Charlie

Charlie is a quietly brave man. He says goodbye to his shop, his wife and his child to fight Hitler. He knows he is unlikely to return. Firstly in a ground role during the Battle of Britain he volunteers for active service and joins the RAF's elite 44 squadron.

His first operation is on the 1,000 bomber raid on Cologne. His orders will take him to some of Hitler's most dangerous targets: Essen, Duisburg, Hamburg.

This story is compiled from squadron records in the UK national archive, from Bomber Command veterans and from news archives of the time.

The author was able to find two separate accounts of the final fatal raid.

Uniquely, in a biography of this type the author has identified the Luftwaffe pilot and has engaged in correspondence with his son.

'Charlie - The Lancaster Gunner' is a vital source for those interested in World War Two. Crucially, it shows how a good man can drop bombs on a civilian population. It is a great read!