Bomber command is a game of the night war in the skies over the reich in world war ii. World war two record of a ww2 raf bomber command mission over nazi germany from the planning to completion of bombing mission at night. It was directed by harry watt for the crown film unit. Since the second world war, depictions of royal air force operations in film and television drama have become so numerous that they make up a genre worthy. History of bomber command international bomber command. Like the previous schemes, and those that followed over the next two years, it was overly optimistic. The men of bomber command were there to right the wrongs regardless of the cost. It was named after arthur wellesley, 1st duke of wellington. Closing ceremony of bomber command at raf scampton, lincolnshire. Digital archive international bomber command centre. Bomber command crews and aircraft pictures public group.
S p mackenzie since the second world war, depictions of royal air force operations in film and television drama have become so numerous that they make up a genre worthy of scholarly attention. The film recreates the true story of operation chastise when in 1943 the rafs. The bomber command digital archive is preserving documents, from all over the world, including log books, photographs, letters and service citations. Memories of bomber command are unusual in being both complex and volatile. Each member was mutually dependent on the others and each had a vital part to play in ensuring that the aircraft reached its target, dropped its bombs and safely returned to base. Life and death in bomber command imperial war museums. In 1992, a statue of bomber commands leader, arthur harris, was unveiled in london within 24 hours it had been splattered with red paint. Bomber command gets 5 explosivefilled tall boystars for this cleareyed accounting of the raf over in fact, you could say they were view spoiler royally fucked. The bomber stream was a saturation attack tactic developed by the royal air force raf bomber command to overwhelm the night time german aerial defences of the kammhuber line during world war ii the kammhuber line consisted of three layers of zones of about 32 km long northsouth and 20 km wide eastwest. Michael husband motion designer bomber command fundraiser. Along with the united states army air forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of germany in world war ii. Bomber command, royal air force, superstition, luck, agency.
A submarine pen ubootbunker in german is a type of submarine base that acts as a bunker to protect submarines from air attack. This triumphalist monolith says more about our unhealthy fetishism of the war than it does about the men. From 1942 onward, the british bombing campaign against germany became less restrictive and increasingly targeted industrial sites and the civilian manpower base essential for german war production. Although the film was about a bomber squadron flying wellingtons, the aircraft shown on the movie poster are actually boulton paul defiant fighters. A film about an operation of a squadron of 40 avro. The planning and implementation of an raf night raid on germany in world. Two aircraft, the b17 flying fortress, and the b24 liberator, were the mainstays of this command. The bomber command association recognised that huge commitment saying. Illustrated with gripping and dramatic combat footage, bomber command contains all of the major operations undertaken from 1939 through to the final victory in. The handley page hampden bomber used by bomber command until 1942. While winston churchill had acknowledged most parts of the military at the end of the war, he failed to mention bomber command during world war two, bomber command flew 364,514 sorties. Bomber command definition and meaning collins english. Then, the film takes us on a harrowing nighttime bombing raid over berlin in germany. Bomber and fighter commands merge to become strike command under reorganisation of the royal air force.
By the time that bomber command formed on 14 july 1936, expansion scheme f dated february 1936 was on the table. The archive not only ensures the heritage is preserved but it helps. I thought one reason might have been because there were few bombing raids. The 6 episodes show members of bomber commands 103, 617 and 156 squadron lancasters as they progress from training to the final raids over germany. Usual consisted of a 4,000 impactfused hc bomb cookie, and 12 small bomb containers sbcs each loaded with incendiaries, in this case, 236 x. I am doing some research on the psychology of joining bomber command and was wondering if anyone could help. The movie, distributed by rko, dramatised the work of raf coastal command. As the bomber stream crawls across the german reich, it is set upon by swarms of nightfighters. Night bombers raf bomber command ww2 dailymotion video. Night bombers colour footage raf bomber command during world war 2. This called for a bomber force of 68 squadrons, with 990 aircraft, and was scheduled for completion by march 1939. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. Inspired designs on tshirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. About the canadian pilots in the british royal air force bomber squadrons during world war ii.
This work, in hastingss characteristic prose, profiles the harrowing experiences of bomber commands aircrew from 193945, the entire length of the. Bee gees singer robin gibbs war memorial campaign bbc news. Air crews from raf bomber command went into action against german warships on 4th september 1939 the second day of the war. The bomb load most commonly used for area bombing raids bomber command executive codeword usual in the bomb bay of an avro lancaster of no. The avro lancaster is a british fourengined second world war heavy bomber designed and built by avro for the. Bomber command casualties by year bcmc statistics 1939 10 0.
While the majority of bomber command personnel were members of the raf, many belonged to other air forces. Off the top of my head, it varied a lot by year so in 39 and 40 on some missions losses could reach 50% or even 100% of the squadron for example in the raids against the. A lancaster within the bomber stream dropping chaff the crescentshaped white cloud on the left of the picture. Shot on location and with the surviving veterans interviews, archive footage and narrative by a well known. The men of bomber command deserve better than this something more modest, and more honest, like the men themselves. Raf bomber command life of legacy and controversy for. The film is about the crew of a wellington bomber partaking in a bombing mission over germany. The term is generally applied to submarine bases constructed during world war ii, particularly in germany and its occupied countries, which were also known as uboat pens after the phrase uboat to refer to german submarines. Blenheims and wellingtons flying from wattisham and honington in suffolk carried out the first raf offensive action of the conflict at a cost of seven aircraft, from which only two crewmen survived as.
Raf bomber command norfolk and suffolk aviation museum. Raf bomber command controlled the rafs bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Robin did his bit for all who served in bomber command and on the behalf of the veterans and the relatives of those who died. The lack of recognition as to what bomber command had done during world war two compelled bomber harris to emigrate to south africa. During wwii, more than a million men and women served, or supported, bomber command.
Douglas must take the place of a lancaster bomber crews cherished and respected skipper, who was killed in. The first appearance of the flying fortress in film was a y1b17 in the 1938 metrogoldwynmayer mgm production test pilot, although for the crash scene a douglas dc2 was modified to stand in for the bomber, the army air corps being unwilling to risk even having a fire lit next to the scarce type for filming. They are the lucky few from a force of 128,000 men, 60 per cent of whom were killed, wounded or taken. It trained bombardment units and aircrews for deployment to combat theaters. Viii bomber command was the ukbased strategic bomber arm of the eighth air force and contributed a substantial part of operation pointblank, the daynight bombing campaign by the raf and usaaf to eliminate the luftwaffe in preparation for the invasion of europe. Most readers of the eighth passenger will be familiar with this picture of the klenner crew on completion of their last operational.
This is the provisional opening sequence of a new programme on bomber command. I had folders of images, footage and handwritten letters to use and i created this motion graphics narrative lead story to hopefully gain an emotional response. My great grandfather was an auxiliary fireman during the blitz and signed up for the raf sometime in 1942. With the growing numbers of the powerful fourengined stirlings, halifaxes, and finally lancasters with their huge bomb capacity, great range and electronic navigational equipment the pattern changed. They had also previously attacked this target so knew what to expect. The service included aircrew, ground crew, womens auxiliary air force, auxiliary air transport, auxiliary transport services, naafi and others. Bomber command origins and doctrine weapons and warfare.
Upon completion of the bomber command centre in lincoln i was asked to create a fundraiser film, its aim was to grab peoples attention and hopefully donate to preserve the veterans stories. The aircrews of raf bomber command during world war ii operated a fleet of bomber aircraft carried strategic bombing operations from september 1939 to may 1945, on behalf of the allied powers. From shortly after the attack on pearl harbor until its assets were transferred to army air forces antisubmarine command in october 1942, it conducted antisubmarine. The i bomber command later xx bomber command was an intermediate command of the army air forces during world war ii. Douglas miller, a broken, solitary, spitfire ace, who survived the battle of britain, transfers to bomber command, determined to take the war to the skies over germany. This group was set up so that people can post pictures of bomber command aircrewground crew for the period 19391945 and pictures of bomber command aircraft 19391945. Insights into the organisation, equipment, men, machines and tactics of raf bomber command 19391945 haynes manuals by jonathan falconer 8 aug 2018. On 19th january 2018 wing co jim wright met sqn ldr johnny johnson at a veterans day held in advance of the opening of the international bomber command centre in lincoln. After text cards explaining raf bomber command chain of command, the film begins with a reconnaissance aircraft flying over an raf base and dropping a box. I agree with lanky the mckennas are a disgrace to film making. I always remembered bomber command losses as 55,000 out of 110,000 so 50%, the last figures i saw said 55,000 out of 125,000 so only 44% fatalitiesbut a further 10,000 pow. The role of bomber command in world war two still courts controversy. Raf bomber command aircrew of world war ii wikipedia. Good overhead footage of ground and city below lit up from.
In the end germany lost 6 million people, the soviets lost 22 million mostly civilians killed by german soldiers. Target for tonight or target for tonight is a 1941 british documentary film billed as filmed and acted by the royal air force, all while under fire. Made in britain by the crown film unit with a cast comprised entirely of r. This was the year that affordable domestic video recorders first became available in the uk. Some 800 former members of bomber command attended, of the between 3000 and 4000 who survive. At the time it was argued that a strong bomber force provided a deterrent to aggression, as bombing would result in complete and inescapable destruction on both sides. This featurelength documentary focuses on the canadian pilots who served in the air force bomber command in britain during world war ii. A tribute to the warriors of the skies bomber command lost 55,000 crew during the second world war, but it is only now that the sacrifice is being registered. The archive also contains oral histories of those involved, from all sides, ensuring that their firsthand experiences are preserved before it is too late. The remarkable b52 stratofortress bomber continues in operation after more than 60 years and is projected to remain in service until 2045. Bomber crew throws some optional objectives into the mix as well, most of which involving reconnaissance photos, but ive also shot down enemy aces and incoming v1 guided bombs and v2 missiles. Featuring over 100 firsthand interviews with aircrew veterans and a brandnew introduction by the author, this classic work of military history draws upon specially researched photographs and illustrations to illuminate one of the second world wars most controversial aspects. Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples log in dictionary. In recent years, some commentators in germany have stated that the raids by bomber command and the us 8th air force on german cities should be seen.
Upon publication, bomber command, winner of the somerset maugham prize, attracted controversy but today is widely considered a classic account of one of the longest and bloodiest campaigns of world war ii. The dam busters is a 1955 british epic war film starring richard todd and michael redgrave. The crews were men from the united kingdom, other commonwealth countries, and occupied europe, especially poland, france, czechoslovakia and norway, as well as other foreign volunteers. The official british bombing survey completed in 1946, an altogether. These are the key roles and responsibilities of a heavy bomber crew during the second world war. With greg burridge, john mawson, gaia passaler, sarah maddocks. A total of 11,461 were built during the war, more than any other british aircraft except the supermarine spitfire and hawker hurricane, which were smaller, singleengine aircraft. Of 1400 aircraft built, half were lost on operations. Originating in 60 nations across the world, they were united in their efforts to protect the freedom we enjoy today. Jim has been campaigning for a bomber command medal for nearly.
The bomber stream was a tactic developed by the royal air force raf bomber command to overwhelm the night time german aerial defences of the kammhuber line during world war ii the kammhuber line consisted of three layers of zones of about 32 km. Below bomber command were groups group in 1939 there were 6 groups in bomber command, 5 no. It first saw active service with raf bomber command in 1942 and, as the strategic. A march he had recently completed was found to fit well with the heroic subject and was thus submitted. B52 pilots command the five member crew that includes a copilot, radar navigator. Coastal command is a 1942 british film made by the crown film unit for the ministry of information. Max hastings bomber command won immense critical acclaim when first published in 1979. From the very first day of the second world war until almost the last, raf bomber command waged a nonstop campaign against nazi germany.