Operations
Operations
Cunningham crew: Louvain 1944
As much as research paints a picture of Bomber Command operations, first-hand accounts provide a rich understanding of what airmen experienced. Bruce Cunningham Bruce flew Lancaster IIs with 514 squadron and was shot down (now thought to be by friendly fire) in May 1944.
Attacking the V-Rockets – 1944
Just days after D-Day the first of the German long range reprisal weapons programme, the V-1 rocket-propelled missile left its launching pad in Northern France, crossed the English Channel and crashed near the centre of London. Operation Crossbow was the code name for combined Anglo-American operations against this new threat.
The First Tallboy
Just days after D-Day, the first 12,000-pound ‘Tallboy’ bombs were dropped by No.617 Squadron on a railway tunnel near Saumur, in an effort to block the tunnel and prevent the railway line from being used by German reinforcements being transported to the invasion area.
Return to Daylight Operations 1944
With the successful landings on Normandy, daylight operations would now become a realistic option for Bomber Command, with those into France capable of being supported by fighters. Aircraft, and sometimes even crews could be tasked with two operations in one 24-hour period.
After D-Day
D-Day marked the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe, but if Germany was to be defeated the campaign had to succeed beyond the initial landing on Normandy beaches. Bomber Command had a critical role to play to limit Germany’s ability to counterattack against the Allies if Operation Overlord were to succeed.
Mosquitos to Berlin – 1943
The De Havilland Mosquito was a remarkable aircraft, probably the most versatile of those in RAF service, in Bomber Command or elsewhere. Their capability to strike deep into enemy territory was well demonstrated in a remarkable raid, where they reflected the nature of their insect namesake – making a real nuisance of themselves.