Bomber Boys

Patrick Bishop looks at the lives and the extraordinary risks that the painfully young pilots of Bomber Command took during the air-offensive against Germany from 1940-1945. As featured on the BBC 1 documentary BOMBER BOYS, presented by Ewan McGregor.

They came from every corner of Britain and its Empire. They were the best of their generation…heading for one of the worst tasks of the WWII.

Like RAF pilots, the thousands of brave young men who joined Bomber Command took to the air to help Britain triumph in World War Two. But in the glow of victory, the fighter pilots were lauded for their efforts while the Bomber Boys faded in national memory. Crucial in the heat of combat, they were politically awkward afterwards.

Yet with an average life expectancy shorter than that of soldiers on the Western front in WWI, these men faced death, injury and capture time and again to send bombs through the shrieking flak onto enemy territory. ‘Bomber Boys’ is a tribute to their strength, courage and heroism – filling in the historical blanks and immortalising their memory.

Reviews

‘A superb human portrait.’ Daily Mail

‘A deeply humane, lucidly written and powerful tribute to some of the unsung heroes of the Second World War.’ Michael Burleigh, Sunday Times

‘Superbly written and authoritative…the members of Bomber Command now have a fitting commemoration of their heroic deeds.’ Observer

‘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

‘This is a terrific book, so riveting, exciting and moving that it must help bring back the Bomber Boys to their rightful place of honour. A true war memorial.’ Montagu Curzon, Spectator

‘A compelling account of life in RAF Bomber Command.’ Telegraph

About the author

Patrick Bishop is the author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling ‘Fighter Boys’, ‘3 Para’ and ‘Ground Truth’. Previously, he was a foreign correspondent for over twenty years, reporting from conflicts all over the world.