Lancaster: The Forging of a Very British Legend

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Harris’s crew had an approximately 40 per cent chance of surviving the war, with their average life expectancy at times being only 2 weeks.

After its maiden flight on 5th January 1941, Lancaster chief test pilot Sam Browne said, ‘Oh boy, oh boy. Our tempting offer lets you enjoy a delicious two-course evening meal – a main meal plus a starter or a dessert – and a selected drink from our dinner menu. Just Jane’ Lancaster Standard Taxy Ride Experience the sights, smells and sounds of our Avro Lancaster NX611 'Just Jane' from inside the aircraft - giving an authentic WW2 aviation experience like no other. The sound of the 4 Merlins alone has a profound effect on any one who is the least bit interested in the Second World War.

Nichol tackles that dichotomy head on with precious eyewitness accounts from both the bombers and the bombed.

In simple, brutal terms, Harris's aircrew had only a 40 per cent chance of surviving the war unscathed.I've a feeling that many who espouse patriotism and venerate the military have forgotten (or never knew) that war is hell. Then, I came to realise that this was a more human story that he was telling; yes, the 'Lanc' was at the heart of the book. These bookable tables have a time limit on your seat to allow for the next booking and can be held for up to 15 minutes’ after your allocated arrival time.

Nichol is not so explicit in his discussion of the notorious raid on Nuremberg on March 31st 1944, where 95 Bomber Command aircraft were lost, thus helping to bring a temporary end to Air Marshal Arthur Harris's offensive campaign against Germany itself. e. the 'British' nature of the Lancaster's success), however it does a disservice both to the author and to the history. Most poignant of all in this book are the captions to so many of the photographs, the name of the bright-eyed and unbowed veteran and the year of the photo is noted, followed in so many cases by the observation that they died just a few months after recording their interviews and before the book's publication. The greatest and most powerful of the RAF's mighty fleet of bombers, Lancaster's electrified the world with their spectacular debut in the epic daylight raid on Augsburg and later the daring Dambusters raid. Through several stories of individuals contribution to the war effort one can both get an individual perspective and a global perspective of the war effort.

As I enjoy most in history, he weaves the story of the Lancaster's wartime service around the threads of individual crew members' memories.

While the Lancaster is the spine of this book, Nichol ranges widely in his subject matter, the Chapter on Pilots of The Caribbean acknowledges the part played and the prejudices faced by black flyers volunteering for service in defence of a Great Britain despite the rising pressures for independence at home. There is enough technical detail on the development of the aircraft and how it worked - but I'm not a 'techie'. The book is quite a disturbing read as he details both the thousands of civilians killed by the 'strategic bombing' campaign and the thousands of airmen killed in carrying it out.I am not sure why a 35-year-old with a 7-year-old child was given the rear gunner job especially as the likelihood of being killed was very high.