The Dambuster raid comes alive, 11 Nov 2008
There are many histories written about the Dams raid where you can glean the clinical facts - and there was the film ... but there's nothing like oral history to engage the imagination and bring you close to the people who were there. The Dambusters, far from being 'gung-ho' come over as men of enormous skill, courage and resourcefulness, with a strong camaraderie among the crews. Their own words ring true - some readily admit that Gibson wasn't universally popular - but none doubted his resolve and courage. The crews trained to the increasingly exacting demands by the designer of the new bomb - they recall hair-raising flying at just 60 feet, honing their bombing accuracy - and their accounts build the tension until, on the day of the raid, they learn their night's target and recall their emotions. The accounts of the flight out and the bomb runs on the dams are riveting as some aircraft and crews go down in flames - and as an added bonus, there are detailed recollections from Germans who found themselves under the breaking dams. It's a brilliant read and a great tribute to all involved in the raid, from Barnes Wallis and his work to develop the bomb, to Gibson and all his crews and ground crews of 617 Squadron. Can't recommend it enough.

The Dambuster raid comes alive, 11 Nov 2008
There are many histories written about the Dams raid where you can glean the clinical facts - and there was the film ... but there's nothing like oral history to engage the imagination and bring you close to the people who were there. The Dambusters, far from being 'gung-ho' come over as men of enormous skill, courage and resourcefulness, with a strong camaraderie among the crews. Their own words ring true - some readily admit that Gibson wasn't universally popular - but none doubted his resolve and courage. The crews trained to the increasingly exacting demands by the designer of the new bomb - they recall hair-raising flying at just 60 feet, honing their bombing accuracy - and their accounts build the tension until, on the day of the raid, they learn their night's target and recall their emotions. The accounts of the flight out and the bomb runs on the dams are riveting as some aircraft and crews go down in flames - and as an added bonus, there are detailed recollections from Germans who found themselves under the breaking dams. It's a brilliant read and a great tribute to all involved in the raid, from Barnes Wallis and his work to develop the bomb, to Gibson and all his crews and ground crews of 617 Squadron. Can't recommend it enough.

An essential, extremely thorough and entertaining read, 02 Jan 2009
I got this book with no preconceptions and I was so glad I did. It's an extremely thorough and scolarly work. My only criticism would be that it is largely made up of quotations from other works, newspapers, articles and also interviews that Mr Bishop undertook personally. I was hoping for more from the author himself but the other side of that coin is that it allows the subject to speak for itself.

It's a fascinating insight into servicemen's life for Bomber Command crew. I also feel this book should be required reading for school children, as it gives the real life view of WWII. As an English school boy one is brought up learning about WWII and it becomes the source of playground games and imagination but the reality is somewhat different, grittier and far more interesting.

When I read this book, I was partly motivated by the memory of my late father who during WWII volunteered for the RAF hoping to become a Flight Engineer on Lancasters. Due to the start of USAAF daylight raids on Germany he finished his basic training to be told they didn't need more bomber crew and was thus returned to his reserved occupation.

I now realise that this might have been a narrow escape and also admire him for volunteering and I'm full of admiration for those that did get to fly.

An incisive account of one of the most important sectors of the Allied offensive., 16 Aug 2008
It is very easy to lament the work done by Bomber Command in the mid to end years of the Second World War in Europe. This book does just that. But it also delves into the hearts of those who flew the bombers, the emotions of those who let loose the bomb doors, the feelings of those who shot at night-fighters. And the book's great achievement is in presenting a view that not only helps us understand the great personal sacrifice these men made, but the even greater emotional sacrifice they have suffered since the end of the war.
With some glaring grammatical mistakes, the book's editors should be sacked, but all in all, this is a highly endearing yet incisive account of one of the ugliest aspects of war, yet an aspect that greatly hastened the end of the suffering of Europe.

Should be compulsory reading!, 04 Jun 2008
This book is the best book I have read so far this year.

It describes the strategic air war against Germany by the RAF in the Second World War. That description makes it sound maybe a bit dry and academic but it is far from being either of those things! It tells the story of this chapter in the war from a very human point of view. For example, there are chapters describing the airmen's training, lives at their bases, their motivation, how they dealt with the fear of being killed whilst carrying out operation over Europe at night and many other highly interesting aspects of the lives of these remarkable men.

The book also describes the strategy behind the bombing of Germany, from the beginning to the end of the war and gives a good insight into the main commanders - people such as Charles Portal and Bomber Harris.

The story told in these pages is often very moving and I once I had finished the book I thought about it for a long time afterwards, quite unlike other books I have read. I felt great sympathy for all the men of Bomber Command, which has never had the vital role it played in World War II properly publicly acknowledged. I hope that this book will cause many to ask why this is so and perhaps focus efforts to have a permanent memorial specific to these men built, and to have this done before the last of them die and they recede from living memory.


A moving but balanced account., 01 Jun 2008
Bomber Boys brought tears to my eyes. It is a movingly written record and assessment of the horrors that aircrew endured during World War II. My father - a navigator in a 44 Squadron Lancaster - had told me on many occasions about his war service and I understood something of the difficulties. However, it was only by reading this book that one can put into perspective the terrible loss, the low chances of survival as well as the physical and mental strain of missions.
Nor does the book shirk from the real moral ambiguities of the campaign and follows through to officialdom's post-war embarrassment of their role. The book fills in many of the gaps that I did not appreciate when talking to my father and allows me now to understand how truly heroic his and his fellow aircrewmen's contribution was. I only wish that my father could have survived a couple more years to have enjoyed reading it.

The truth behind the Dam Busters' legend, 05 Apr 2008
It's been about five years since I read Bishop's Fighter Boys and since I heard he was writing Bomber Boys I've been eagerly awaiting its release. It has lived up to and surpassed my expectations. It is exactly as a history book should be: a harmonious marriage of personal stories and a view of the bigger picture, which in this case is the progress of the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. It's only upon reading this that I discovered how little I knew about Bomber Command and the Second World War! It's shocking, really, to think that they might not have received as much recognition as their efforts deserved. Buy this book and be amazed!

Surviving Battle of Britain fighter aces were thin on the ground even in 1941, so any new book more than 60 years later from a previously unknown pilot is bound to get noticed. And First Light is not just any book. It might not turn out to be a lasting classic, like Richard Hillary's The Last Enemy or Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, but it is a cut well above the bog standard wartime reminiscences of many retired military bods. For a start Wellum can write, but more than this he has an instinctive feel for a good story. He begins First Light as a fresh-faced, rather obnoxious public schoolboy keen to blag his way into the RAF in March 1939; just three years, two full tours on Spitfires, the Battle of Britain, nearly 100 escorts and fighter sweeps over occupied France and a Malta convoy later, Wellum was physically and mentally burnt out before the age of 22. An old man in a boy's body. His descriptions of the excitement, freedom and, at times, sheer terror of operating in a three-dimensional airspace are vividly powerful, but perhaps his greatest gift is to get across the way the fatigue and the emotional shutting off creeps up unnoticed.

At the start, the death of a friend leaves Wellum devastated and wondering when his turn will come; within the space of a few hundred pages, the failure of a pilot to return is dropped in almost as an afterthought. This is not the response of a man who cares too little, but of one who cares too much. Without being aware of it, he has experienced and felt too much and his mind and body have involuntarily separated. This comes into even sharper relief at the end when Wellum is stood down from active service; he is the only one not to see--quite literally, as his vision has become impaired--that his ailments are rooted in his psyche rather than his body. The only one false note is his desire to see his role as part of a bigger picture; written many years after the events he describes, Wellum sometimes interjects thoughts and feelings about the war that simply do not ring true. That aside, one is left wondering what became of Wellum the man between the war ending and the book's publication. What sense did the prematurely aged fighter pilot make of the post-war age and did he learn to love again? But that, maybe, is the subject for another book. --John Crace

The Dambuster raid comes alive, 11 Nov 2008
There are many histories written about the Dams raid where you can glean the clinical facts - and there was the film ... but there's nothing like oral history to engage the imagination and bring you close to the people who were there. The Dambusters, far from being 'gung-ho' come over as men of enormous skill, courage and resourcefulness, with a strong camaraderie among the crews. Their own words ring true - some readily admit that Gibson wasn't universally popular - but none doubted his resolve and courage. The crews trained to the increasingly exacting demands by the designer of the new bomb - they recall hair-raising flying at just 60 feet, honing their bombing accuracy - and their accounts build the tension until, on the day of the raid, they learn their night's target and recall their emotions. The accounts of the flight out and the bomb runs on the dams are riveting as some aircraft and crews go down in flames - and as an added bonus, there are detailed recollections from Germans who found themselves under the breaking dams. It's a brilliant read and a great tribute to all involved in the raid, from Barnes Wallis and his work to develop the bomb, to Gibson and all his crews and ground crews of 617 Squadron. Can't recommend it enough.

An essential, extremely thorough and entertaining read, 02 Jan 2009
I got this book with no preconceptions and I was so glad I did. It's an extremely thorough and scolarly work. My only criticism would be that it is largely made up of quotations from other works, newspapers, articles and also interviews that Mr Bishop undertook personally. I was hoping for more from the author himself but the other side of that coin is that it allows the subject to speak for itself.

It's a fascinating insight into servicemen's life for Bomber Command crew. I also feel this book should be required reading for school children, as it gives the real life view of WWII. As an English school boy one is brought up learning about WWII and it becomes the source of playground games and imagination but the reality is somewhat different, grittier and far more interesting.

When I read this book, I was partly motivated by the memory of my late father who during WWII volunteered for the RAF hoping to become a Flight Engineer on Lancasters. Due to the start of USAAF daylight raids on Germany he finished his basic training to be told they didn't need more bomber crew and was thus returned to his reserved occupation.

I now realise that this might have been a narrow escape and also admire him for volunteering and I'm full of admiration for those that did get to fly.

An incisive account of one of the most important sectors of the Allied offensive., 16 Aug 2008
It is very easy to lament the work done by Bomber Command in the mid to end years of the Second World War in Europe. This book does just that. But it also delves into the hearts of those who flew the bombers, the emotions of those who let loose the bomb doors, the feelings of those who shot at night-fighters. And the book's great achievement is in presenting a view that not only helps us understand the great personal sacrifice these men made, but the even greater emotional sacrifice they have suffered since the end of the war.
With some glaring grammatical mistakes, the book's editors should be sacked, but all in all, this is a highly endearing yet incisive account of one of the ugliest aspects of war, yet an aspect that greatly hastened the end of the suffering of Europe.

Should be compulsory reading!, 04 Jun 2008
This book is the best book I have read so far this year.

It describes the strategic air war against Germany by the RAF in the Second World War. That description makes it sound maybe a bit dry and academic but it is far from being either of those things! It tells the story of this chapter in the war from a very human point of view. For example, there are chapters describing the airmen's training, lives at their bases, their motivation, how they dealt with the fear of being killed whilst carrying out operation over Europe at night and many other highly interesting aspects of the lives of these remarkable men.

The book also describes the strategy behind the bombing of Germany, from the beginning to the end of the war and gives a good insight into the main commanders - people such as Charles Portal and Bomber Harris.

The story told in these pages is often very moving and I once I had finished the book I thought about it for a long time afterwards, quite unlike other books I have read. I felt great sympathy for all the men of Bomber Command, which has never had the vital role it played in World War II properly publicly acknowledged. I hope that this book will cause many to ask why this is so and perhaps focus efforts to have a permanent memorial specific to these men built, and to have this done before the last of them die and they recede from living memory.


A moving but balanced account., 01 Jun 2008
Bomber Boys brought tears to my eyes. It is a movingly written record and assessment of the horrors that aircrew endured during World War II. My father - a navigator in a 44 Squadron Lancaster - had told me on many occasions about his war service and I understood something of the difficulties. However, it was only by reading this book that one can put into perspective the terrible loss, the low chances of survival as well as the physical and mental strain of missions.
Nor does the book shirk from the real moral ambiguities of the campaign and follows through to officialdom's post-war embarrassment of their role. The book fills in many of the gaps that I did not appreciate when talking to my father and allows me now to understand how truly heroic his and his fellow aircrewmen's contribution was. I only wish that my father could have survived a couple more years to have enjoyed reading it.

The truth behind the Dam Busters' legend, 05 Apr 2008
It's been about five years since I read Bishop's Fighter Boys and since I heard he was writing Bomber Boys I've been eagerly awaiting its release. It has lived up to and surpassed my expectations. It is exactly as a history book should be: a harmonious marriage of personal stories and a view of the bigger picture, which in this case is the progress of the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. It's only upon reading this that I discovered how little I knew about Bomber Command and the Second World War! It's shocking, really, to think that they might not have received as much recognition as their efforts deserved. Buy this book and be amazed!

first light, 20 Nov 2008
Excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I,ve now flown a Spitfire, as a passenger of the author! My only criticism is the gaps that appear, it seems to jump missing what I would consider necessary to the storyline. However it is still a must read. My admiration for the author grew with every page, definately one of the "few".

Excellent. There is nothing like it, 02 Oct 2008
One of the best personal accounts of WWII have ever read.

Section where he is lost over Kent coast after a chase through heavy rain & low cloud & low on fuel had the hairs on my neck standing up.

A classic

Probably the finest personal account of any WW2 Serviceman, 19 Sep 2008
In many ways I wish I hadn't read this book. This must seem like an odd thing to say given that I've assigned this book 5 stars, but the problem is that this book is so good that I judge all autobiographies of this era by it, and nothing else (as yet) has come close. It really is one of the finest accounts of a serviceman's experiences in WW2. I have read many accounts of personal experiences in WW2 (I own around 60 books on this topic), and while many have been truly excellent, none have touched me in the same way as this book. Thoughtful, and thought provoking and with an honesty which makes the reader feel that they are inside that spitfire with him, this truly is a book that should be treasured. Geoffrey Wellum has written an account of WW2 through his eyes which will still be being read in hundreds of year's time.

Essential reading, 12 Sep 2008
Anybody with a passing interest in aviation or World War II that hasn't already done so should do themselves a favour and read this book.
It is truly touching, engaging and riveting, reading as intimately as if the author was sat across the table, relating the story first hand.
It bristles with detail and authenticity throughout and yet still manages to affect the reader emotionally with the intimate thoughts and reflections of the author in his darker and more fraught moments.
This book deserves to be read by the widest possible audience, especially given the complete omission of any Word War related lessons in schools these days. It truly is startling to consider the attitudes of the people back then: the sheer bravery and sacrifice.
I would truly love to shake the hand of this man, and the others like him who simply aren't given the respect and status they deserve. Absolute heroes. Geoffrey - thank you for this book and the sacrifice you and your generation made.

"First Light" is FIRST CLASS!, 12 May 2008
The number of reviews for this book should be recommendation enough, gripping from start to finish and a fitting tribute to all Battle of Britain pilots and not least Geoffrey Wellum himself!

The Dambuster raid comes alive, 11 Nov 2008
There are many histories written about the Dams raid where you can glean the clinical facts - and there was the film ... but there's nothing like oral history to engage the imagination and bring you close to the people who were there. The Dambusters, far from being 'gung-ho' come over as men of enormous skill, courage and resourcefulness, with a strong camaraderie among the crews. Their own words ring true - some readily admit that Gibson wasn't universally popular - but none doubted his resolve and courage. The crews trained to the increasingly exacting demands by the designer of the new bomb - they recall hair-raising flying at just 60 feet, honing their bombing accuracy - and their accounts build the tension until, on the day of the raid, they learn their night's target and recall their emotions. The accounts of the flight out and the bomb runs on the dams are riveting as some aircraft and crews go down in flames - and as an added bonus, there are detailed recollections from Germans who found themselves under the breaking dams. It's a brilliant read and a great tribute to all involved in the raid, from Barnes Wallis and his work to develop the bomb, to Gibson and all his crews and ground crews of 617 Squadron. Can't recommend it enough.

An essential, extremely thorough and entertaining read, 02 Jan 2009
I got this book with no preconceptions and I was so glad I did. It's an extremely thorough and scolarly work. My only criticism would be that it is largely made up of quotations from other works, newspapers, articles and also interviews that Mr Bishop undertook personally. I was hoping for more from the author himself but the other side of that coin is that it allows the subject to speak for itself.

It's a fascinating insight into servicemen's life for Bomber Command crew. I also feel this book should be required reading for school children, as it gives the real life view of WWII. As an English school boy one is brought up learning about WWII and it becomes the source of playground games and imagination but the reality is somewhat different, grittier and far more interesting.

When I read this book, I was partly motivated by the memory of my late father who during WWII volunteered for the RAF hoping to become a Flight Engineer on Lancasters. Due to the start of USAAF daylight raids on Germany he finished his basic training to be told they didn't need more bomber crew and was thus returned to his reserved occupation.

I now realise that this might have been a narrow escape and also admire him for volunteering and I'm full of admiration for those that did get to fly.

An incisive account of one of the most important sectors of the Allied offensive., 16 Aug 2008
It is very easy to lament the work done by Bomber Command in the mid to end years of the Second World War in Europe. This book does just that. But it also delves into the hearts of those who flew the bombers, the emotions of those who let loose the bomb doors, the feelings of those who shot at night-fighters. And the book's great achievement is in presenting a view that not only helps us understand the great personal sacrifice these men made, but the even greater emotional sacrifice they have suffered since the end of the war.
With some glaring grammatical mistakes, the book's editors should be sacked, but all in all, this is a highly endearing yet incisive account of one of the ugliest aspects of war, yet an aspect that greatly hastened the end of the suffering of Europe.

Should be compulsory reading!, 04 Jun 2008
This book is the best book I have read so far this year.

It describes the strategic air war against Germany by the RAF in the Second World War. That description makes it sound maybe a bit dry and academic but it is far from being either of those things! It tells the story of this chapter in the war from a very human point of view. For example, there are chapters describing the airmen's training, lives at their bases, their motivation, how they dealt with the fear of being killed whilst carrying out operation over Europe at night and many other highly interesting aspects of the lives of these remarkable men.

The book also describes the strategy behind the bombing of Germany, from the beginning to the end of the war and gives a good insight into the main commanders - people such as Charles Portal and Bomber Harris.

The story told in these pages is often very moving and I once I had finished the book I thought about it for a long time afterwards, quite unlike other books I have read. I felt great sympathy for all the men of Bomber Command, which has never had the vital role it played in World War II properly publicly acknowledged. I hope that this book will cause many to ask why this is so and perhaps focus efforts to have a permanent memorial specific to these men built, and to have this done before the last of them die and they recede from living memory.


A moving but balanced account., 01 Jun 2008
Bomber Boys brought tears to my eyes. It is a movingly written record and assessment of the horrors that aircrew endured during World War II. My father - a navigator in a 44 Squadron Lancaster - had told me on many occasions about his war service and I understood something of the difficulties. However, it was only by reading this book that one can put into perspective the terrible loss, the low chances of survival as well as the physical and mental strain of missions.
Nor does the book shirk from the real moral ambiguities of the campaign and follows through to officialdom's post-war embarrassment of their role. The book fills in many of the gaps that I did not appreciate when talking to my father and allows me now to understand how truly heroic his and his fellow aircrewmen's contribution was. I only wish that my father could have survived a couple more years to have enjoyed reading it.

The truth behind the Dam Busters' legend, 05 Apr 2008
It's been about five years since I read Bishop's Fighter Boys and since I heard he was writing Bomber Boys I've been eagerly awaiting its release. It has lived up to and surpassed my expectations. It is exactly as a history book should be: a harmonious marriage of personal stories and a view of the bigger picture, which in this case is the progress of the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. It's only upon reading this that I discovered how little I knew about Bomber Command and the Second World War! It's shocking, really, to think that they might not have received as much recognition as their efforts deserved. Buy this book and be amazed!

first light, 20 Nov 2008
Excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I,ve now flown a Spitfire, as a passenger of the author! My only criticism is the gaps that appear, it seems to jump missing what I would consider necessary to the storyline. However it is still a must read. My admiration for the author grew with every page, definately one of the "few".

Excellent. There is nothing like it, 02 Oct 2008
One of the best personal accounts of WWII have ever read.

Section where he is lost over Kent coast after a chase through heavy rain & low cloud & low on fuel had the hairs on my neck standing up.

A classic

Probably the finest personal account of any WW2 Serviceman, 19 Sep 2008
In many ways I wish I hadn't read this book. This must seem like an odd thing to say given that I've assigned this book 5 stars, but the problem is that this book is so good that I judge all autobiographies of this era by it, and nothing else (as yet) has come close. It really is one of the finest accounts of a serviceman's experiences in WW2. I have read many accounts of personal experiences in WW2 (I own around 60 books on this topic), and while many have been truly excellent, none have touched me in the same way as this book. Thoughtful, and thought provoking and with an honesty which makes the reader feel that they are inside that spitfire with him, this truly is a book that should be treasured. Geoffrey Wellum has written an account of WW2 through his eyes which will still be being read in hundreds of year's time.

Essential reading, 12 Sep 2008
Anybody with a passing interest in aviation or World War II that hasn't already done so should do themselves a favour and read this book.
It is truly touching, engaging and riveting, reading as intimately as if the author was sat across the table, relating the story first hand.
It bristles with detail and authenticity throughout and yet still manages to affect the reader emotionally with the intimate thoughts and reflections of the author in his darker and more fraught moments.
This book deserves to be read by the widest possible audience, especially given the complete omission of any Word War related lessons in schools these days. It truly is startling to consider the attitudes of the people back then: the sheer bravery and sacrifice.
I would truly love to shake the hand of this man, and the others like him who simply aren't given the respect and status they deserve. Absolute heroes. Geoffrey - thank you for this book and the sacrifice you and your generation made.

"First Light" is FIRST CLASS!, 12 May 2008
The number of reviews for this book should be recommendation enough, gripping from start to finish and a fitting tribute to all Battle of Britain pilots and not least Geoffrey Wellum himself!

Not what I was expecting , 10 Nov 2008
I received this book as a free gift as part of a magazine subscription so I can't really complain too much. The book is well produced and relatively interesting as it tells the Spitfire story from a different point of view (that of a restorer). But I must say I am disappointed as I had built a mental picture of what the book was going to be like and in reality it is very different. Being a Haynes manual I expected it to be similar to their car workshop manuals but for a Spitfire. That is it would tell you had to strip down, replace, repair and service your spitfire with lots of detailed exploded diagrams and photos. I don't own a Spitfire so it wouldn't have been of practical value but all the same, would have been quite interesting. In reality the only thing common to the Haynes car workshop manual is the layout and look of the front cover. Instead the book is largely anecdotal about spitfires that have been found and restored. It's still okay but I'd have been disappointed with it if I had paid for it and would have considered seeking a refund. My advice would be not to dismiss it outright on the basis of my review but please try and look at it before purchase to see if it is what you'd expect and want.

Cheers, Nigel

useful & fun !!, 28 Apr 2008
Although not an exhaustive technical chronology of this iconic plane this book is a very revealing perspective from various angles. Especially appealing to the non expert it exposes information that would normally be difficult to aquire.
Particularly interesting are the practical issues of flying the Spit today , respect is due to those with the wallet & fortitude to provide the vast majority with the joy of watching it in action !!
Refreshing and worth it's place on the bookshelf.

Spitfire Manual - An opportunity missed, 03 Mar 2008
Those of us that have used Haynes manuals for car maintenance would have expected similar technical coverage for the Spitfire.
And for an aircraft that evolved from a lightweight fighter (Max weight Mk1 = 6,200lb) to a heavy naval strike fighter (max weight Mk47 = 12,750lb) what an evolution that was. That beautiful elliptical wing went through several variants to cope with the weight, performance and armament increase - and the naval version had folding wings.
It would have been wonderful to see, in true Haynes style, how the design team, under Joe Smith, coped with the continual operational pressure to keep the Spitfire the best fighter in the world but unfortunately this was not to be.
The Spitfire Manual is "just another Spitfire Book", it has some excellent photographic artwork and briefly attempts to cover the development and the use of the aircraft.
About a third of the book covers, in photographs, the rebuilding of an RAF Memorial Flight Aircraft but as for that technical coverage, do not look here.
Pity - I would have kept my copy if it had.

The Dambuster raid comes alive, 11 Nov 2008
There are many histories written about the Dams raid where you can glean the clinical facts - and there was the film ... but there's nothing like oral history to engage the imagination and bring you close to the people who were there. The Dambusters, far from being 'gung-ho' come over as men of enormous skill, courage and resourcefulness, with a strong camaraderie among the crews. Their own words ring true - some readily admit that Gibson wasn't universally popular - but none doubted his resolve and courage. The crews trained to the increasingly exacting demands by the designer of the new bomb - they recall hair-raising flying at just 60 feet, honing their bombing accuracy - and their accounts build the tension until, on the day of the raid, they learn their night's target and recall their emotions. The accounts of the flight out and the bomb runs on the dams are riveting as some aircraft and crews go down in flames - and as an added bonus, there are detailed recollections from Germans who found themselves under the breaking dams. It's a brilliant read and a great tribute to all involved in the raid, from Barnes Wallis and his work to develop the bomb, to Gibson and all his crews and ground crews of 617 Squadron. Can't recommend it enough.

An essential, extremely thorough and entertaining read, 02 Jan 2009
I got this book with no preconceptions and I was so glad I did. It's an extremely thorough and scolarly work. My only criticism would be that it is largely made up of quotations from other works, newspapers, articles and also interviews that Mr Bishop undertook personally. I was hoping for more from the author himself but the other side of that coin is that it allows the subject to speak for itself.

It's a fascinating insight into servicemen's life for Bomber Command crew. I also feel this book should be required reading for school children, as it gives the real life view of WWII. As an English school boy one is brought up learning about WWII and it becomes the source of playground games and imagination but the reality is somewhat different, grittier and far more interesting.

When I read this book, I was partly motivated by the memory of my late father who during WWII volunteered for the RAF hoping to become a Flight Engineer on Lancasters. Due to the start of USAAF daylight raids on Germany he finished his basic training to be told they didn't need more bomber crew and was thus returned to his reserved occupation.

I now realise that this might have been a narrow escape and also admire him for volunteering and I'm full of admiration for those that did get to fly.

An incisive account of one of the most important sectors of the Allied offensive., 16 Aug 2008
It is very easy to lament the work done by Bomber Command in the mid to end years of the Second World War in Europe. This book does just that. But it also delves into the hearts of those who flew the bombers, the emotions of those who let loose the bomb doors, the feelings of those who shot at night-fighters. And the book's great achievement is in presenting a view that not only helps us understand the great personal sacrifice these men made, but the even greater emotional sacrifice they have suffered since the end of the war.
With some glaring grammatical mistakes, the book's editors should be sacked, but all in all, this is a highly endearing yet incisive account of one of the ugliest aspects of war, yet an aspect that greatly hastened the end of the suffering of Europe.

Should be compulsory reading!, 04 Jun 2008
This book is the best book I have read so far this year.

It describes the strategic air war against Germany by the RAF in the Second World War. That description makes it sound maybe a bit dry and academic but it is far from being either of those things! It tells the story of this chapter in the war from a very human point of view. For example, there are chapters describing the airmen's training, lives at their bases, their motivation, how they dealt with the fear of being killed whilst carrying out operation over Europe at night and many other highly interesting aspects of the lives of these remarkable men.

The book also describes the strategy behind the bombing of Germany, from the beginning to the end of the war and gives a good insight into the main commanders - people such as Charles Portal and Bomber Harris.

The story told in these pages is often very moving and I once I had finished the book I thought about it for a long time afterwards, quite unlike other books I have read. I felt great sympathy for all the men of Bomber Command, which has never had the vital role it played in World War II properly publicly acknowledged. I hope that this book will cause many to ask why this is so and perhaps focus efforts to have a permanent memorial specific to these men built, and to have this done before the last of them die and they recede from living memory.


A moving but balanced account., 01 Jun 2008
Bomber Boys brought tears to my eyes. It is a movingly written record and assessment of the horrors that aircrew endured during World War II. My father - a navigator in a 44 Squadron Lancaster - had told me on many occasions about his war service and I understood something of the difficulties. However, it was only by reading this book that one can put into perspective the terrible loss, the low chances of survival as well as the physical and mental strain of missions.
Nor does the book shirk from the real moral ambiguities of the campaign and follows through to officialdom's post-war embarrassment of their role. The book fills in many of the gaps that I did not appreciate when talking to my father and allows me now to understand how truly heroic his and his fellow aircrewmen's contribution was. I only wish that my father could have survived a couple more years to have enjoyed reading it.

The truth behind the Dam Busters' legend, 05 Apr 2008
It's been about five years since I read Bishop's Fighter Boys and since I heard he was writing Bomber Boys I've been eagerly awaiting its release. It has lived up to and surpassed my expectations. It is exactly as a history book should be: a harmonious marriage of personal stories and a view of the bigger picture, which in this case is the progress of the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. It's only upon reading this that I discovered how little I knew about Bomber Command and the Second World War! It's shocking, really, to think that they might not have received as much recognition as their efforts deserved. Buy this book and be amazed!

first light, 20 Nov 2008
Excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I,ve now flown a Spitfire, as a passenger of the author! My only criticism is the gaps that appear, it seems to jump missing what I would consider necessary to the storyline. However it is still a must read. My admiration for the author grew with every page, definately one of the "few".

Excellent. There is nothing like it, 02 Oct 2008
One of the best personal accounts of WWII have ever read.

Section where he is lost over Kent coast after a chase through heavy rain & low cloud & low on fuel had the hairs on my neck standing up.

A classic

Probably the finest personal account of any WW2 Serviceman, 19 Sep 2008
In many ways I wish I hadn't read this book. This must seem like an odd thing to say given that I've assigned this book 5 stars, but the problem is that this book is so good that I judge all autobiographies of this era by it, and nothing else (as yet) has come close. It really is one of the finest accounts of a serviceman's experiences in WW2. I have read many accounts of personal experiences in WW2 (I own around 60 books on this topic), and while many have been truly excellent, none have touched me in the same way as this book. Thoughtful, and thought provoking and with an honesty which makes the reader feel that they are inside that spitfire with him, this truly is a book that should be treasured. Geoffrey Wellum has written an account of WW2 through his eyes which will still be being read in hundreds of year's time.

Essential reading, 12 Sep 2008
Anybody with a passing interest in aviation or World War II that hasn't already done so should do themselves a favour and read this book.
It is truly touching, engaging and riveting, reading as intimately as if the author was sat across the table, relating the story first hand.
It bristles with detail and authenticity throughout and yet still manages to affect the reader emotionally with the intimate thoughts and reflections of the author in his darker and more fraught moments.
This book deserves to be read by the widest possible audience, especially given the complete omission of any Word War related lessons in schools these days. It truly is startling to consider the attitudes of the people back then: the sheer bravery and sacrifice.
I would truly love to shake the hand of this man, and the others like him who simply aren't given the respect and status they deserve. Absolute heroes. Geoffrey - thank you for this book and the sacrifice you and your generation made.

"First Light" is FIRST CLASS!, 12 May 2008
The number of reviews for this book should be recommendation enough, gripping from start to finish and a fitting tribute to all Battle of Britain pilots and not least Geoffrey Wellum himself!

Not what I was expecting , 10 Nov 2008
I received this book as a free gift as part of a magazine subscription so I can't really complain too much. The book is well produced and relatively interesting as it tells the Spitfire story from a different point of view (that of a restorer). But I must say I am disappointed as I had built a mental picture of what the book was going to be like and in reality it is very different. Being a Haynes manual I expected it to be similar to their car workshop manuals but for a Spitfire. That is it would tell you had to strip down, replace, repair and service your spitfire with lots of detailed exploded diagrams and photos. I don't own a Spitfire so it wouldn't have been of practical value but all the same, would have been quite interesting. In reality the only thing common to the Haynes car workshop manual is the layout and look of the front cover. Instead the book is largely anecdotal about spitfires that have been found and restored. It's still okay but I'd have been disappointed with it if I had paid for it and would have considered seeking a refund. My advice would be not to dismiss it outright on the basis of my review but please try and look at it before purchase to see if it is what you'd expect and want.

Cheers, Nigel

useful & fun !!, 28 Apr 2008
Although not an exhaustive technical chronology of this iconic plane this book is a very revealing perspective from various angles. Especially appealing to the non expert it exposes information that would normally be difficult to aquire.
Particularly interesting are the practical issues of flying the Spit today , respect is due to those with the wallet & fortitude to provide the vast majority with the joy of watching it in action !!
Refreshing and worth it's place on the bookshelf.

Spitfire Manual - An opportunity missed, 03 Mar 2008
Those of us that have used Haynes manuals for car maintenance would have expected similar technical coverage for the Spitfire.
And for an aircraft that evolved from a lightweight fighter (Max weight Mk1 = 6,200lb) to a heavy naval strike fighter (max weight Mk47 = 12,750lb) what an evolution that was. That beautiful elliptical wing went through several variants to cope with the weight, performance and armament increase - and the naval version had folding wings.
It would have been wonderful to see, in true Haynes style, how the design team, under Joe Smith, coped with the continual operational pressure to keep the Spitfire the best fighter in the world but unfortunately this was not to be.
The Spitfire Manual is "just another Spitfire Book", it has some excellent photographic artwork and briefly attempts to cover the development and the use of the aircraft.
About a third of the book covers, in photographs, the rebuilding of an RAF Memorial Flight Aircraft but as for that technical coverage, do not look here.
Pity - I would have kept my copy if it had.

Joint Force Harrier, 29 Dec 2008
This book details the expolits of 800 Naval Air Squadron as it deployed to Kandahar air Base in 2006 in support of ISAF ground forces in Afghanistan.

Cdr Orchard, leading the Squadron, demonstrates the understated, professionalism that ensures British forces remain amongst the best in the world. The precautions taken by the aircrew and JTAC's to reduce the risk of colateral damage, death or injury to innocent civilians or friendly troops highlight their humanity.

The narrative style is fast moving and easy to read, the detailed maps, glossary and diagramatic picture of the Harrier GR7 complement the good selection of colour photographs supporting the text. Just a shame the the Mil Mi-26 Halo helicopter was so often referred to as a Mil Mi-24!

At a time when the very existance of a fixed wing force within the Fleet Air Arm is in doubt this book makes a great comparison with that of the previous generation of Naval Harrier pilots ('Sea Harrier over the Falklands' & 'Hostile Skies'). In addition, Cdr Orchard has donated his share of income from the sales of this book to the 'Combat Stress' charity and the Royal Navy Historic Flight. Recommended.

Must read, 27 Nov 2008
This is a first hand insight into the afghanistan war, from the eyes of a RN pilot. It is very well written, with Ade's sense of humour it makes for a thrilling book. I cannot reccomend this enough.

Joint Force harrier Review, 04 Oct 2008
Such an immature book, almost like boys own, one of the worst military history books I have read. I am sure that it will not be missed.

As good as it gets in a Harrier., 10 Sep 2008
First of all I would like to thank Peter Thompson for his review which prompted me to purchase and read this account by Commander Ade Orchard on the part played by the Gr7 crews in the Afghan theatre of war.
It has been well written and is a documented account of the time spent by the Royal Navy on a land based, ground attack tour of duty.
This is a very educated read and comes without all the humerous anecdotes of life in the mess rooms and bunk houses. No accounts of wives, children or what they are missing back home.
This is what the reader wants to hear...scrambles to get airborne, pressure on crews to direct attacks at the right targets, life in the cockpit of a Harrier jump jet and what happens when the going gets tough and things go wrong....this hero stayed cool, calm and collected under immense pressures and it is an honour to have read his book.
Much like the pilots during WW2 they remain a cut above the rest and have a quality that few of us share.
A damm good read...this will become essential reading for many many years to come.

An excellent read, un-put-downable!, 04 Sep 2008

An excellent book that will appeal to military historians and those just looking for a good, genuine read. The pace and detail is just right, a real human story.

The Dambuster raid comes alive, 11 Nov 2008
There are many histories written about the Dams raid where you can glean the clinical facts - and there was the film ... but there's nothing like oral history to engage the imagination and bring you close to the people who were there. The Dambusters, far from being 'gung-ho' come over as men of enormous skill, courage and resourcefulness, with a strong camaraderie among the crews. Their own words ring true - some readily admit that Gibson wasn't universally popular - but none doubted his resolve and courage. The crews trained to the increasingly exacting demands by the designer of the new bomb - they recall hair-raising flying at just 60 feet, honing their bombing accuracy - and their accounts build the tension until, on the day of the raid, they learn their night's target and recall their emotions. The accounts of the flight out and the bomb runs on the dams are riveting as some aircraft and crews go down in flames - and as an added bonus, there are detailed recollections from Germans who found themselves under the breaking dams. It's a brilliant read and a great tribute to all involved in the raid, from Barnes Wallis and his work to develop the bomb, to Gibson and all his crews and ground crews of 617 Squadron. Can't recommend it enough.

An essential, extremely thorough and entertaining read, 02 Jan 2009
I got this book with no preconceptions and I was so glad I did. It's an extremely thorough and scolarly work. My only criticism would be that it is largely made up of quotations from other works, newspapers, articles and also interviews that Mr Bishop undertook personally. I was hoping for more from the author himself but the other side of that coin is that it allows the subject to speak for itself.

It's a fascinating insight into servicemen's life for Bomber Command crew. I also feel this book should be required reading for school children, as it gives the real life view of WWII. As an English school boy one is brought up learning about WWII and it becomes the source of playground games and imagination but the reality is somewhat different, grittier and far more interesting.

When I read this book, I was partly motivated by the memory of my late father who during WWII volunteered for the RAF hoping to become a Flight Engineer on Lancasters. Due to the start of USAAF daylight raids on Germany he finished his basic training to be told they didn't need more bomber crew and was thus returned to his reserved occupation.

I now realise that this might have been a narrow escape and also admire him for volunteering and I'm full of admiration for those that did get to fly.

An incisive account of one of the most important sectors of the Allied offensive., 16 Aug 2008
It is very easy to lament the work done by Bomber Command in the mid to end years of the Second World War in Europe. This book does just that. But it also delves into the hearts of those who flew the bombers, the emotions of those who let loose the bomb doors, the feelings of those who shot at night-fighters. And the book's great achievement is in presenting a view that not only helps us understand the great personal sacrifice these men made, but the even greater emotional sacrifice they have suffered since the end of the war.
With some glaring grammatical mistakes, the book's editors should be sacked, but all in all, this is a highly endearing yet incisive account of one of the ugliest aspects of war, yet an aspect that greatly hastened the end of the suffering of Europe.

Should be compulsory reading!, 04 Jun 2008
This book is the best book I have read so far this year.

It describes the strategic air war against Germany by the RAF in the Second World War. That description makes it sound maybe a bit dry and academic but it is far from being either of those things! It tells the story of this chapter in the war from a very human point of view. For example, there are chapters describing the airmen's training, lives at their bases, their motivation, how they dealt with the fear of being killed whilst carrying out operation over Europe at night and many other highly interesting aspects of the lives of these remarkable men.

The book also describes the strategy behind the bombing of Germany, from the beginning to the end of the war and gives a good insight into the main commanders - people such as Charles Portal and Bomber Harris.

The story told in these pages is often very moving and I once I had finished the book I thought about it for a long time afterwards, quite unlike other books I have read. I felt great sympathy for all the men of Bomber Command, which has never had the vital role it played in World War II properly publicly acknowledged. I hope that this book will cause many to ask why this is so and perhaps focus efforts to have a permanent memorial specific to these men built, and to have this done before the last of them die and they recede from living memory.


A moving but balanced account., 01 Jun 2008
Bomber Boys brought tears to my eyes. It is a movingly written record and assessment of the horrors that aircrew endured during World War II. My father - a navigator in a 44 Squadron Lancaster - had told me on many occasions about his war service and I understood something of the difficulties. However, it was only by reading this book that one can put into perspective the terrible loss, the low chances of survival as well as the physical and mental strain of missions.
Nor does the book shirk from the real moral ambiguities of the campaign and follows through to officialdom's post-war embarrassment of their role. The book fills in many of the gaps that I did not appreciate when talking to my father and allows me now to understand how truly heroic his and his fellow aircrewmen's contribution was. I only wish that my father could have survived a couple more years to have enjoyed reading it.

The truth behind the Dam Busters' legend, 05 Apr 2008
It's been about five years since I read Bishop's Fighter Boys and since I heard he was writing Bomber Boys I've been eagerly awaiting its release. It has lived up to and surpassed my expectations. It is exactly as a history book should be: a harmonious marriage of personal stories and a view of the bigger picture, which in this case is the progress of the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. It's only upon reading this that I discovered how little I knew about Bomber Command and the Second World War! It's shocking, really, to think that they might not have received as much recognition as their efforts deserved. Buy this book and be amazed!

first light, 20 Nov 2008
Excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I,ve now flown a Spitfire, as a passenger of the author! My only criticism is the gaps that appear, it seems to jump missing what I would consider necessary to the storyline. However it is still a must read. My admiration for the author grew with every page, definately one of the "few".

Excellent. There is nothing like it, 02 Oct 2008
One of the best personal accounts of WWII have ever read.

Section where he is lost over Kent coast after a chase through heavy rain & low cloud & low on fuel had the hairs on my neck standing up.

A classic

Probably the finest personal account of any WW2 Serviceman, 19 Sep 2008
In many ways I wish I hadn't read this book. This must seem like an odd thing to say given that I've assigned this book 5 stars, but the problem is that this book is so good that I judge all autobiographies of this era by it, and nothing else (as yet) has come close. It really is one of the finest accounts of a serviceman's experiences in WW2. I have read many accounts of personal experiences in WW2 (I own around 60 books on this topic), and while many have been truly excellent, none have touched me in the same way as this book. Thoughtful, and thought provoking and with an honesty which makes the reader feel that they are inside that spitfire with him, this truly is a book that should be treasured. Geoffrey Wellum has written an account of WW2 through his eyes which will still be being read in hundreds of year's time.

Essential reading, 12 Sep 2008
Anybody with a passing interest in aviation or World War II that hasn't already done so should do themselves a favour and read this book.
It is truly touching, engaging and riveting, reading as intimately as if the author was sat across the table, relating the story first hand.
It bristles with detail and authenticity throughout and yet still manages to affect the reader emotionally with the intimate thoughts and reflections of the author in his darker and more fraught moments.
This book deserves to be read by the widest possible audience, especially given the complete omission of any Word War related lessons in schools these days. It truly is startling to consider the attitudes of the people back then: the sheer bravery and sacrifice.
I would truly love to shake the hand of this man, and the others like him who simply aren't given the respect and status they deserve. Absolute heroes. Geoffrey - thank you for this book and the sacrifice you and your generation made.

"First Light" is FIRST CLASS!, 12 May 2008
The number of reviews for this book should be recommendation enough, gripping from start to finish and a fitting tribute to all Battle of Britain pilots and not least Geoffrey Wellum himself!

Not what I was expecting , 10 Nov 2008
I received this book as a free gift as part of a magazine subscription so I can't really complain too much. The book is well produced and relatively interesting as it tells the Spitfire story from a different point of view (that of a restorer). But I must say I am disappointed as I had built a mental picture of what the book was going to be like and in reality it is very different. Being a Haynes manual I expected it to be similar to their car workshop manuals but for a Spitfire. That is it would tell you had to strip down, replace, repair and service your spitfire with lots of detailed exploded diagrams and photos. I don't own a Spitfire so it wouldn't have been of practical value but all the same, would have been quite interesting. In reality the only thing common to the Haynes car workshop manual is the layout and look of the front cover. Instead the book is largely anecdotal about spitfires that have been found and restored. It's still okay but I'd have been disappointed with it if I had paid for it and would have considered seeking a refund. My advice would be not to dismiss it outright on the basis of my review but please try and look at it before purchase to see if it is what you'd expect and want.

Cheers, Nigel

useful & fun !!, 28 Apr 2008
Although not an exhaustive technical chronology of this iconic plane this book is a very revealing perspective from various angles. Especially appealing to the non expert it exposes information that would normally be difficult to aquire.
Particularly interesting are the practical issues of flying the Spit today , respect is due to those with the wallet & fortitude to provide the vast majority with the joy of watching it in action !!
Refreshing and worth it's place on the bookshelf.

Spitfire Manual - An opportunity missed, 03 Mar 2008
Those of us that have used Haynes manuals for car maintenance would have expected similar technical coverage for the Spitfire.
And for an aircraft that evolved from a lightweight fighter (Max weight Mk1 = 6,200lb) to a heavy naval strike fighter (max weight Mk47 = 12,750lb) what an evolution that was. That beautiful elliptical wing went through several variants to cope with the weight, performance and armament increase - and the naval version had folding wings.
It would have been wonderful to see, in true Haynes style, how the design team, under Joe Smith, coped with the continual operational pressure to keep the Spitfire the best fighter in the world but unfortunately this was not to be.
The Spitfire Manual is "just another Spitfire Book", it has some excellent photographic artwork and briefly attempts to cover the development and the use of the aircraft.
About a third of the book covers, in photographs, the rebuilding of an RAF Memorial Flight Aircraft but as for that technical coverage, do not look here.
Pity - I would have kept my copy if it had.

Joint Force Harrier, 29 Dec 2008
This book details the expolits of 800 Naval Air Squadron as it deployed to Kandahar air Base in 2006 in support of ISAF ground forces in Afghanistan.

Cdr Orchard, leading the Squadron, demonstrates the understated, professionalism that ensures British forces remain amongst the best in the world. The precautions taken by the aircrew and JTAC's to reduce the risk of colateral damage, death or injury to innocent civilians or friendly troops highlight their humanity.

The narrative style is fast moving and easy to read, the detailed maps, glossary and diagramatic picture of the Harrier GR7 complement the good selection of colour photographs supporting the text. Just a shame the the Mil Mi-26 Halo helicopter was so often referred to as a Mil Mi-24!

At a time when the very existance of a fixed wing force within the Fleet Air Arm is in doubt this book makes a great comparison with that of the previous generation of Naval Harrier pilots ('Sea Harrier over the Falklands' & 'Hostile Skies'). In addition, Cdr Orchard has donated his share of income from the sales of this book to the 'Combat Stress' charity and the Royal Navy Historic Flight. Recommended.

Must read, 27 Nov 2008
This is a first hand insight into the afghanistan war, from the eyes of a RN pilot. It is very well written, with Ade's sense of humour it makes for a thrilling book. I cannot reccomend this enough.

Joint Force harrier Review, 04 Oct 2008
Such an immature book, almost like boys own, one of the worst military history books I have read. I am sure that it will not be missed.

As good as it gets in a Harrier., 10 Sep 2008
First of all I would like to thank Peter Thompson for his review which prompted me to purchase and read this account by Commander Ade Orchard on the part played by the Gr7 crews in the Afghan theatre of war.
It has been well written and is a documented account of the time spent by the Royal Navy on a land based, ground attack tour of duty.
This is a very educated read and comes without all the humerous anecdotes of life in the mess rooms and bunk houses. No accounts of wives, children or what they are missing back home.
This is what the reader wants to hear...scrambles to get airborne, pressure on crews to direct attacks at the right targets, life in the cockpit of a Harrier jump jet and what happens when the going gets tough and things go wrong....this hero stayed cool, calm and collected under immense pressures and it is an honour to have read his book.
Much like the pilots during WW2 they remain a cut above the rest and have a quality that few of us share.
A damm good read...this will become essential reading for many many years to come.

An excellent read, un-put-downable!, 04 Sep 2008

An excellent book that will appeal to military historians and those just looking for a good, genuine read. The pace and detail is just right, a real human story.

An involving account of an important piece of modern British history, 28 Oct 2008
Many will remember when, in April 1982, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands. The islands had belonged to the UK since 1833 and in 1982 the 1800-strong population considered themselves British. The ailing Argentine military junta of 1982 needed to re-establish their authority and reclaiming the `Malvinas' would surely do this. Public outcry in the UK and indignance from the Falkland Islanders followed as the Argentine flag was raised over Stanley.

A British Task Force was hastily assembled and memorable pictures were broadcast of anxious families seeing their loved ones depart from the Solent ports. The UK had long been preparing to fight Cold War scenarios, but the Falklands Conflict provided senior officers, crews and engineers of the Royal Air Force with numerous challenges as to how best they could contribute to the effort.

Vulcan 607 is the story from conception to execution of Operation Black Buck; the longest-range air attack in history carried out by a single Vulcan bomber to deny Argentine use of the runway at Stanley Airfield on East Falkland. This they did supported by 15 Victor air-to-air refuelling tanker aircraft involving 19 separate in-flight refuellings over the 8000-mile journey from Ascension Island across the South Atlantic to the Falklands and back again. This precarious mission turned out to be a turning point in the fight to regain the islands, as the runway was put out of effective use and valuable Argentine air assets were diverted to protect the mainland, military bases and Navy at sea.

Roland White's book accurately describes the training, techniques and potential dangers involved in such a mission and the air-to-air refuelling it requires; his attention to detail and excellent research shows in every chapter. Personal anecdotes from aircraft crews, planners and Falkland Islanders seamlessly intertwine to reveal personal emotions during the tension, uncertainty and unfolding drama of the Conflict and vividly bring the Operation to life as events unravel.

Vulcan 607 was gripping from start to finish and I genuinely found it hard to put down.
Highly recommended.
M

Fabulous read, 09 Aug 2008
I am no literary critic as the only time I read a book is on holiday. However, if more books were like this then that would change. I found it easy to read, albeit the number of characters involved did get confusing at times but this is a true story after all with each of them playing their own part and deserving of recognition. It flows well and was hard to put down and puts into perspective what is involved in any mission let alone one at the other side of the world. Its incredible that it ever came off. A fascinating, moving and thrilling read from start to finish. I applaud the RAF and those involved.

Stunning efforts in human endurance and tenacity., 07 Feb 2008
I found this book amazing, and a wonderful addition to the many accounts of the various aspects of the Falklands conflict. I have just finished reading Excursion to hell by Vincent Bramley from 3 Para. And I have to say both these books give fascinating accounts of factual events that helped to further our efforts in the Falklands.
The journey you travel in this book is a long and arduous one, and even when the mission has been carried out, the return is just as strenuous.

Some people now claim many things about this mission, both in its effectiveness and contribution. they also seem to think it was a competition between the armed forces of Britain on who did the most.
But what a lot of people are missing is that this mission had many successful results both politically and in terms of moral on both sides. And these brave men were doing their duty, as well as the brave men of the army and navy did, and have continued to do.

Anyone with even the most remote interest in military operations cannot fail to be drawn into the intrigues of planning a huge mission and the every day life of a British serviceman.


Boys Own at its best, 16 Jan 2008
If you only read one book this year make sure its Vulcan 607. A fabulous story told in a glorious style. So many interest angles, Political, Military, Technical, Human - something for everyone. You don't have to immerse yourself in the fascinating technical and military detail to appreciate the vision, ambition, guts and determination to get the job done displayed here. The dedication and professionalism of all those involved, combined with the 'can do' attitude and the desire to give Argentine a 'bloody nose',are stirring to say the least.

Competent, 24 Dec 2007
Logistically, it would have been easier to build a hotel on Jupiter. Politically, failure of this mission would be suicidal. Tactically, it could have been left to the Sea Harriers stationed 200 miles away on HMS Invincible to destroy Stanleys Airstrip. Frankly, this mission sounded as daft as the Dambusters raids nearly 40 years previous, but just like those - symbolically it was nothing short of magical. The RAF had modified a 30 year old nuclear bomber - 2 months away from the scrapyard, with conventional weapons and a heath robinson refuelling procedure that had served as an ashtray in the officers mess for 20 years, and delivered it to within a few hundred miles of Buenos Aires. If the plan was to undermine and terrify the Junta, I cant think of anything more potent than the sight of a Vulcan in your airspace.

Sadly, the delivery of the story doesnt quite do justice to the mission itself. Its well researched, and competently written, but I felt the organisation of the chapters should have dealt seperately with the various threads, instead of lumping them together. This would have also allowed Wight to suspend the reader on the edge of their seat between chapters. For example, "Then it all went badly wrong." should have ended the chapter, instead, Wight tells us (briefly) why in the very next paragraph.

Next, watching a Vulcan take off is an unforgettable experience. The sounds, the size of the delta winged behemoth, the sheer power of the engines as it snakes upwards at an impossible angle and speed. I can only imagine the tension and feeling of seeing a dozen or so overloaded planes leaving Ascension Island on the eve of the raid that a flowing narrative could stir, but sadly this book doesnt quite capture it. "A few seconds later she was airborne" just isnt enough for me.

That said, it deals competently with the events and so is an important component in the history of the Falklands war. I would have liked more backdrop of the building tension of the war and a clearer idea of the bigger picture, though thats not really a criticism, instead this book has prompted me to find others that deal more specifically with the other events during the same period.

The Dambuster raid comes alive, 11 Nov 2008
There are many histories written about the Dams raid where you can glean the clinical facts - and there was the film ... but there's nothing like oral history to engage the imagination and bring you close to the people who were there. The Dambusters, far from being 'gung-ho' come over as men of enormous skill, courage and resourcefulness, with a strong camaraderie among the crews. Their own words ring true - some readily admit that Gibson wasn't universally popular - but none doubted his resolve and courage. The crews trained to the increasingly exacting demands by the designer of the new bomb - they recall hair-raising flying at just 60 feet, honing their bombing accuracy - and their accounts build the tension until, on the day of the raid, they learn their night's target and recall their emotions. The accounts of the flight out and the bomb runs on the dams are riveting as some aircraft and crews go down in flames - and as an added bonus, there are detailed recollections from Germans who found themselves under the breaking dams. It's a brilliant read and a great tribute to all involved in the raid, from Barnes Wallis and his work to develop the bomb, to Gibson and all his crews and ground crews of 617 Squadron. Can't recommend it enough.

An essential, extremely thorough and entertaining read, 02 Jan 2009
I got this book with no preconceptions and I was so glad I did. It's an extremely thorough and scolarly work. My only criticism would be that it is largely made up of quotations from other works, newspapers, articles and also interviews that Mr Bishop undertook personally. I was hoping for more from the author himself but the other side of that coin is that it allows the subject to speak for itself.

It's a fascinating insight into servicemen's life for Bomber Command crew. I also feel this book should be required reading for school children, as it gives the real life view of WWII. As an English school boy one is brought up learning about WWII and it becomes the source of playground games and imagination but the reality is somewhat different, grittier and far more interesting.

When I read this book, I was partly motivated by the memory of my late father who during WWII volunteered for the RAF hoping to become a Flight Engineer on Lancasters. Due to the start of USAAF daylight raids on Germany he finished his basic training to be told they didn't need more bomber crew and was thus returned to his reserved occupation.

I now realise that this might have been a narrow escape and also admire him for volunteering and I'm full of admiration for those that did get to fly.

An incisive account of one of the most important sectors of the Allied offensive., 16 Aug 2008
It is very easy to lament the work done by Bomber Command in the mid to end years of the Second World War in Europe. This book does just that. But it also delves into the hearts of those who flew the bombers, the emotions of those who let loose the bomb doors, the feelings of those who shot at night-fighters. And the book's great achievement is in presenting a view that not only helps us understand the great personal sacrifice these men made, but the even greater emotional sacrifice they have suffered since the end of the war.
With some glaring grammatical mistakes, the book's editors should be sacked, but all in all, this is a highly endearing yet incisive account of one of the ugliest aspects of war, yet an aspect that greatly hastened the end of the suffering of Europe.

Should be compulsory reading!, 04 Jun 2008
This book is the best book I have read so far this year.

It describes the strategic air war against Germany by the RAF in the Second World War. That description makes it sound maybe a bit dry and academic but it is far from being either of those things! It tells the story of this chapter in the war from a very human point of view. For example, there are chapters describing the airmen's training, lives at their bases, their motivation, how they dealt with the fear of being killed whilst carrying out operation over Europe at night and many other highly interesting aspects of the lives of these remarkable men.

The book also describes the strategy behind the bombing of Germany, from the beginning to the end of the war and gives a good insight into the main commanders - people such as Charles Portal and Bomber Harris.

The story told in these pages is often very moving and I once I had finished the book I thought about it for a long time afterwards, quite unlike other books I have read. I felt great sympathy for all the men of Bomber Command, which has never had the vital role it played in World War II properly publicly acknowledged. I hope that this book will cause many to ask why this is so and perhaps focus efforts to have a permanent memorial specific to these men built, and to have this done before the last of them die and they recede from living memory.


A moving but balanced account., 01 Jun 2008
Bomber Boys brought tears to my eyes. It is a movingly written record and assessment of the horrors that aircrew endured during World War II. My father - a navigator in a 44 Squadron Lancaster - had told me on many occasions about his war service and I understood something of the difficulties. However, it was only by reading this book that one can put into perspective the terrible loss, the low chances of survival as well as the physical and mental strain of missions.
Nor does the book shirk from the real moral ambiguities of the campaign and follows through to officialdom's post-war embarrassment of their role. The book fills in many of the gaps that I did not appreciate when talking to my father and allows me now to understand how truly heroic his and his fellow aircrewmen's contribution was. I only wish that my father could have survived a couple more years to have enjoyed reading it.

The truth behind the Dam Busters' legend, 05 Apr 2008
It's been about five years since I read Bishop's Fighter Boys and since I heard he was writing Bomber Boys I've been eagerly awaiting its release. It has lived up to and surpassed my expectations. It is exactly as a history book should be: a harmonious marriage of personal stories and a view of the bigger picture, which in this case is the progress of the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. It's only upon reading this that I discovered how little I knew about Bomber Command and the Second World War! It's shocking, really, to think that they might not have received as much recognition as their efforts deserved. Buy this book and be amazed!

first light, 20 Nov 2008
Excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I,ve now flown a Spitfire, as a passenger of the author! My only criticism is the gaps that appear, it seems to jump missing what I would consider necessary to the storyline. However it is still a must read. My admiration for the author grew with every page, definately one of the "few".

Excellent. There is nothing like it, 02 Oct 2008
One of the best personal accounts of WWII have ever read.

Section where he is lost over Kent coast after a chase through heavy rain & low cloud & low on fuel had the hairs on my neck standing up.

A classic

Probably the finest personal account of any WW2 Serviceman, 19 Sep 2008
In many ways I wish I hadn't read this book. This must seem like an odd thing to say given that I've assigned this book 5 stars, but the problem is that this book is so good that I judge all autobiographies of this era by it, and nothing else (as yet) has come close. It really is one of the finest accounts of a serviceman's experiences in WW2. I have read many accounts of personal experiences in WW2 (I own around 60 books on this topic), and while many have been truly excellent, none have touched me in the same way as this book. Thoughtful, and thought provoking and with an honesty which makes the reader feel that they are inside that spitfire with him, this truly is a book that should be treasured. Geoffrey Wellum has written an account of WW2 through his eyes which will still be being read in hundreds of year's time.

Essential reading, 12 Sep 2008
Anybody with a passing interest in aviation or World War II that hasn't already done so should do themselves a favour and read this book.
It is truly touching, engaging and riveting, reading as intimately as if the author was sat across the table, relating the story first hand.
It bristles with detail and authenticity throughout and yet still manages to affect the reader emotionally with the intimate thoughts and reflections of the author in his darker and more fraught moments.
This book deserves to be read by the widest possible audience, especially given the complete omission of any Word War related lessons in schools these days. It truly is startling to consider the attitudes of the people back then: the sheer bravery and sacrifice.
I would truly love to shake the hand of this man, and the others like him who simply aren't given the respect and status they deserve. Absolute heroes. Geoffrey - thank you for this book and the sacrifice you and your generation made.

"First Light" is FIRST CLASS!, 12 May 2008
The number of reviews for this book should be recommendation enough, gripping from start to finish and a fitting tribute to all Battle of Britain pilots and not least Geoffrey Wellum himself!

Not what I was expecting , 10 Nov 2008
I received this book as a free gift as part of a magazine subscription so I can't really complain too much. The book is well produced and relatively interesting as it tells the Spitfire story from a different point of view (that of a restorer). But I must say I am disappointed as I had built a mental picture of what the book was going to be like and in reality it is very different. Being a Haynes manual I expected it to be similar to their car workshop manuals but for a Spitfire. That is it would tell you had to strip down, replace, repair and service your spitfire with lots of detailed exploded diagrams and photos. I don't own a Spitfire so it wouldn't have been of practical value but all the same, would have been quite interesting. In reality the only thing common to the Haynes car workshop manual is the layout and look of the front cover. Instead the book is largely anecdotal about spitfires that have been found and restored. It's still okay but I'd have been disappointed with it if I had paid for it and would have considered seeking a refund. My advice would be not to dismiss it outright on the basis of my review but please try and look at it before purchase to see if it is what you'd expect and want.

Cheers, Nigel

useful & fun !!, 28 Apr 2008
Although not an exhaustive technical chronology of this iconic plane this book is a very revealing perspective from various angles. Especially appealing to the non expert it exposes information that would normally be difficult to aquire.
Particularly interesting are the practical issues of flying the Spit today , respect is due to those with the wallet & fortitude to provide the vast majority with the joy of watching it in action !!
Refreshing and worth it's place on the bookshelf.

Spitfire Manual - An opportunity missed, 03 Mar 2008
Those of us that have used Haynes manuals for car maintenance would have expected similar technical coverage for the Spitfire.
And for an aircraft that evolved from a lightweight fighter (Max weight Mk1 = 6,200lb) to a heavy naval strike fighter (max weight Mk47 = 12,750lb) what an evolution that was. That beautiful elliptical wing went through several variants to cope with the weight, performance and armament increase - and the naval version had folding wings.
It would have been wonderful to see, in true Haynes style, how the design team, under Joe Smith, coped with the continual operational pressure to keep the Spitfire the best fighter in the world but unfortunately this was not to be.
The Spitfire Manual is "just another Spitfire Book", it has some excellent photographic artwork and briefly attempts to cover the development and the use of the aircraft.
About a third of the book covers, in photographs, the rebuilding of an RAF Memorial Flight Aircraft but as for that technical coverage, do not look here.
Pity - I would have kept my copy if it had.

Joint Force Harrier, 29 Dec 2008
This book details the expolits of 800 Naval Air Squadron as it deployed to Kandahar air Base in 2006 in support of ISAF ground forces in Afghanistan.

Cdr Orchard, leading the Squadron, demonstrates the understated, professionalism that ensures British forces remain amongst the best in the world. The precautions taken by the aircrew and JTAC's to reduce the risk of colateral damage, death or injury to innocent civilians or friendly troops highlight their humanity.

The narrative style is fast moving and easy to read, the detailed maps, glossary and diagramatic picture of the Harrier GR7 complement the good selection of colour photographs supporting the text. Just a shame the the Mil Mi-26 Halo helicopter was so often referred to as a Mil Mi-24!

At a time when the very existance of a fixed wing force within the Fleet Air Arm is in doubt this book makes a great comparison with that of the previous generation of Naval Harrier pilots ('Sea Harrier over the Falklands' & 'Hostile Skies'). In addition, Cdr Orchard has donated his share of income from the sales of this book to the 'Combat Stress' charity and the Royal Navy Historic Flight. Recommended.

Must read, 27 Nov 2008
This is a first hand insight into the afghanistan war, from the eyes of a RN pilot. It is very well written, with Ade's sense of humour it makes for a thrilling book. I cannot reccomend this enough.

Joint Force harrier Review, 04 Oct 2008
Such an immature book, almost like boys own, one of the worst military history books I have read. I am sure that it will not be missed.

As good as it gets in a Harrier., 10 Sep 2008
First of all I would like to thank Peter Thompson for his review which prompted me to purchase and read this account by Commander Ade Orchard on the part played by the Gr7 crews in the Afghan theatre of war.
It has been well written and is a documented account of the time spent by the Royal Navy on a land based, ground attack tour of duty.
This is a very educated read and comes without all the humerous anecdotes of life in the mess rooms and bunk houses. No accounts of wives, children or what they are missing back home.
This is what the reader wants to hear...scrambles to get airborne, pressure on crews to direct attacks at the right targets, life in the cockpit of a Harrier jump jet and what happens when the going gets tough and things go wrong....this hero stayed cool, calm and collected under immense pressures and it is an honour to have read his book.
Much like the pilots during WW2 they remain a cut above the rest and have a quality that few of us share.
A damm good read...this will become essential reading for many many years to come.

An excellent read, un-put-downable!, 04 Sep 2008

An excellent book that will appeal to military historians and those just looking for a good, genuine read. The pace and detail is just right, a real human story.

An involving account of an important piece of modern British history, 28 Oct 2008
Many will remember when, in April 1982, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands. The islands had belonged to the UK since 1833 and in 1982 the 1800-strong population considered themselves British. The ailing Argentine military junta of 1982 needed to re-establish their authority and reclaiming the `Malvinas' would surely do this. Public outcry in the UK and indignance from the Falkland Islanders followed as the Argentine flag was raised over Stanley.

A British Task Force was hastily assembled and memorable pictures were broadcast of anxious families seeing their loved ones depart from the Solent ports. The UK had long been preparing to fight Cold War scenarios, but the Falklands Conflict provided senior officers, crews and engineers of the Royal Air Force with numerous challenges as to how best they could contribute to the effort.

Vulcan 607 is the story from conception to execution of Operation Black Buck; the longest-range air attack in history carried out by a single Vulcan bomber to deny Argentine use of the runway at Stanley Airfield on East Falkland. This they did supported by 15 Victor air-to-air refuelling tanker aircraft involving 19 separate in-flight refuellings over the 8000-mile journey from Ascension Island across the South Atlantic to the Falklands and back again. This precarious mission turned out to be a turning point in the fight to regain the islands, as the runway was put out of effective use and valuable Argentine air assets were diverted to protect the mainland, military bases and Navy at sea.

Roland White's book accurately describes the training, techniques and potential dangers involved in such a mission and the air-to-air refuelling it requires; his attention to detail and excellent research shows in every chapter. Personal anecdotes from aircraft crews, planners and Falkland Islanders seamlessly intertwine to reveal personal emotions during the tension, uncertainty and unfolding drama of the Conflict and vividly bring the Operation to life as events unravel.

Vulcan 607 was gripping from start to finish and I genuinely found it hard to put down.
Highly recommended.
M

Fabulous read, 09 Aug 2008
I am no literary critic as the only time I read a book is on holiday. However, if more books were like this then that would change. I found it easy to read, albeit the number of characters involved did get confusing at times but this is a true story after all with each of them playing their own part and deserving of recognition. It flows well and was hard to put down and puts into perspective what is involved in any mission let alone one at the other side of the world. Its incredible that it ever came off. A fascinating, moving and thrilling read from start to finish. I applaud the RAF and those involved.

Stunning efforts in human endurance and tenacity., 07 Feb 2008
I found this book amazing, and a wonderful addition to the many accounts of the various aspects of the Falklands conflict. I have just finished reading Excursion to hell by Vincent Bramley from 3 Para. And I have to say both these books give fascinating accounts of factual events that helped to further our efforts in the Falklands.
The journey you travel in this book is a long and arduous one, and even when the mission has been carried out, the return is just as strenuous.

Some people now claim many things about this mission, both in its effectiveness and contribution. they also seem to think it was a competition between the armed forces of Britain on who did the most.
But what a lot of people are missing is that this mission had many successful results both politically and in terms of moral on both sides. And these brave men were doing their duty, as well as the brave men of the army and navy did, and have continued to do.

Anyone with even the most remote interest in military operations cannot fail to be drawn into the intrigues of planning a huge mission and the every day life of a British serviceman.


Boys Own at its best, 16 Jan 2008
If you only read one book this year make sure its Vulcan 607. A fabulous story told in a glorious style. So many interest angles, Political, Military, Technical, Human - something for everyone. You don't have to immerse yourself in the fascinating technical and military detail to appreciate the vision, ambition, guts and determination to get the job done displayed here. The dedication and professionalism of all those involved, combined with the 'can do' attitude and the desire to give Argentine a 'bloody nose',are stirring to say the least.

Competent, 24 Dec 2007
Logistically, it would have been easier to build a hotel on Jupiter. Politically, failure of this mission would be suicidal. Tactically, it could have been left to the Sea Harriers stationed 200 miles away on HMS Invincible to destroy Stanleys Airstrip. Frankly, this mission sounded as daft as the Dambusters raids nearly 40 years previous, but just like those - symbolically it was nothing short of magical. The RAF had modified a 30 year old nuclear bomber - 2 months away from the scrapyard, with conventional weapons and a heath robinson refuelling procedure that had served as an ashtray in the officers mess for 20 years, and delivered it to within a few hundred miles of Buenos Aires. If the plan was to undermine and terrify the Junta, I cant think of anything more potent than the sight of a Vulcan in your airspace.

Sadly, the delivery of the story doesnt quite do justice to the mission itself. Its well researched, and competently written, but I felt the organisation of the chapters should have dealt seperately with the various threads, instead of lumping them together. This would have also allowed Wight to suspend the reader on the edge of their seat between chapters. For example, "Then it all went badly wrong." should have ended the chapter, instead, Wight tells us (briefly) why in the very next paragraph.

Next, watching a Vulcan take off is an unforgettable experience. The sounds, the size of the delta winged behemoth, the sheer power of the engines as it snakes upwards at an impossible angle and speed. I can only imagine the tension and feeling of seeing a dozen or so overloaded planes leaving Ascension Island on the eve of the raid that a flowing narrative could stir, but sadly this book doesnt quite capture it. "A few seconds later she was airborne" just isnt enough for me.

That said, it deals competently with the events and so is an important component in the history of the Falklands war. I would have liked more backdrop of the building tension of the war and a clearer idea of the bigger picture, though thats not really a criticism, instead this book has prompted me to find others that deal more specifically with the other events during the same period.

A truly superb book, 29 Dec 2008
This book takes you to the heart of the apache force in afghanistan from pilots to the groundcrews brilliant.a well put together book that shows you the excellence of the apache in action and reveals what it is like to be in action.adrenaline filled all the way a tremendous account of the army air corps at their total best. all the usual expertise of Damien Lewis-Total professional, get a copy as soon as you can!

Smurfs flex their biceps , 13 Oct 2008
Coming from an Infantry background, I, along with hundreds of callsigns, have suffered at the hands of the AAC when arranged pick up confirmations are met with 'no flying, weathers closed in'. This then involved the heli pilots in sitting off in the crew room, watching a dvd whilst bourboning themselves to death with their brews while the call sign tabs back to base location or invites themselves to another unit's location-which are usually unbearbly cramped to start with.Under these too familiar circumstances,the AAC slagging is in a league of its own.
Enter Damien Lewis. Apache Dawn left me with a complete turnaround of opinion. Infanteers love fire support. Thats why they love Apaches.
Damien gets you in the cockpit with the guys and enables you to live what they live. Through the training for battle, the longing to be tested by battle and to the battle and beyond, there is action and there is hunanity. Do they mix? Moreso than most would understand/believe. DL has opened the eyes of the public to the fact that not only do special forces