Martin W. Bowman

Voices in Flight RAF Night Operations
Martin W. Bowman
Barnsley, Pen & Sword Military 2015
231 pp ISBN 978 1 78383 194 4 (hbk) £25.00

Written by the prolific military author, Martin Bowman, this is one of a series he is producing entitles ‘Voices in Flight’. It comprises eleven chapters, all of which are stand-alone stories based around the subject area, in this case Night Operations. Each story is provided by a contributor, and relate to their experiences of a particular operation or event show more during the Second World War.

The book reads well, and as it is based upon personal accounts, it contains the contributors views and anecdotes. It is not a history of R.A.F. night operations, but it does not pretend to be that, it is a collection of interesting stories around the subject area. As such, I enjoyed reading it, as it is a book you can pick up and put down, because each chapter is self-contained.

All in all, an enjoyable read for anyone interested in this subject area, and an insight into the emotions and feelings of aircrew of the time. show less

Books of this kind are difficult to pull off successfully; the subject is so broad that confining the writing to a mere 277 pages would seem impossible. Mr. Bowman, I believe, pulls it off quite well.

The author developed the subject of the World War II U.S. Army Air Forces in 14 chapters. Following a useful glossary, Chapter provides both a background to the war and the development of U.S. Army airpower. Chapter 2 introduces the reader to the development of an airpower strategy that was show more developed in the last two years of peace leading up to Pearl Harbor. Chapter 3 describes the composition of a numbered Air Force that kept evolving over the course of the war. Chapter 4 gives the specifics of each numbered Air Force, along with their commanders, significant subordinate units, and theaters of operation. Chapter 5 dives into the important topic of Army Air Forces (AAF) training, without which victory would have been impossible, as the Germans and Japanese found out to their dismay.

Chapter 6 talks about fighter aircraft development and the tactics governing their use across various theaters of war. Chapter 7 describes the formations and bombing procedures specific to heavy and super heavy bombardment units. Chapter 8 is a brief but useful encyclopedia of major aircraft used during the war. Chapter 9 focuses on AAF personnel, their recruitment, classification and management. It also discusses ranks and qualifications. Chapter 10 details personal clothing and flight equipment, while Chapter 11 talks about weapons, ordnance, and weapon systems. Chapter 12 is about the health and survivability of AAF personnel, and Chapter 13 speaks to personnel morale and the kinds of medals and awards merited by AAF personnel. Chapter 14 provides a useful "war diary" that provides significant dates and events for the AAF during the war.

There are two appendices: the first is a listing of 8th and 9th Air Forces group and squadron codes while the second is a listing of the leading AAF aces covering all numbered Air Forces.

Mr. Bowman produced a very helpful guides here. It does not get too focused and provides just enough detail to satisfy most readers. It also provides a good start for those who wish deeper dives on some of the topics using the helpful bibligraphy.

This book, to me, is a reminder of what I consider to be the golden age of military history resource writing--the 1990's. Authors did research the old-fashioned way, without overly relying on flawed web-based resources and before publishing houses lost their editorial competence. Sigh...... show less

book combines the two approaches, describing in detail both the technical role of each crew-member, and following this up with extensive first-hand reports, many drawn from previously unpublished oral histories, showing what it was like to be, for example, a ball-turret gunner or a co-pilot. Equipment is described in detail, as is what it was like to use it. Throughout the book, the text is accompanied by newly commissioned and archive photos. In the introductory and final chapters, daily show more life is described for the airmen when not flying on missions. Photos of magazines, posters and other items of memorabilia evoke the atmosphere of the time, complementing the vivid picture drawn of the brave men of the US Eighth in action in the 'wide blue yonder'. show less

A complementary volume to Spirits In the Sky, Thunder In the Heavens takes us one step further by not only showing the aircraft but linking the wartime experience of U.S. air crews and their warbirds.
Air-to-air colour photography of 14 classic American combat aircraft, plus the wartime experiences of the brave men who flew them. Without doubt, air superiority was a crucial factor to the outcome of World War II. Skilled American pilots were able to achieve this, thanks to the capabilities of show more such aircraft as the B-17, B-24 and B-29, of which nearly 35,000 were built; the medium bombers such as the B-25 Mitchell; and the many types of fighter, including the P-51 Mustang and the F4F Wildcat -- a host of variants which brought the overall American contribution to Allied air power to over 200,000. Of this massive total, hardly any remain today; there is, for example, only one airworthy B-24 out of more than 18,000 that were built. Thunder in the Heavens features 14 preserved classic American combat aircraft. The "Big Friends," the heavy bombers that prosecuted the strategic and tactical campaigns in the European and Pacific theaters; the "Little Friends," the fighter escorts that provided protection and, when numbers permitted, sought out and destroyed bombers which, among other roles, gave tactical support "low and below" to the crucial land campaigns; and the carrier aircraft "flying from the flat tops" that totally decimated the Japanese. Accompanying the pictures throughout are the words, memories and experiences of the air force combatants, helping to convey the reality of the air war and bringing these aircraft to life as surely as they once used the aircraft to secure victory. show less