Strike Hard, Strike Sure: Epics Of The Bombers

by Ralph Barker

Many thousands of words have been written about the conception of the bomber offensive in World War II, the strategy and the tactics of Bomber Command, the choice of target systems, the method of attack, the evaluation of bombing results and the implications for the national war effort, both Allied and enemy. Surprisingly little has been written of the men who flew these bombers, who faced and sustained a loss rate never before borne by a military force of comparable size in history. Here is the story of some of those men and the stirring action in which they took part.

Genres: History, World War II, War, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Ralph Hammond Cecil Barker was a non-fiction author who wrote several books on the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Air Force (RAF) operations in the First and Second World Wars, and about cricket.

Reviews

[Au Yong Chee Tuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

In ten chapters, the author covered the entire gamut of some of the most important raids of Bomber Command.

The desperate gamble by the Fairey Battles against the Maastricht bridges in May 1940; the daring daylight Augsburg raid in April 1942 that marked the debut of the Avro Lancaster; the dramatic attack by Mosquitoes on Amiens prison in February 1944 to free French Resistance prisoners - all of these are told in such vivid detail that the reader seemed almost in the aircraft itself.

And of course, there was the most famous raid of all, the Dambusters raid against the Mohne and Eder dams in May 1943.

The other six raids described in the book were less well known. That is to be expected. Out of the tens of thousands of sorties by Bomber Command throughout almost seven years of war, one cannot expect every raid to be well publicised or conducted by specialist crews such as those of 617 Squadron.

This book was published way back in 1963 by Chatto & Windus. The newer generation of readers who missed reading the earlier publication may be considered fortunate that Pen & Sword have re-issued this superb collection of some of the exploits of Bomber Command.

Ralph Barker has also added a nostalgic section of "Afterthoughts" forty years after the publication of the first edition.

This book is a timeless classic. It was a shame that his other book, "The Thousand Plane Raid" has not been reissued by his publisher.

[Graham Mcmillan-cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotive,remarkable book. Irrespective of the issues surrounding war, acts of heroism for such young people are amazing.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different men, aircraft and missions, but all bombers, with the particular joys and strains involved when you have a crew gathered in one uncomfortable and dangerous place. I found myself moved to tears by some of the stories, particularly of the airmen who struggled to save their comrades while horribly injured. It was hard not to play a macabre guessing game, trying to work out whether the heroes of each tale would survive (the chances weren't good if a recent or upcoming marriage, or a newborn baby, were mentioned).

[Harmen de Jong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het moet ergens rond 1070 zijn geweest dat ik dit boek las. Ik las toen meer WO2 oorlogsboeken. Ik vond het wel spannend, helemaal omdat het niet pure fantasie was. Ik kwam het boek recent weer tegen in mijn boekenkast. Ik ga het niet opnieuw lezen, het is niet langer mijn populair genre...

[Spanishliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read this many years ago, probably around 1967, or even earlier. It was one of my early references for starting my own list of VCs.