WWII Bomber Command

[1938 Observer]

Page last updated at 20:24 GMT, Thursday, 13 May 2010 21:24 UK


WWII Bomber Command heroes to get London monument

A £3.5m permanent monument to the World War II heroes of RAF Bomber Command is to be built in central London.

Westminster Council gave permission for the open style pavilion at the Piccadilly entrance to Green Park.

The memorial, which should be built by 2012, will commemorate the 55,573 crew of Bomber Command, with an average age of 22, who were killed in World War II.



Its role was to attack Germany's airbases, troops, shipping and industries connected to the war effort.

During the war the command ensured the damage caused to London's squares, streets and parks from German bombs was not as extensive as it could have been.

Halifax bomber

Councillor Alastair Moss, chairman of Westminster City Council's planning applications sub committee, said: "This new landmark for London is a fitting tribute to the heroes of Bomber Command who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

"It is a sign of this country's gratitude to these exceptional people who were brave enough to fight for us and it will stand as an iconic London monument marking how good came to triumph over evil for many generations to come."

The roof of the 8.5m-tall pavilion, made from Portland Stone, will be open to the sky and the open entrance will be made from melted down aluminium sections of a Halifax bomber shot down during the war and in which all seven of the crew were killed.


It will also house a sculpture of the seven aircrew by the sculptor Philip Jackson.

The memorial will contain inscriptions, carvings, and a dedication.

There will also be inscriptions from Winston Churchill, who said in a speech to Parliament in 1940: "The gratitude of every home in our island ... and indeed throughout the world except in the abodes of the guilty goes out to the British airmen who undaunted by odds, un-weakened by their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of world war by their prowess and their devotion."

The monument had been promoted by the Bomber Command Association with assistance from the Royal Air Force and the Heritage Foundation.

The concept behind the memorial, its size, design and location in a Grade II listed park, has attracted some objections from groups including the Westminster Society, the Knightsbridge Association and the London Parks and Gardens Trust.

The audio tape on the link is worth listening too

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...on/8681663.stm

[1938 Observer]

Re: WWII Bomber Command

RAF Bomber Command Website

This website tells the story of the Royal Air Force's bomber
aircrews, airmen and airwomen and their contribution to
victory in the Second World War (WW2) 1939-45.

This an excellent website with a wealth of information on Bomber Command.


http://www.rafbombercommand.com/master_welcome.html

[1938 Observer]

Re: WWII Bomber Command

During the dark days of WWII, RAF Bomber Command played a crucial role. Flying almost every day or night in the face of daunting odds, they took the battle to the Nazis when all looked lost. Determined to defend the free world and to defeat oppression, these 125,000 volunteers came from all corners of the Commonwealth.

More information http://www.theygaveeverything.co.uk/




A Poem written by a Mr W Scott ex 630 Sqn RAF East Kerkby Linconshire

OLD AIRFIELD

I lie here still beside the Hill,
Abandoned long to nature's will,
My buildings down, My people gone,
My only sound the wild birds song.

But my mighty birds will rise no more,
No more I hear the Merlin's roar,
And never now my bosom feels,
The pounding of their giant wheels.

From the ageless hill their voices cast,
Thunderous echoes of the past,
And still in lonely reverie,
Their great dark wings sweep down to me,.

Laughter, Sorrow, Hope, And Pain,
I shall never know these things again,
Emotions that I came to know,
Of strange young men so long ago.

Who knows, as evening shadows meet ,
Are they with me still, A phantom fleet,
And my ghosts still stride, unseen,
Across my face, So wide and green,

And in the future , should all structures tall,
Bury me be beyond recall,
I shall still remember them,
My metal Birds, and long dead men.

Now weeds grow high, Obscure the sky
O remember when you pass by,
For beneath this tangled, leafy screen,
I was your home, your friend, "silksheen"

[1938 Observer]

Re: WWII Bomber Command

EXCLUSIVE: PRINCE WILLIAM JOINS OUR CRUSADE TO HONOUR BOMBER COMMAND HEROES

By HRH Prince William

WITH just days left until Bomber Command’s deadline to raise £1m passes, the RAF’s only serving Royal reveals why he passionately supports the Daily Express’s patriotic crusade to build a memorial.

OF THE 125,000 men of Bomber Command, 56,000 gave their lives for this country and for freedom.

These numbers are so appalling that we risk becoming inured to what they truly mean. Behind each death was a family – parents, friends, often a wife and children, and each would have been utterly devastated by the loss of a loved one — as those who survive no doubt remain so today.


For someone of my generation, the scale of this loss is almost impossible to comprehend. Yet comprehend it we must. Each one of those young men died for you and for me. So much of the analysis of Bomber Command’s role in the Second World War has been mired in controversy that it is sometimes forgotten what these young men went through for us.

Their average age was only 22. They were all volunteers. They set forth into the unknown by day and by night, often in freezing conditions. Over enemy territory, they were under near constant attack. And they did this night after night – for up to 12 hours at a time. Just try to imagine that – imagine finding the courage to overcome your fear to climb into your flying gear again, and again, knowing what will confront you.

As a flyer myself, I find this quite extraordinary. But they did it – tens of thousands of times. A memorial to the crews of Bomber Command has been half a century too long in coming. Having seen the plans for this sublimely beautiful memorial, I do feel that at last their wait is at end. This will be a truly fitting epitaph to the other – sometimes forgotten – Second World War heroes of the Royal Air Force. A yew tree, a gift from the German nation, is to be planted in the Garden of Remembrance nearby.

There can be no greater message of reconciliation than this. Today, only some 3,000 men of Bomber Command remain with us. It is vital, therefore, that this memorial be erected now, while they are still alive and able to appreciate our Nation’s gratitude to them, and to their fallen comrades. My great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, was a great champion of Bomber Command.

Instinctively, she knew that it was right to honour these young men and their extraordinary sacrifice. As with so much else in her life, her instincts were correct. You might ask, with a champion such as Queen Elizabeth, what need is there for me to ask you to support this appeal. All I can say is that, as the Patron of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – with its magnificent guardian of these memories, the lone Lancaster, “The City of Lincoln” – my own realisation of what these men undertook has only recently really dawned on me _ as I think it has with many of my generation in other ways.

Mine is but one among many voices, urging all those who value the freedoms we enjoy today to contribute whatever you feel you can towards the creation of this wonderful monument. And for those who have already supported the appeal it is not for me to say thank you, but I can only imagine the gratitude of the veterans of Bomber Command, their families and the Royal Air Force.

WE WERE SAVED FROM CERTAIN DEATH BY THOSE AIRMEN'S BRAVERY

THE little boy stood transfixed as the first Lancaster skimmed the trees, flying so low that it seemed it must surely crash.

Soon the sky was filled with more aircraft and the noise of the engines reached a crescendo, forcing him to cover his ears. The bomb doors opened and Henk Dijkxhoorn could clearly see the crews. As they began unloading their precious cargo, some of the airmen smiled and saluted to the cheering crowds who had gathered on the ground, waving flags joyously.

For 10 incredible days in 1945 bombers from the RAF, which had previously rained destruction on Germany, took part in a humanitarian mission to deliver food to the Netherlands. During Operation Manna thousands of tons of supplies were dropped by Bomber Command to a country which was starving as the tide of the war turned against the Nazis.

In desperation the occupiers had confiscated supplies and ruined dykes and bridges, preventing food from growing or being transported. A savagely cold winter, known as the Hongerwinter, had also taken its toll on the Dutch and thousands had died. Up to three million people were affected.

Henk Dijkxhoorn, the awe-struck boy who saw the Lancasters arrive over the family’s farm in Terbregge, near Rotterdam, recalls: “They flew so low that you could see the crew throwing the parcels. Everyone, adults and children alike, ran to the fi eld to look and cheer. We all helped collect the parcels and bags. There was all sorts of food in the bags, in metal boxes welded shut.

“Sometimes they landed really close. One time, trying to avoid being hit, I ran straight into a ditch. If you were really quick, you could sometimes find a bar of chocolate from a parcel burst open. But you had to be careful, because there were checkpoints everywhere.”

During Operation Manna, a temporary truce was agreed with Germany to allow Allied aircraft to fl y in a corridor over the north of the Netherlands. It enabled bombers to descend to 500 feet, supposedly without fear of attack, to unload the supplies. On the ground, badly affected by flooding and a lack of fuel, horses and barges were used to transport the food to the starving in the towns and cities.

Henk, now 77, adds: “After so long it was amazing to have white bread again. It tasted delicious, like cake. The sound of the engines will forever ring in my ears.” The Netherlands remains eternally grateful for its salvation by the RAF and there are several memorials. Marlies Jeremiasse, a member of the Manna Association in the Netherlands, says: “We celebrate because it brought life. Today, the history of Operation Manna is taught in schools. We also have reunions but the RAF veterans are becoming fewer.”

Yet, to the surprise of the Dutch, there is no monument here in Britain. Bomber Command suffered appalling casualties in the Second World War when more than 55,000 young men lost their lives. The Daily Express is campaigning for an official memorial to be built in Green Park, near Buckingham Palace.

David Fellowes, now 87, who had previously flown 33 combat missions in a Lancaster with 460 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force, took part in three Manna flights in early May 1945. In all, there were 5,200 sorties to the Netherlands to drop food.

“They were our final missions of the war,” says David, from Balcombe, West Sussex, who was a rear gunner. “When we were told how low we would be flying we were apprehensive. At that level we could have been massacred.

"There were people waving from windows, which was overwhelming. I’m very proud of what we did, saving life instead of destroying it.” Now, just one other member of David’s crew of seven is still living. The veteran, who survived a mid-air collision during one bombing raid, adds: “It is so late in the day but there should be a memorial.

Many of us didn’t come back and I still remember the empty tables in the mess.”

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...ommand-heroes#

[1938 Observer]

Re: WWII Bomber Command

Short Stirling Bomber

The Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. Built by Short Brothers, it was to have a relatively short operational career.

Throughout the 1930s, the Royal Air Force was interested primarily in twin-engine bombers and invested heavily in development of huge engines in the 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW) class in order to improve performance. In the U.S. and USSR were developing bombers with four smaller engines, which proved to have excellent range and fair lifting capacity, so in 1936 the RAF also decided to investigate the feasibility of the four-engined bomber.

HANDLEY PAGE HALIFAX bomber

A Largely unsung bomber somewhat in the shadow of the lancaster it was however every bit as effective though it sufferred a higher attrition rate . Yorkshire is littered with airfields where these planes were based , its name is also a town in yorks .

1942 The Lancaster Bomber

1942. During World War II the Lancaster was the most successful bomber used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force.The Lanc had speed, ceiling, and lifting power that no other aircraft of the day could match. Weighing 36,900 pounds empty, the Lancaster was capable of taking off with an additional 33,100 pounds of fuel and bombs; in other words it could almost carry its own weight again. The Lancaster carried 64% of the tonnage dropped by the RAF and RCAF during the war. The "Grand Slam", a 22,000 pound special purpose bomb designed to penetrate concrete and explode below the surface to create an earthquake effect, could only be delivered by the Lancaster and the Lancaster was thus chosen for special operations such as the "Dambusters" raid and the attack which sunk the German Battleship Tirpitz.
Lancasters were built to accomplish their specific purpose and crew comfort and security was clearly a secondary consideration. Generally flying under the cover of darkness, the Lancaster had virtually no defensive armour. The front, mid-upper, and rear gun turrets were hydraulically powered and carried a total of eight .303 calibre machine guns for defence against enemy aircraft.
The crew worked in cramped conditions, particularly the air gunners who remained at their posts for the entire flight. Some had to place their flight boots into the turrets before climbing in, and then put their boots on. At night and at 20,000 feet the temperature in the turrets frequently fell to minus forty degrees and frostbite was not uncommon. Air gunners manned the rear and mid-upper gun turrets. A pilot, flight engineer, navigator, wireless operator, and bomb aimer/front gunner completed the crew of seven.
The Lanc's massive bomb bay stretched for 33 feet and, unlike other bombers, was one continuous uninterrupted space. Partly for this reason, the Lanc had the versatility to undertake raids with large, specialized weapons. However, this meant that the main wing spars became obstacles to movement within the aircraft, particularly for airmen wearing heavy clothing and flight boots.
Of the total of 7,377 Lancasters built (430 of them in Canada), 3,932 were lost in action. During the war Lancasters flew a total of 156,308 sorties and dropped 608,612 tons of bombs, and placed over 12,000 mines in enemy waters.

[1938 Observer]

Re: WWII Bomber Command

Canadians in Bomber Command Vignette

Younger generations may wonder how the bomber crews ever did it - flying through enemy territory night after night. Most veterans would tell them that the bombing war was a dangerous job but that it had to be done. It was part of a total commitment to defeat the enemy.

This two-minute vignette is part of The War Amps internationally award-winning Military Heritage Series and reflects the two-hour documentary The Boys of Kelvin High: Canadians in Bomber Command.

Andy Mynarski, VC Vignette

Pilot Officer Andy Mynarski of Winnipeg was a mid-upper gunner with 419 Squadron, Bomber Command. When Mynarskis Lancaster was hit, he put his own life in jeopardy trying to save the life of his crewmate. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for outstanding courage.

Tribute to 419 Moose Squadron