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The Squadron That Died Twice Gordon Thorburn

The Squadron That Died Twice By Gordon Thorburn

The Squadron That Died Twice by Gordon Thorburn


$26.99
Condition - Very Good
7 in stock

Summary

'Where's everybody else, Morrison?' - Wing Commander Paddy Bandon to Sergeant Jock Morrison, 17 May 1940 Morrison had brought home the sole surviving 82 Squadron aircraft of twelve that had set out on a bombing sortie over France earlier that day. None of the other eleven bombers made it back to RAF Watton.

The Squadron That Died Twice Summary

The Squadron That Died Twice by Gordon Thorburn

Apart from the quiet chatter of a few mechanics, who were checking that one aircraft was too badly damaged ever to fly again, there was a shocked silence over the aerodrome as everyone there tried to understand the impossible. Twelve twin-engined bombers of 82 Squadron RAF had set out on a fine May morning in 1940, from Watton, Norfolk, in a brave but hopeless attempt to slow down the German armour ripping through Belgium. Sergeant Thomas 'Jock' Morrison was the pilot of the only one to come home. Heavy losses in Bomber Command in the Second World War were common, normal, came with the territory, but this? Eleven out of twelve were shot down, by flak and fighters, and lay in burning fragments along the Belgium/France border. It is said that history repeats itself. And so it was, almost exactly three months later, on a cloudy day in August 1940, that twelve more twin-engined Bristol Blenheim bombers, each with a crew of three men, set off from Watton, Norfolk, in a brave but hopeless attempt to destroy a Luftwaffe base in enemy-occupied Denmark. One aircraft had to turn for home before it reached the target.The other eleven pressed on as the clouds disappeared and, on a fine sunny morning, were all shot down, by flak and fighters, and lay in burning fragments on the shores of the Lymfjord. At the time, when the whole world was trying to understand the impossible, how Germany could conquer Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium and France in a few weeks, and Poland before that - and surely Great Britain next? - 82 Squadron's disasters were barely noticed. Based on the accounts of survivors and on squadron and other records, Gordon Thorburn's moving retelling of the story, of the events of it and the men in it, at last puts right that terrible omission.

About Gordon Thorburn

Gordon Thorburn is an author of mainly non-fiction, with more than twenty books published. Bestsellers such as Men and Sheds and Cassius: The True Story of a Courageous Police Dog, have recently been followed by No Need To Die: American Flyers in RAF Bomber Command, Luck of a Lancaster, and Merlin: The True Story of a Courageous Police Horse. For details, please see: www.gordonthorburn.co.uk

Additional information

GOR007097910
9781784184193
1784184195
The Squadron That Died Twice by Gordon Thorburn
Used - Very Good
Hardback
John Blake Publishing Ltd
20150702
288
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

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