Author Description

This is the tale of three Australian bomber squadrons at war, flying with RAAF Bomber Command in the early part of Britain's bombing offensive upon Nazi Germany, from August 1941 to September 1942. Squadrons 455, 458 and 460 operated Hampden and Wellington twin-engine bombers from bases in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, flying impossible missions, using inadequate equipment and navigation methods to try to hit the most formidably defended targets in the world. Using original sources, this book provides the first ever detailed combat history of these three squadrons in their initial incarnations. The campaign saw the only major and on-going Australian contribution to the war against Hitler's Germany. It was proportionally the bloodiest in Australian and British military history, with the survival rate among the aircrews by Autumn 1942 around 25 percent. Contents include: the Australianisation process by which Australian personnel were brought in by the RAAF to gradually turn British units into Australian ones; the gross inefficiency of bombing in general, and of early-war bombing in particular; the terrifying and brutal nature of World War II air warfare, as experienced by the airmen; and the gradual emergence of more rational and effective methods to the RAAF's bombing war. *** "Despite the plethora of human interest stories, Cooper's larger themes, however, make RAAF Bombers over Germany much more than a simple collection of personal tales. Likewise, despite the emphasis on three Australian squadrons, the author performs an excellent job of explaining what was happening at the higher levels of Bomber Command, the RAF, and the British war effort." --Stone & Stone, Second World War Books, March 2017 *** "...well illustrated....a very good addition to the literature on the bomber offensive, and also a useful look at Australia's role in the ETO." --The NYMAS Review, Autumn 2017 [Subject: Australian Studies, History, Military History, WWII]