Book - Bombers Battle - A Wing Commander (who?)

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Markyboy, Nov 10, 2020.

  1. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    Hi All, anybody on here know who this chap was? The book is 1943 and appears to summarize the first three years of the war, with a forward by Arthur Harris.
     
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  3. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    BOMBERS' BATTLE: BOMBER COMMAND'S THREE YEARS OF WAR BY A WING COMMANDER.

    Cambridge Rare Books


    ISBN:

    Title: BOMBERS' BATTLE: BOMBER COMMAND'S THREE YEARS OF WAR BY A WING COMMANDER.

    Authors: No author.

    Binding: Hardback

    Publisher: Duckworth

    Publish Date: 1943

    Condition: VERY GOOD

    SKU: 680301
     
  4. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    Cheers, that's the copy I'm eyeing up as it goes. Hopefully one of the gurus on here will know the chaps name. When it comes to other books like this by 'fighter pilot' etc, the name crops up pretty quickly on a google search, but I can't find this one.
     
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  5. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    This arrived today and there's not much to go on in regards to guessing the authors name. The only lead I could immediately see is a chapter entitled 'The Wing Commander' which is about a man called Mitchell who was 26 and had been off flying for a bit but did some training and went on a raid as a second pilot. Obviously this could be a generic tale, but there's a chance this refers to the author directly. My instinct is that a Wing Commander in 1942 wanting to write the history of the bombing war up to that point would have had some first hand experience, however brief. As always I could be way off the mark, so I'll make a note of any parts of the book that might suggest the authors direct involvement.
     
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  6. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

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  7. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    Ha ha! I'll contact them just to give the staff a memorable e-mail to talk about when they get home "Some fruit cake was only enquiring about a book we published 80 years ago".

    I see that Duckworths would have contributed to the famous pic of St Paul's surrounded by flames then.
     
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  8. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    ha ha

    I reckon its worth a go though, interesting that no name of the writer assume war time it would have been censored.

    regards
    Clive
     
  9. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Have you tried on RAF Commands?
    Sounds like the sort of thing they might have had a dig into.
    RAFCommands Forums
     
  10. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    I haven’t von poop, but will do thanks. Need to keep myself busy during lockdown!
     
  11. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    A Wing Commander in Bomber Command by 1942 suggests to me that he was a regular,he would be a squadron commander and would have of the experience of the RAF prewar.

    His experience within Bomber Command would be confined to the twin engined bombers the RAF went to war with in 1939.If he had experience of the four engined heavies,then it could have been on the Halifax (from mid November 1940) or Stirling (from August 1940) or from the spring of 1942,the Lancaster which an increasing number of squadrons were converting to.

    A foreword for the publication by Harris would qualify the publication subject as being accurate.Cannot find listed a Mitchell as a Bomber Command squadron commander

    There was a W/C Charles Harold Mitchell who died 24 August 1943 and is buried in Heliopolis War Cemetery in Greece. However no unit is shown and the unit would not be in Bomber Command.

    From the book, any locations or other bits of information might contribute to ascertaining Mitchell's background.
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2020
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  12. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

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  13. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    Hi Harry,

    Unit was Headquarters Middle East.

    34244 W/Cdr Charles Harold Mitchell MiD x3 was a passenger aboard Wellington W5430 of the British Airways Repair Unit when it collided with another Wellington of the same unit.

    Sgt. W A. Burgess RAFVR

    Unfortunately, the NAA search engine seems to be down so not possible to look for the A705s of F/Sgts Flanagan, Tracey or Armstrong.

    Regards,

    Dave
     
  14. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    Thanks all, the A George signature is certainly interesting. Could be a red herring though as I have a few books signed by veterans rather than the author.
     
  15. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Thanks Dave for the additional information.

    I was beginning to think that W/C Mitchell, from what has been said may have been a Technical Officer since W/C C H Mitchell was not shown as being a member of a flying unit.

    (The reference to A George is very interesting since WSC reviewed the new bomber,the Stirling at Oakington. No 7 Squadron was the first squadron to receive a four engined bomber aircraft.The squadron had initially received the aircraft at Leeming in August 1940 after reforming there on 1 August 1940. On 29 October 1940,it was posted into Oakington where it stayed for the duration of the war and converted to the Lancaster from May 1943....a very old bombing squadron, formed before the outbreak of the Great War at Farnborough)

    (I have a good reference on No 7 Squadron which might throw up Michell and George)
     
  16. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

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  17. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    No link found of Mitchell and George serving with No 7 Squadron.

    Two Mitchells mentioned but do not fit given information.
     
  18. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    I just dropped the publisher a line to see if they can help

    regards
    Clive
     
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