Bomber Command (Hardback)
Churchill's Greatest Triumph
Imprint: Air World
Pages: 368
Illustrations: 32 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781399017725
Published: 16th January 2023
Last Released: 16th October 2024
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| Other formats available | Price |
|---|---|
| Bomber Command ePub (6.7 MB) Add to Basket | £6.99 |
Roddy MacKenzie’s father served in Bomber Command during the Second World War, but like so many brave veterans who had survived the war, he spoke little of his exploits. So, when Roddy started on his personal journey to discover something of what his father had achieved, he uncovered a great deal about the devastating effectiveness of Bomber Command and the vital role it played in the defeat of Third Reich. He realised that the true story of Bomber Command’s achievements has never been told nor fully acknowledged.
Roddy became a man on a mission, and this startlingly revealing, and often personal study, is the result. Bomber Command: Churchill's Greatest Triumph takes the reader through the early days of the Second World War and introduces all the key individuals who turned the Command into the war-winning weapon it eventually became, as well as detailing the men and machines which flew night after night into the heart of Hitler’s Germany.
The main focus of his book is the destruction and dislocation wrought by the bombing to reduce, and ultimately destroy, Germany’s ability to make war. In his analysis, Roddy dug deep into German archival material to uncover facts rarely presented to either German or English language readers. These demonstrate that Bomber Command’s continual efforts, at appalling cost in aircrew casualties and aircraft losses, did far more damage to the Reich than the Allies knew.
Roddy’s father served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and Roddy naturally highlights its contribution to Bomber Command’s successes, another aspect of this fascinating story which the author believes has not been duly recognised.
Bomber Command: Churchill's Greatest Triumph will certainly raise the debate on the controversial strategy adopted by ‘Bomber’ Harris and how he was perceived by many to have over-stepped his remit. But most of all, this book will revise people’s understanding of just how important the endeavours were of those men who flew through the dark and through the searchlights, the flak, and the enemy night fighters, to bring the Second World War in Europe to its crushing conclusion.
As featured in
Shorelines - Newsletter of the Probus Club of North Shore Vancouver - November 2024
"With copious notes, maps, extensive bibliography and detailed index we have here a refreshing perspective on an aspect of the Allied war effort that despite the appalling casualty rate in aircrew and aircraft, played a decisive role in crippling the Nazi war effort. This work is recognition of and a worthy memorial to those who served in the RCAF and Bomber Command and I feel will add to the better understanding of a vital part of the Allied war effort, historically controversial but nonetheless vital in bringing victory to the Allies and an end to the war. I highly recommend this work to any who study WW2 and air warfare."
Martin Willoughby, The Wessex Branch of the Western Front Association
As featured in
North Shore News
I greatly enjoyed reading your book and learned a lot from it.
Mike Groves of The Churchill Centre, New Zealand
You succeeded admirably in achieving your twin goals of revealing the true impact of Bomber Command on Germany’s ability to wage war; and the personal journeys of yourself and your father.
It was a stroke of genius to find and use the material from Germany’s Research Institute for Military History. Like you, I had never heard of this, and was intrigued by the rich treasure trove of material that it reveals. You have woven this into your story very skilfully, building a most impressive and convincing case for your claim that Bomber Command was “Churchill’s Greatest Triumph”.
I was delighted to see so many references to New Zealand’s contribution to Bomber Command, and to learn the extent of New Zealand’s contribution to its success. Thank you for doing New Zealand so proud!
So Roddy, thank you for what you have done. You have uncovered and revealed a huge amount of invaluable material, and humanised it in a masterly way. In doing so, you have made a major contribution to the canon of World War II history.
As featured in
BC Regimental News - British Columbia Regiment Newsletter
As featured on World War II Today
WW2 Today
As featured
British Columbia Regiment Weekly Newsletter
As featured on Scale Modelling Now
Scale Modelling Now
This book is a very well researched book and credit should go to the author who has written a great book. Being from an RAF family I would happily recommend this book which had a bit extra and was well worth the read.
The History Fella
Read the Full Review Here
As featured on Army Rumour Service
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
This is a book which seeks to rehabilitate the reputation of Bomber Command. The author is not the first to attempt this, indeed other authors have successfully done so. However, by uncovering the facts as part of a personal journey of family exploration this book provides an intimate picture of how the shoddy treatment of those who served generated such disappointment and anger amongst the veterans - and distorted the perceptions of the generation that followed.
Phil Curme
Read the Full Review Here
As featured in
The Bookseller
About Roddy MacKenzie
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, at the age of twenty-eight RODDY MacKENZIE became the City Solicitor for the Royal City of New Westminster. By the time he retired, the law firm he created represented over 50 local governments throughout BC and Roddy was also an Adjunct Professor of Law at UBC. A speaker, writer and world traveller, having visited some seventy countries, Roddy is an historian with a particular interest in Bomber Command and the events of the Second World War.
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