The Bombers Command Handbook 1939-1945

Night after night through six long years of war, RAF Bomber Commands 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 has ever seen. For Bomber Command to launch a 'maximum effort' raid on the Ruhr by night, or a low-level strike on an enemy target in occupied Europe by day, it involved a huge amount of planning. Who decided the policy? Why, when and where were the airfields built? How was the overall command structure organized, from the Air Council down to individual squadron level? How did the RAF train its bomber crews? What aircraft did they fly and what weapons did they use? Who were their commanders and who were the men that made up the rank-and-file of the Command? How was a raid planned and once it was launched what happened? This is the first book of its kind to present such a comprehensive overview of Bomber Command's wartime organization and operations, and is fully illustrated with a fine selection of archive photographs.