Bomber Command, 1939-45

From 1940 to 1945 RAF Bomber Command attacked the industrial heartland of Germany. Daylight attacks were impossible in the face of German interceptors, so RAF aircrew had to learn to bomb by night. Anti-aircraft guns and night fighters took their toll; 55,000 RAF personnel lost their lives in the bombing campaign. Survivors of this campaign reveal what it was like to take off, knowing that the chance of completing a tour of operations was less than one in ten. They describe every aspect of their war from training flights to special missions, and how it felt to bail out from a stricken bomber over the Ruhr.