

Aircrews vanished so often that unless they were previously known from training schools, their loss was not dwelt upon. New crews were basically ignored, as inexperienced crews were more prone to be lost. One pilot was known to have obvious shakes until he finished four pints of bitter.

An aircrew threatened to kill their own nose gunner for firing into the cockpit of a nearby Lancaster, whose fate was unkown.That gunner stayed with the same crew, going on to receive a Commission.

A Lancaster pilot observed single white flashes along the Dutch coast, en route to Germany. His only explanation was that 4000lb cookies were being dropped on Holland to lighten the load and allow higher altitude over defended areas. From the colours, he felt that they carried the smaller bombs and incendiaries to the target. He was familiar with the appearance of entire loads being jettisoned by aircraft in trouble.

[Filonian]

Missed this Mike.

Looks like you have had a very interesting reading session.

It never ceases to amaze me that these crews set out night after night, knowing that many of their friends wouln't return. We owe them a great debt of gratitude.

Graham

[Tomliner]

Several years ago I read a book called ‘The Eight Passenger’ by Miles Tripp who I think was an Australian Lancaster pilot. Many years postwar he decided to trace as many of his crew as possible to find out if they suffered any lasting after effects. It’s worth reading if you can find a copy. EricT

[Airspeed]

Thanks for the thoughts, Gentlemen.
The Eighth Passenger was written in the late 70s, around the time of the publications which I've recently finished. I see that it was re-written in 2000, updated with some facts that became known to Mr Tripp years after his first book. Things unknown to him on account of secrecy limitations, apparently. Sounds like an excellent read. Quick look around shows prices between a few quid and over a hundred; probably old version and the newer one. Thanks for the HU, Eric.
"What do you want for your birthday in 2021 Granddad?" Now I know what to ask for.

[Filonian]

An old boss of mine told me that whilst unloading over Berlin, the photograh taken on release showed another Lancaster directly below. He said they never found out which crew it was, or whether they survived.

One of my Mess members showed us a photograph taken as they released over the River Kwai bridge. I told him I always knew he was a nasty piece of work, bombing the bridge after all the blood sweat and tears of our chaps building it.

He was also one of the first people to be given penicillin after colleting shrapnel in his stomach on one raid. He was awarded the DFC for nursring his damaged Lancaster back from Germany (Flight Engineer) from this trip. On arriving over Middlton St. George he said, "I've had it skip," and passed out.
He also told of 'wheel chair" races at Northallerton hospital and several rollackings for punching holes in the prefab walls by putting their feet through them to act as breaks. Another time, he and a partner in crime hitched a lift on a loaded bomb trolley from Notrhallerton to Leeming for a dance.

Sadly, neither of them are still with us.

Graham

[Airspeed]

.....

It never ceases to amaze me that these crews set out night after night, knowing that many of their friends wouln't return. We owe them a great debt of gratitude.

Graham

I agree with the debt of gratitude, and the risk to life, Graham, but another fact that was news to me, was that it took about seven months for the lucky ones to amass their required 30 missions. It took months on account of atrocious weather, equipment failures, crew illness and so on. Having achieved this, they had the opportunity to transfer to OTUs as instructors; there was no compulsion to remain in active squadrons. It was a rare celebration within a Squadron when a crew lasted the 30. All the same, some signed on for multiple tours of 30 missions. Luck more often than not overtook the accumulated experience, and crews failed to return from their 75th mission.

[Airspeed]

Several years ago I read a book called ‘The Eight Passenger’ by Miles Tripp who I think was an Australian Lancaster pilot. Many years postwar he decided to trace as many of his crew as possible to find out if they suffered any lasting after effects. It’s worth reading if you can find a copy. EricT

Hi Eric,
Today, my second hand copy arrived from World of Books.
It's the updated version. If the reviews, and your comments, are anything to go by, I'm in for a good read. Thank you, Sir!
I don't know the original selling price, but this one was relatively cheap for today's market, at $AU46. That price shows how much demand there is for it.

[Tomliner]

Hi Mike. I hope you enjoy reading it and aren’t disappointed. If you’re interested in reading first hand accounts of a WW2 fighter pilots I can recommend ‘First Light’ by Geoffrey Wellum. He wasn’t one the top scorers but his book captures the atmosphere of the period. It’s a paperback and I think it’s still in print because it’s still on the shelves in book shops. EricT

[Motormouse]

Been reading the boy with only one shoe recently ( between battling covid symptoms) one of the co authors Caroline was one of our Emb 145 skippers back in 1990's

Ttfn

Pete

[Airspeed]

Been reading the boy with only one shoe recently ( between battling covid symptoms) one of the co authors Caroline was one of our Emb 145 skippers back in 1990's

Ttfn

Pete

THAT doesn't sound good, Pete!
Did you get tested?
We get horrified by the UK news, you're getting more daily cases than we had cumulatively all year.
Somebody from NSW visited a restaurant in Victoria, then went home. Result is six cases in Victoria, and they left the restaurant, chugged off to their parts of the State before they found out that they were infected. Goodness knows how much it's going to spread. NSW is now facing the same sort of border closures as were put up against Victoria a few months back.

I'll check out that book.
ATB
EDIT: Right, same topic. How did you feel about it Pete?