#Lancaster bomber crew audio archive
#Lancaster bomber crew audio series

Despite encountering engine trouble (oil pressure) en route, Kitchin pressed on to the target. Kitchin, a Wellington pilot with 75 Squadron, during a night raid on the German port of Kiel in April 1941. More generally, the last three months of 1940 saw an increased emphasis on hitting targets in Germany itself, although Bomber Command's capability was still very limited.Īn account by Flight Lieutenant P.J.R. The raid delayed his speech, after which Hitler vowed that 'an attack on the capital of the Nazi movement will not go unpunished.' It has been claimed that the devastating Luftwaffe raid on Coventry on 14 November 1940 was carried out in direct retaliation. Some 30 RAF bombers (Wellingtons and Hampdens) reached Munich, their attack on railway yards timed to coincide with Adolf Hitler's annual observance of the 1923 coup attempt in the city. Throughout 19 RAF bomber operations, although often ineffectual, were the only means by which Britain could carry the war to Germany.įlight Lieutenant Coleman describes a raid on Munich in southern Germany on the night of 8 November 1940. The raiders intended to bomb railway yards and drop propaganda leaflets, although only two of the ten attacking Hampdens are thought to have found their target. During this trip the cockpit of the bomber filled with two inches of snow. On 82 Squadron was effectively wiped out during a daylight mission over Gembloux, France.Īccount by an unnamed Hampden navigator of a 2000 mile round trip to Danzig (Poland) on the night of 10/11 November 1940. The submarine was subsequently salved and re-commissioned in July, but sunk for a second and final time by HMS Antelope on 2 November 1940. U31 sank in 50 feet of water, killing all 58 men on board, the first such success by an unaided RAF aircraft. His Blenheim was below safety level and sustained splinter damage. While undergoing trials in the Heligoland Bight it was sighted by Delap, who carried out a diving attack and scored two hits on the boat's hull with impact-fused bombs. U31 was a type VII boat commissioned in 1936. Delap of 82 Squadron describes a successful attack on submarine U31 on 11 March 1940. Further contemporary first-person accounts by Bomber Command personnel can also be heard on CD41-022, For Valour: The Victoria Cross.

#Lancaster bomber crew audio series

While Volume 1 in this series (CD41-013) mainly offers actuality recordings made by intercom during raids by heavy bombers over Germany in 1943/45, the scope of Volume 2 has been extended to include accounts of early raids during 1940/42, operations conducted under the aegis of Coastal Command, and low-level precision strikes by Mosquito aircraft. Reviews: 'This second volume is really special' ( Best of British, 12/07)

#Lancaster bomber crew audio archive

The CD is an absolute must for all historians and researchers, as well as collectors of archive broadcast recordings.ĬD tracklist: Blenheim destroys U-boat (1940) Raid on Danzig (1940) Raid on Munich (1940) Wellington bombs Kiel (1941) Roving patrol by Hampdens (1942) Augsburg - Lancaster VC (1942) Nightingales & Bombers (1943) 617 Squadron - Dambusters (1943) Stirling loses turret & ditches (1943) Dortmund raid - Stirling base (1943) Mosquito raid - Amiens (1944) Normandy ground support (1944) Mosquito base + Osnabruck raid (1944) Work of Rear Gunner (1944) Air Gunner debrief (1944) Mosquito raid - Aarhus (1944) Damaged Beaufighter (1944) An Airman's Letter to his Mother (1940). All audio content has been carefully digitally restored. The booklet features detailed historical notes by James Hayward and images.

The album also offers first-hand accounts of early raids (1940-42) in Hampdens, Blenheims and Wellingtons, as well as later four-engined heavies. Running for 73 minutes, the broadcast and actuality recordings featured include raids on Augsburg, Kiel, Dortmund, the Rhine Dams, Amiens gaol and Aarhus, as well as low level precison strikes and the first unaided destruction of a U-boat. RAF Bomber Command at War (Volume 2) is available on CD and digital download. Largely unheard for more than 70 years, the recordings on Bomber Command at War stand as a tribute to the crews of Blenheims, Wellingtons, Hampdens, Stirlings, Halifaxes, Lancasters and Mosquitos operated by Bomber Command during the Second World War.