The RAF and Commonwealth air crews were bound by regulations and discipline during WWII. Survival was by no means a certainty, with casualties becoming a part of everyday life. The evolution of non-established clubs was recognized and regarded as an important area within RAF history that boosted moral. The regulations flexed to allow membership pins and badges to be worn on RAF and Commonwealth flying uniforms. This book allows the reader to experience a number of individual stories and understand the relevance of being a:-'Goldfish' (Lives saved by the use of personal life preservers and dinghies),'Caterpillar' (Lives saved by parachutes) or: -'Guinea Pig' (Lives saved by pioneering surgery conducted by Archibald McIndoe at the Queen Victoria Hospital Sussex) In many instances the accounts are recalled in great detail from the official records of medals and awards. True heroism and gallant deeds supported by original photographs create an easy to read book, revealing areas of interest not previously visited in this format

Goldfish Caterpillars & Guinea Pigs: Accounts of Pilots and Air Crews from World War II

History

Pateman, Colin

Europe

Fonthill Media

Donald Barnard came to England from St Lucia to join the RAF as a bomber pilot. On his second tour of operations, he was shot down over northern France in September 1942. He was rewarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross whilst missing in action. Donald evaded capture; assisted to Spain by an escape network, and later compiled a detailed diary of his entire evasion exploits. Posted to test fly Spitfires, flying in excess of 1,000 individual aircraft. Barnard then moved to the Far East supply dropping in 1945. In Burma disapproving of the delay in recovering the emaciated allied POWs, he decided to take an aircraft without authority. 25 prisoners were recovered from Bankok to Rangoon. After a full Court Martial, he was dismissed from the RAF. He flew civilian aircraft after the war in Australia and in Britain, joining No. 2 Civil Anti Aircraft Cooperation Unit in Norfolk, 1953. Flying ended for him in 1955, and he died in 1997 at the age of 79. Rarely has the opportunity been available to reproduce from a diary such a personal account of evasion. A bomber and Spitfire pilot, Court Martialled for the rescue of Japanese held emaciated allied prisoners of war, creates a unique career story supported by French resistance sources original photographs.

Unwanted Hero: The Flying Career of Squadron Leader Donald Barnard DFC, 1937-1955

Biographies & Memoirs

Clutton-Brock, Oliver

Historical

Unshackled Spirit was a Supermarine Spitfire purchased by British prisoners of war whilst imprisoned in Germany. The book title is appropriate to the content that is formulated from original YMCA personal note books issued to Allied prisoners of war in 1944. YMCA logbooks are always unique, compiled by individual prisoners of war. Unshackled Spirit draws out the story of each aviator, how they became to be a prisoner of war and their story in the various camps across occupied Europe. Extensive and amazingly detailed pieces of artwork are held in the books, the balance of fact and inspired drawings makes for an impressive and visual book. The hardship of prisoner of war life is touched upon, but more importantly the aspect of how agencies helped by supplying all manner of equipment to the thousands of men. The role of MI9 in exploring those agencies in an effort to smuggle escape material into the prisoner of war camps without breaching the Geneva Convention. The Spitfire was purchased by a redirect of funds as a gift via the Red Cross. Coded letters were passed between one camp to a minister in London (Duncan Sandys, Parliamentary Sec to the Ministry of Supply). A fund was set up 'Duncan Sandys Welfare Fund'. The Germans obviously did not know the concept to buy a Spitfire!

Unshackled Spirit: Prisoners of War and the Secret Spitfire

Military

The Royal Air Force and her Commonwealth allies were thrust into war in 1939 with an ill-equipped structure of aircrew and aircraft. There had been pre-war plans in place to formally train 'air gunners', but these only materialized after the realization that air gunners were required in significant numbers. The Second World War saw a remarkable recognition of the role undertaken by these exceptional young men, all of whom volunteered for service. Many later climbed into small cramped and isolated Perspex turrets that were perched at the extremity of Whitley, Wellington, Lancaster and Halifax bombers. Glorious in Solitude explores stories of these 'rear gunners' taken primarily from flying logbooks and recommendations for gallant action. These brave young men were totally exposed, removed from their crew and charged with providing the ultimate protection from marauding Luftwaffe night fighters: they experienced dangers unique to their chosen trade. Glorious in Solitude also explores the historical aspects of equipment, uniform and the medals awarded to rear gunners. A fitting tribute to those men who endured such isolated hardship and to those who lost their lives in solitude.

Glorious in Solitude: The Courage of Isolated Rear Gunners in the RAF During the Second World War

During the Second World War, the RAF employed Special Duties pilots and aircrew on operations across a wide range of extraordinary flying. In many instances, selected and trained crews flew specific sorties, seeking out small targets of utmost importance to the war effort. Rare and previously unexplained duties that incorporate 'siren raids' into Germany and the maintaining of radio contact with agents in occupied France provide accounts that have rarely been evidenced. Some of these operations were filmed by cameramen and RAF Special Duties includes an account, revealed by one such pilot who accompanied the de Havilland Mosquitos which attacked the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen. In many instances, 'flying logbooks' and official documentation support this exceptionally well-researched book, which includes accounts from Radar Counter Measures, Tactical Reconnaissance, 'Special Window Forces' and encompasses aircraft diversely spread between heavy bombers to the light aircraft engaged in spotting targets in Italy.

RAF Special Duties: Unique Missions of the Second World War

From 1933 during the Nazi era when Hitler refashioned the German judicial system in line with his oppressive regime, many crimes became capital offenses which led to a drastic increase in the number of executions. In 1936, the Reich Minister of Justice, Franz Gurtner, acting upon Hitler’s direction, ordered that the fallbeil, a variation on the guillotine, replace the hand ax as the official method for all civil executions throughout Germany. To meet this new demand for ‘justice’, many prisons were designated as execution sites and equipped with a ‘Tegel Fallbeil’, named after the inmates of the Tegal prison in Berlin who first built these atrocious contraptions. Beheaded by Hitler: Cruelty of the Nazis, Judicial Terror and Civilian Executions 1933-1945 provides the reader with a chilling insight into the judicial terror that took place and the harrowing stories of execution by fallbeil of civilians who were convicted of domestic resistance to the Nazi regime, treason and other offenses after so called ‘trials’ by the Volksgerichtshof or People’s Court. This exceptionally well researched book also explains the Nazi judicial system, the prisons selected for central execution sites and the Nazi officials and executioners that carried out Hitler’s cleansing.

Beheaded by Hitler: Cruelty of the Nazis, Civilian Executions and Judicial Terror 1933-1945

This book will provide the reader with an understanding of why the RAF flew the American B-24 Liberator against the Japanese in Burma. British and Commonwealth air crews displayed great gallantry in many instances on low level precise bombing sorties destroying specific targets including the plethora of bridges constructed by the Japanese in their conquest to reach India. A number of detailed accounts will be based upon personal flying logbooks and other unique material originating from the pilots and aircrew themselves. The development of aerial Pathfinding led to the formation of 159 Squadron which instigated greater accuracy in destroying a multitude of vital targets. The Bridge over the River Kwai evokes images that are historically set in celluloid, however that blockbusting film had separated fact from fiction and this book will examine the true events that took place through ‘Bridge Busting’ including techniques developed and deployed by the RAF against the Japanese forces.

B-24 Bridge Busters: RAF Liberators over Burma

Asia

During the Second World War the need for an on-board technical expert to join the Bomber Crews evolved. The various systems on the latest 4-engined ‘Heavy Bombers’, namely the Handley Page Halifax, Shorts Stirling and Avro Lancaster witnessed the development of Flight Engineers. This book provides the reader with an explanation of the origin of Flight Engineers, the training of these men and the complexity of keeping large bombers in the air is an enthralling story. Many gallantry medals were won by Flight Engineers, including the Victoria Cross. Accounts of dangerous operational flying is revealed by Flight Engineers in numerous aircraft including those of Coastal Command. Direct entries into the RAF by civilians were undertaken to satisfy the demand for Flight Engineers. Entrants underwent courses of varying lengths but flying training time was very sparse and remarkably it was not unknown for these men to qualify for their flying badges without ever having flown in an aircraft. This book examines true accounts that took place; many based upon personal flying logbooks and other unique material originating from the pilots and aircrew themselves.

Fuel, Fire and Fear: RAF Flight Engineers at War

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