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Bomber Boys - Fighting Back 1940 - 1945 Hardcover – January 1, 2007

by Patrick Bishop (Author)

4.5 134 ratings

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First UK Edition, 2007, first printing, 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, an almost like-new hardcover except for slight foxing spots on the 9uter edge and two tiney scratch marks near the top of the first page where a sticker was porbably removed, with a fine unclipped (L20) dust jacket, from HarperPress. By Patrick Bishop, previously author of the bestselling Fighter Boys. 429 pages including index. ISBN 978-0-00-718986-1.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Press (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: #6,138,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11,823 in Military Aviation History (Books)
- #45,710 in World War II History (Books)
- #102,635 in European History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 134 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

134 global ratings

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Roger Burman

Excellent.

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2021

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The 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 17, 2014

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My 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.

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Kate

Heartbreaking and riveting read

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017

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A 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.

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Norm Haskett

Bomber Boys Hastened Nazi Germany's Surrender

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2016

I 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.

One person found this helpful

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MGR

One of the Best Overviews of this Key Campaign

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2010

Patrick 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.

3 people found this helpful

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ann m

bomber boys

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2014

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I 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.

One person found this helpful

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Allan

Bomber Boys Fighting Back 1940-1945. (HB)

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2011

This 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.

2 people found this helpful

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ToM KemPe

Good book for those wanting to learn more

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2014

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Very 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.

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Top reviews from other countries

Simon Binning

Excellent first hand history

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2012

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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.

3 people found this helpful

Dr. Feelgood

Completely unappreciated

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2014

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What a book. I bought this for my Dad who lived and served through the war and was fascinated with all things RAF. Sadly he passed away last year and I am working my way through several war titles that I bought him as presents over recent years. This is a must read. Absolutely compelling. All they went through - all they risked - and basically disowned by Churchill after the war had finished because the bombing campaigns had become a political embarassment. Disgrace - but what do you expect from politicians? Marvellous read, buy it.

2 people found this helpful

James Wales

The sacrifices of these boys should never be forgotten

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2023

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Great read, The way these men were treated after the war was shameful and a national disgrace.

Julie from Sydney

Exceptional

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2012

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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.

One person found this helpful

Mike

A thought provoking and awe inspiring book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2012

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A detailed and evocative account of the WW2 bombing campaign. I was in the RAF at Bomber Command HQ, High Wycombe in the sixties and worked for a time in Bombing Records. We had access to some of the wartime bombing intelligence reports, which was pretty humbling. Those bomber crews were the bravest of the brave. The appalling attrition rate meant that death was a probability, rather than a possibility.

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