good day canuck.m,today.04:13am.re:night bombers.a great video.thank you for posting.they were a brave lot of flyers.regards bernard85
When attached as a member of a small infantry cadre attached to RAF Waterbeach at Cambridge, remember that strange feeling - 'awe' - as I stood watching Squadrons taking off at last light. Witnessing and full of admiration for the bravery of the those lads, night after night, who took the war home to the enemy. In a way, you went with them . . . as your thoughts followed their journey, their destination unknown to you, but they were striking a blow for all of us at the might of a powerful enemy. I knew in time I would be called to face the German infantry and their tanks, and hoped I could have the sustained courage the crews of the RAF demonstrated throughout the longs days and nights of the War. Joe
NIGHT BOMBERS i have the VHS version of this film from DD Distribution DD243 photographed and directed by A/Cdr HI Cozens CB AFC using a hand-held clockwork 16mm Bell & Howell loaded with the newly introduced Americam Kodachrome film he was station commander at RAF Hemswell
Guys, What a fantastic video, really brings it back to real life. what these guys went through but also the importance of the team behind them, without whom, they could not have done their job. This video does not show however the dangers these 'Backroom boys and girls' suffered, from air attacks, etc and how they were far from being out of the front line. It also covers the good old Lancaster but do not forget the Blenheim, Wimpey, Hampden, etc. and other early bomber crews of 1940/41 and earlier who were sent out in daylight, with cloud as their protection, heavily out gunned, slow, lumbering, old and outdated birds to take the fight back to Germany when no one else could. My Father during training was told to expect to survive 6 missions or six day in his squadron, being much the same thing. Bomber Command suffered horrendous losses throughout the war which of course is not covered by this period film for reasons of morale back home. The guys he trained with had an in excess of 70% casualty rate, killed during the war, not taking account of those who became POWs or failed to make operational status or who died in training, known at the time as wastage. "Harris" in the film got back, had a very lucky escape but so many others did not. Regards, Nick KenFentonsWar.com
My uncle passed away this week. He was 92 and had been a navigator in the RCAF. It is ironic that despite the high casualty rates, my uncle's most bitter disappointment in life was arriving in England just as the war was ending. He never saw action and forever regretted not being able to do his bit. He openly talked about entire classes in the BCATP from 1942 and 1943 who never returned. I'm sure many of the men who did become casualties would not have changed their decision even if given the chance.
Tim, Your quite right, none of them regretted what they volunteered for, they just got on with it. When chatting to vets, they talk so matterfact about it. One referred to his mates who died, he said "They just got an earlier bus to the same destination" but he enjoyed their ration of bacon and eggs just the same as they would have done. My Father trained in England rather than BCATP as they needed aircrew quick, fully operational and in charge of a Blenheim within a year of making his mark. They formed some great friendships, that is what took them through it. Regards, Nick KenFentonswar.com
I don't doubt we've had this before, but it's so well edited & sort of sobering it's worth repeating. Shared by a chap on Arrse: http://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/bomber-command-in-colour.213025/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNVwXQygoUY
good day von poop.adaministrator,yesterday.10:50pm.coulor film.-lancaster mission-1944.a great video,and good to see them return.we lost a lot of good men in the air force.thank you for posting,regards bernard85
Nice find Adam I discovered this today and had not realized that men like Edward R. Murrow had put it on the line as well. More than a few journalists did not return from these raids. Hard to see modern day celebrity newsies taking this type of risk. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/life_0701.html
Yes, I'm surprised canuck didn't mention his recent thread on the same original film downloadable, BTW, from here - NIGHT BOMBERS : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive :twocents: Steve
John Simpson springs immediately to my mind, but i'd imagine he'd rather not be considered a celebrity. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2921807.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_correspondent
This is the documentary made by A.C Cozens at RAF Hemswell,No 1 Group during the winter of 1944/45.Later entitled Night Bombers At the time,Cozens was the Base Commander at Hemswell which covers other RAF B.C operational airfields.His interest in photography was long held.he had used the same camera on the Artic Survey of 1931. A first class documentary,it shows the layout of the airfield which had changed little from the latter end of the war to when the airfield closed in 1967.apart from when the airfield housed three Thor missiles from 1959 to 1963.During the war dispersals were laid down after concrete runways were laid down in 1943 on the south side of the Gainsborough to Louth road which the documentary clearly shows. Needless to say the main road was closed during this time and from postwar on,traffic light controls were installed on the main road to safeguard the public from aircraft landing at the 170 end of the 17/35 main runway.
