The Crew - David Price

[KEV67]

This is about the WW2 bombing campaign by RAF Bomber Command. It focuses on a particular crew, based on interviews with the bomb aimer, Ken Cook. I have read books on this subject before. It is quite an interesting subject. There was a lot of cat and mouse between the Bomber Command and the German defences. British bombing equipment and techniques became better as the war went on, but so did the Germans'. The casualties suffered by Bomber Command were horrendous, but the campaign was morally compromised. Initially I was a bit disappointed, because I tend to prefer memoirs written by the actual participants. The book mentioned Leonard Cheshire, who I think was the greatest hero of the RAF, much greater than the likes of Douglas Bader or even Guy Gibson. I have read about him before. The most striking chapter was the one in which a raid was made on a ball bearing factory deep in France. The night was moonlit. German night fighters were out in force. There were problems with the radio communications, and there were difficulties marking the target. At one point Ken Cook recalled seeing five bombers burning in the sky at one time, but the raid was judged successful because the factory was obliterated.