Operation Diver

George Yeoman #6

by Robert Jackson

1944: The Second World War still rages, engulfing the entire world. For George Yeoman of the 380 Squadron of Mosquito fighter-bombers, it often feels like the war has gone on forever, with no end in sight. Most of the men he began serving with at the start of the war are long dead, with replacements appearing almost every day to take the place of the casualties. Like many of his fellow pilots, Yeoman is overworked and on edge, a hair’s breadth from collapsing entirely. But, as is the nature of war, he must keep on for Queen and country and the victory of the Allied world… When intelligence is smuggled from the Continent to England that reveals the Germans have constructed a deadly new weapon, Yeoman and his fellow airmen face a desperate new challenge. The devastating V-1 robot bomb threatens plans for an Allied invasion. Capable of causing appalling damage to a London wearing of bloodshed and war, the bomb’s menace returns Londoners to a state of fear worse than that experienced during the Blitz. Powerful, dangerous, and seemingly unstoppable, the V-1 poses a challenge to the brave aircrews of the Allied forces, who seek to destroy Germany’s latest invention without destroying themselves in the process. The countermeasures against the V-1 flying bomb campaign are dubbed Operation Diver. Yeoman’s squadron is tasked with wrecking German launching pads and blowing up undergrown arsenals, a dangerous mission in itself that threatens death by flak, but one far less perilous than trying to take out the bombs after they have been launched. If the Mosquitos mistime their aerial attacks on the V-1s, death can come even sooner. Yeoman must keep up not only his own spirits, but those of his men, through some of the war’s darkest days. Yet those in power keep him in the dark about the true nature of some of his missions, the truth about which he must never know… Praise for Robert Jackson 'Takes you to the heart of the action.' - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of Cold Kill Robert Jackson (b. 1941) is a prolific author of military and aviation history, having become a fulltime writer in 1969. As an active serviceman in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve he flew a wide range of aircraft, ranging from jets to gliders. Operation Diver is the sixth book in the Sergeant George Yeoman series. Hurricane Squadron is the first.

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 1981

About the author

Robert Jackson was born in 1941 in the North Yorkshire village of Melsonby. A former pilot and navigation instructor, his active involvement with aviation lasted many years. Following his retirement from the RAFVR in 1977 as a squadron leader, he became a full-time aviation writer and aerospace correspondent and lectured extensively on strategic issues. He speaks five languages, including Russian, and has written more than forty nonfiction works on military affairs. He is also the author of the popular Yeoman and SAS fiction series.

Reviews

[John McNair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems as if I just wrote a review for Yeoman number 5 . . . . and I did! A week ago. This iteration of the Yeoman series was just as good as all the others to date, in fact it may even be the best yet. The focus is NW Europe, the invasion of the continent in June 1944, the attack of the V1 flying bombs throughout that spring and summer and the period into the autumn of 1944. Fairly gritty, well written, well researched (except for one small point - it was the 2nd and not 1st Canadian Division that went ashore at Dieppe in August 1942 (referenced in this novel)). A bit of a sad ending but perhaps not unexpected, and I'll leave it at that. Well worth reading, but you really should read these novels in order to gain the best of the story line.

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found most of the book quite an enjoyable read, but I am not sure why the author decided on the ending. He has already made it clear war is hell, so I can only presume he really isn’t very good at romance and this seemed a good way of getting rid of his problem.

[Tom Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action-packed read, centered on the efforts to destroy V1 sites

This is part of the Flight Sergeant Yeoman series and a good story of the 1944 air war that focused on V1 sites, the Normandy landings and Market-Garden. Great flow in spinning a good story. Recommended very highly.

[Dennis Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read but has sorry ending

[Snakeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Yeoman tale....this time going after the V1 Flying Bombs!

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Operation Diver” eBook was published in 2016 (paper version originally published in 1981) and was written by Robert Jackson. Mr. Jackson has written several books, both Fiction and Non-Fiction, on World War II, with a focus on aircraft of the era. This is another in his “Sergeant Yeoman” series.

I received a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I categorize this novel as ‘G’. This novel is set in both England and France during 1944. It continues the story of George Yeoman.

Yeoman is now commanding the 380 Squadron of Mosquito fighter-bombers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havi...). The story tells of their support during the D-Day invasion and how they were put to work trying to stop the V-1 rocket bombs (http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/...) before they reached England. Later in the story the squadron supports Operation Market Garden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operati...), an unsuccessful drive into the Netherlands. They also take part in missions to destroy V-2 rocket (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2_rocket) launch locations.

This is the second of Mr. Jackson’s novels I have read. They are relatively short, but I enjoyed the nearly 5 hours I spent reading this 138 page novel. I thought this, while fiction, was another good perspective of living through World War II. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Steve Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok but a bit rushed at the end.

I know this was supposed to be a short story but it deserved to be so much longer as the ending was rather hastily written. It carries on from Yeomans previous exploits and tries to deal with an ending to a long running plot line with just a few pages.....

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
A great short story of the RAF in World War II.
Really enjoyed the story and finished it in a day.