RAF Bomber Command Operations Manual: 1939 to 1945

by Jonathan Falconer

Night after night for six years of war, RAF Bomber Command's squadrons pounded away at the cities of Nazi Germany in a determined effort to bring the Third Reich to its knees. Pitted against Bomber Harris's aircrews and aircraft were some of the most effective and deadly defenses the world had seen up until then.  

For Bomber Command to launch a 'maximum effort' raid on the Ruhr by night, or a low-level strike on a target in enemy occupied Europe by day, it involved a huge amount of planning. 
Useful appendices include a Bomber Command War Diary listing key events 1939-1945, squadrons and their commanders, an a-to-z of bomber airfields, and sample orders of battle from 1939, 1943 and 1945. Fully illustrated with some 300 photographs, the RAF Bomber Command Operations Manual gives a compelling insight into the workings of one of the most powerful instruments of 20th century warfare.

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 23, 2018

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 2018, 'RAF Bomber Command 1939 to 1945' is a novelty Haynes manual that aims to tell you about the 'organisation, equipment, men, machines, technology and tactics' employed in the RAF bomber offensive of WW2. There is a lot of good information provided, supported by over 250 excellent illustrations. The main exception to this is a section about Luftwaffe night-fighters, which comes across as confused and muddled. There have been many books about Bomber Command in WW2, and there are quite a few which contain far more detailed information than this - however it does compare favourably to others when you consider the illustrations content.

[Jean-François Husson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cet ouvrage est très complet dans le sens où il couvre et synthétise tous les aspects du fonctionnement du Bomber Command durant la guerre : organisation, matériels, principales opérations, modes opératoires, etc.
Idéal pour celles et ceux qui voudraient un aperçu général ou qui souhaitent un point de départ pour des recherches plus approfondies (par exemple pour s'orienter vers des historiques de Groups plus précis).

[Allyson Newburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Bomber Command Operations