This book gets very much to the heart of the young men who flew the bomber planes in World War II. It is a great account of the events of the time but also the emotions, fears, stresses and strains that accompanied being in one of the most relentless roles in the war with men flying, almost continually, to take on a massive bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. This book reflects the amazing achievements of these brave young men.
In ‘Fighter Boys’ Patrick Bishop brought to life the pilots who flew Spitfires and Hurricanes in the summer of 1940. In ‘Bomber Boys’, Bishop tells a different but equally fascinating story. The 125,000 men from all over the world who passed through Bomber Command during the Second World War were engaged in a form of warfare that had never been implemented before and would never be again. Between 1940 and 1945 they flew continuously, stopping only when weather made operations impossible. For much of that time they were the only fighters capable of attacking Germany in its own territory. There was nothing romantic about their struggle. Often barely out of boyhood, they lived on bleak bases, flying at night on long, nerve-racking missions that often ended in death. The odds of surviving were stacked heavily against them. In all, 55,000 were killed, counting for nearly one in ten of all the British and Commonwealth war dead.
Despite these sacrifices, the Bomber Boys have remained on the edges of our collective memory and their actions have been the subject of a controversy that continues to the present. In this powerful and moving work of history, Patrick Bishop compellingly captures the character, feelings and motivations of the bomber crews and pays tribute to their heroism and determination. ‘Bomber Boys’ brilliantly restores these men to their rightful place in our consciousness.
‘Deeply humane, lucidly written and powerful…All this bravery, and the way of life that supported it, are faithfully recorded in Bishop’s refreshingly unpretentious account.’ Michael Burleigh, Sunday Times
‘This is the best kind of military history – the kind in which the author never loses sight of the impact of war on its victims, German as well as British, and those who were left behind. “Bomber Boys” will remind the survivors that they and their lost comrades are not forgotten. And it reminds the rest of us what their war was all about.’ Daniel Johnson, Evening Standard
Author
About Patrick Bishop
Patrick Bishop worked as senior correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He is the author of The Irish Empire; the acclaimed book The Provisional IRA with Eamonn Mallie; the bestselling Fighter Boys ; and most recently the bestselling Bomber Boys and 3 Para. He lives in London.
