The Peenemunde Raid: The Night of 17-18 August 1943

On a night in August 1943, RAF Bomber Command launched a unique operation to destroy a secret research establishment located at a remote place in Germany. The place was Peenemunde, the cradle of the space age. Here, Germany's most brilliant scientists were developing an advanced form of rocket projectile, known as the V-2, which Hitler hoped would reverse the course of the war and bring him victory. The secret raid prepared for his small target was one of the most sophisticated and succesful undertaken by the RAF during World War II. Drawing on the memories of over 400 people involved in the bombing, the author recreates the operation and the events surrounding it - the experiments at Peenemunde, the lifestyle of the German community, the Intelligence hunt and the fortunes of the British and Luftwaffe aircrews and of the people on the ground during the raid.