{"product_id":"heroes-of-coastal-command-andrew-d-bird-9781526710697","title":"Heroes of Coastal Command","description":"\u003cp\u003eThirty was the number of minutes it took for one Coastal Command crew to sink two U-boats. This remarkable achievement was carried out by the crew of Flying Officer Kenneth Kayo Moore in their 224 Squadron Liberator on the evening of 7\/8 June 1944.   Whilst patrolling the western end of the English Channel, Moore s crew first despatched U-629, followed, just under thirty minutes later, by U-373.   The story of this remarkable engagement is just one of many recounted by the author in Heroes of Coastal Command. Established in 1936, Coastal Command was the RAF s only maritime arm. Throughout the war, its crews worked tirelessly alongside the Royal Navy to keep Britain s vital sea lanes open. Together, they fought and won the Battle of the Atlantic, with RAF aircraft destroying 212 German U-Boats and sinking a significant tonnage of enemy warships and merchant vessels. Often working alone and unsupported, undertaking long patrols out over opens seas, Coastal Command bred a special kind of airman.Alongside individuals such as Kenneth Moore, there were Allan Trigg, Kenneth Campbell and John Cruickshank, all of whom were awarded the Victoria Cross; Norman Jackson-Smith, a Blenheim pilot who flew in the Battle of Britain; Jack Davenport, who flew his Hampden to Russia; John Watson, the sole survivor of a Short Sunderland which was lost during a rescue mission; Sam McHardy, a Coastal Command ground coordinator posted aboard a Royal Navy destroyer for a raid on Norway in 1941; and Ken Gatward, who flew a unique daylight mission over Paris to drop a Tricolore on the Arc de Triomphe. Theirs are just some of the many action-packed stories revealed by the author.  AUTHOR: Andrew Bird was born in Woodley and studied at Reading College of Art and Design. Having served in the Royal Air Force Reserves, he has written for a number of newspapers and magazines. The author of A Separate Little War and Coastal Dawn, Andrew has also written, presented or acted as a historical consultant in documentaries, for BBC Radio and Television, Channel 4, and NRK in Norway.  16 illustrations\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Andrew D. Bird","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":43173908545779,"sku":"9781526710697","price":69.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/4284\/5939\/products\/9781526710697.jpg?v=1662061322","url":"https:\/\/www.harryhartog.com.au\/products\/heroes-of-coastal-command-andrew-d-bird-9781526710697","provider":"Harry Hartog Bookseller","version":"1.0","type":"link"}