Bomber Command, 1939–1940: The War Before the War

Bomber Command experienced heavy losses in the first months of World War II, with 68 aircraft and crews lost in action and 78 in accidents. The losses increased significantly as the Germans gained ground, with 47 Fairey Battles and Bristol Blenheims shot down in a few hours on 14 May.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 21 May 2024
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

The term "Phoney War" had little significance for Bomber Command during World War II. In the early days of the war, the squadron suffered significant losses. For instance, on 14 December 1939, 99 Squadron lost six Wellingtons in a disastrous raid on shipping, with only three survivors out of thirty-six crew. In the biggest air battle so far, on 18 December, Wilhelmshaven, five Wellingtons of 9 Squadron went down, four of 37 Squadron, and two of 149 Squadron. Bomber Command lost sixty-eight aircraft and crews in action in the four war months of 1939, and a further seventy-eight in accidents. However, the losses rose spectacularly as the Germans triumphed wherever they went in the months up to the French surrender. In a few hours on 14 May, resisting the Blitzkrieg, forty-seven Fairey Battles and Bristol Blenheims were shot from the sky. Despite the Scandinavian defence, in France and Belgium, at Dunkirk, and, at last, over Germany, for Bomber Command, there was no Phoney War. It was real war from the start.

Weight: 426g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399077941