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Men of Coastal Command: 1939–1945
An eye-opening account of a forgotten branch of the Royal Air Force, who kept Britain’s ships safe from the ever-present danger of U-boats and the Luftwaffe.
From the first day of hostilities through to the last day of the Second World War, the pilots and crew of Coastal Command flew for over a million hours in 240,000 operations. They destroyed 415 U-boats, sank over half a million tons of Axis shipping and damaged an equal amount on their own or in liaison with Royal Navy vessels. In the seas of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Baltic, over ten thousand people, both Allied and Axis, military and civilian, were rescued by the Command.
Yet such actions came at a tremendous cost. More than 3,500 aircraft were lost, and over 10,000 air crew members and 1600 ground crews had died.
What was it like to serve in Coastal Command, so frequently overshadowed by Fighter and Bomber Commands? Which planes did they use to conduct their operations? And who were the pilots and crew who soared above rough seas in search of the U-boat menace?
Chaz Bowyer draws upon a wealth of research to bring to life the lives of these ‘seamen of the air’. Through day and night, they never halted in their drive to keep Allied supply lines open, allowing Britain to fight on even during her darkest hour. Their deeds and thoughts are captured through eyewitness accounts and presented to readers in this staggering book.
Men of Coastal Command uncovers the actions of these heroic pilots and crews who served in a much overlooked but fundamentally important branch of the RAF. It should be essential reading for all interested in finding the personal voices of the men who protected Britain’s seas from the air.
From the first day of hostilities through to the last day of the Second World War, the pilots and crew of Coastal Command flew for over a million hours in 240,000 operations. They destroyed 415 U-boats, sank over half a million tons of Axis shipping and damaged an equal amount on their own or in liaison with Royal Navy vessels. In the seas of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Baltic, over ten thousand people, both Allied and Axis, military and civilian, were rescued by the Command.
Yet such actions came at a tremendous cost. More than 3,500 aircraft were lost, and over 10,000 air crew members and 1600 ground crews had died.
What was it like to serve in Coastal Command, so frequently overshadowed by Fighter and Bomber Commands? Which planes did they use to conduct their operations? And who were the pilots and crew who soared above rough seas in search of the U-boat menace?
Chaz Bowyer draws upon a wealth of research to bring to life the lives of these ‘seamen of the air’. Through day and night, they never halted in their drive to keep Allied supply lines open, allowing Britain to fight on even during her darkest hour. Their deeds and thoughts are captured through eyewitness accounts and presented to readers in this staggering book.
Men of Coastal Command uncovers the actions of these heroic pilots and crews who served in a much overlooked but fundamentally important branch of the RAF. It should be essential reading for all interested in finding the personal voices of the men who protected Britain’s seas from the air.
262 pages, Hardcover
Published October 20, 2025
About the author
Chaz Bowyer
75 booksChaz Bowyer (1927-2008) was an aviation historian and author. He joined the RAF, aged 16, in 1942 and left it in 1969. Then he turned his hand to his life-long passion for aviation and started writing.
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