This well-written book tells the remarkable story of an extraordinary team of aviators and their support personnel, from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities, who – to quote from the book’s sub-title – turned the tide of the RAF’s bombing campaign over occupied Europe.
Established aviation author Will Iredale recounts how Bomber Command was achieving poor results for maximum effort in the early years of the war, with just 25% of bombers bombing within three miles of the aiming point. This book tells us in detail how the formation of the Pathfinder Force (PFF), flying mainly Lancasters and Mosquitoes and occasionally Halifaxes, led to the accuracy figure rising to 95% by 1945.
Surprisingly, the book starts off by talking not of raids on Germany but of the attack on Coventry on 14 November 1940. It delves into the electronic wizardry of X-Verfahren that guided the Luftwaffe bombers to the Midlands city, whilst comparing it to the very basic sextant and map reading of RAF ‘navigators’ at this time (the official aircrew category of navigator was not introduced until 1942).
War Classics – With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa