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Bomber Boys - Fighting Back 1940 - 1945 Hardcover – January 1, 2007
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarperPress
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2007
- Dimensions6.26 x 1.5 x 9.45 inches
- ISBN-100007189869
- ISBN-13978-0007189861
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Product details
- Publisher : HarperPress (January 1, 2007)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0007189869
- ISBN-13 : 978-0007189861
- Item Weight : 1.72 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.26 x 1.5 x 9.45 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,412,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9,109 in Military Aviation History (Books)
- #36,289 in World War II History (Books)
- #72,900 in European History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2014My father was in the RAF as a bomber pilot who survived the war, finishing as a squadron leader. He was born in 1912, so was one of the older pilots. He never talked much about his experiences. Patrick Bishop's book gave me some wonderful insights into what it must have been like for him. It is a challenging task to make a readable book about such a wide subject. Thank you, Patrick Bishop for a fascinating and thought-provoking read.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2021The detail of the efforts of the Bomber Boys is excellently detailed. It is very sad that their bravery and contribution to the war effort has never been properly acknowledged.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017A riveting read. Heart breaking to learn that so many young men died on missions that had a disproportionately small effect on the overall outcome of the war. Most of them were barely out of their teens. And then there were the hundreds of thousands of civilians who were incinerated in the ruins of their cities. For what? The phrase "lions led by donkeys" might have been coined for World War 1 generals but it was absolutely true of certain RAF Bomber Command leaders in World War 2 as well. Regardless, the bravery and sacrifice of the young men that flew these suicide missions should never be forgotten.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2016I found Patrick Bishop’s superbly written Bomber Boys: Fighting Back, 1940–1945 to be a riveting and sensitive account of the brave men in Britain’s Royal Air Force Bomber Command and the risks they took (often ending in their injury or death) to help end World War II in Europe. Bishop describes the major RAF air campaigns against Nazi Germany, often at great length (Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden among the most lurid), both from the perspective of the airmen (nearly a half million) and from the millions who were their victims. The tragic toll of dead and wounded combatants and civilians (including residents of Great Britain) from aerial bombardments boggled my mind, especially as I learned that by the end of 1943 the notion of proportionality with respect to civilian casualties (a grizzly quid pro quo) had disappeared and grew ever stronger in the Allies’ favor. Bishop points out that the airmen of the RAF, almost to a man, were convinced of the correctness of their wartime mission, as it was explained to them, to hasten Germany’s surrender. Of course it took boots on the ground from June 1944 onwards to move that into high gear, but punching holes in the roof of Adolf Hitler’s Thousand Year Reich and laying waste to manufacturing and population centers inside its walls were strategic components in defeating the enemy in May 1945. Sadly for the “bomber boys” their wartime contribution faded from national memory. This fine book aims to reverse that.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2010Patrick Bishop provides us with a thoroughly researched and riveting read about this all too often overlooked campaign. His book ranges from the strategic overview, passing through the operational challenges down to those brave men and women who night after night fought an unglamorous but vital battle. Perhaps most poignant are the stories of lives lived all too briefly under the constant threat of a death that was neither glorious nor without agony. We share the hopes, aspirations and dreams of young men thrown together into small, tight knit bands, whose greatest fear is letting their fellow crew members down. At the same time we are allowed glimpses of those who remain behind; wives not allowed to live near their husbands, WAAFs who try to provide comfort and solace but who have to cope with the ever familiar fact that many will not return and the families living in the shadow of a telegram bearing the all too common bad news.
Bishop does not spare us the horrors of those who suffer the effects; however, he places matters into perspective and allows the reader to make up his or her mind on the subject. Perhaps most of all he reminds us of the sacrifices made by all. His assessment of Bomber (or Butcher) Harris is terrific; he is neither too kind or too harsh but provides the necessary context for us to understand the actions of this committed and dedicated man for whom duty was everything. Above all, this is a fitting testament to all who took part in or who were affected by this campaign, their bravery shines through.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2014I am an avid WW II reader. This book couldn't compare with another book I read about the 8th air force. I feel perhaps it may have been because it was written from the British point of few.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2011This book makes superb reading from start to finish. The human factors are what makes this book such an unstoppable read. The image it gives of the real lives of the real men who were in the front line from day one of the second world war. Their fears, anxieties and their loves are superbly caught amongst these pages of pure brilliance of an ignored body of men. Not by those of us who fully appreciate them and what they had to do in war time conditions. But by the politicians who deserted these men after all what they did. For they were directed by the orders of the day as passed down by Churchill, instigated by Harris and actioned by these crews of Bomber Command. Many of whoem were no more than boys doing a mans job. Read these stories folks. You will then understand something of what these men did for our today. A superb read. Though come to your own conclusions in your own time.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2014Very nice book. Provides a greater insight into the British bomber offensive over Europe for the causal reader. The British bombing offensive is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and ignored campaigns of the World War II.
The stories of the aircrew, mostly in their late teens and early twenties, inspire awe.
Top reviews from other countries
- Simon BinningReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent first hand history
This is an excellent account of life in Bomber Command during WW2. Although it is an overview of RAF bombing during the war, it is told mainly from the perspective of those involved - the crews themselves. It is not a dry chronological story - there are many of those, some very good.
This deals with what it was like to fly night after night into enemy territory, and the effect it had on the crews and those around them. Bishop is very good at this form of history, and the book keeps you interested from beginning to end. Much is told in the words of the crews themselves, and it is this that really makes you think. There has been much debate in recent years about the rights and wrongs of the bombing campaign over Europe, and this is certainly discussed, but is not the main focus.
So many of these men were in their late teens and early twenties, and when you remember yourself at that age, you really do wonder how you would have coped.
Overall, a fascinating tale, well written, well structured and thought-provoking.
- RichardReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Enthralling voyage through the war years written with enthusiasm for what the pilots and aircrew faced on a daily basis attempting to hold back production of war materials for the Nazis rampage through Europe, Africa and the East. Also looks at the area bombing of German cities from the perspective of the crews, their bosses, and the general public. Well written and researched book.
- James WalesReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars The sacrifices of these boys should never be forgotten
Great read, The way these men were treated after the war was shameful and a national disgrace.
- Julie from SydneyReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional
My uncle (now deceased) flew with Bomber Command during WWII. He received a DFC with Bar, but never spoke of his experiences. I bought the book to try to understand a little of what he endured. I found it extremely moving, covering the broader strategic issues with a measured blend of deeply personal experiences. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand the depth of trauma and the extraordinary bravery of those involved.
- jeanReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Bomber boys
Accurate and succinct. This book carries the narrative of bomber crews from the "crewing up" process, through their operational tour, finally into their lives, post war. It doesn't avoid the moral argument of area bombing but focuses accurately on the courage and tenacity of the air crews who failed to receive any meaningful recognition for their part in the war, which was largely due to the disingenuous nature of their political masters.