Reid, Ian Lancasters at War. Bomber Command Operations from RAF Grimsby

In the final year of the Second World War, the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command had become a devastating military force. The peak of its operations was reached in March 1945, when the squadrons under its command dropped the largest bomb load of any month in the war. In a total of 364,514 sorties since September 1939, the men and aircraft of Bomber Command dropped an incredible 1,030,500 tonnes of bombs on targets in Germany and occupied Europe. However, Bomber Command's success came at a price: 8,325 aircraft were lost and 55,573 airmen were killed. Bomber Command was so large that it would be a daunting task to tell its entire story in detail. In Lancasters at War, Ian Reid has attempted to explore its successes and failures through the men and aircraft that operated from a single airfield, RAF Grimsby, and a single unit, the 100th Squadron. RAF Grimsby, located in what is now known as 'Bomber Country', was built on the site of a pre-war civilian flying club just outside the village of Waltham in north-east Lincolnshire. It entered service in 1941. The 100th Squadron dates back to 1917 and the days of the Royal Flying Corps. The wartime history of RAF Grimsby and 100 Squadron provides a fascinating insight into the wider actions of Bomber Command. From raids on the Ruhr to the Battle of Berlin and from supporting the D-Day landings to the campaign against Hitler's V-weapons, all aspects are explored by the author in this book. A series of aircraft profiles, each supplemented by a brief history of the Lancaster depicted, helps to focus the story on individual crews and their aircraft - a valuable resource for historians, enthusiasts and modellers alike. Forty years of research has resulted in Ian Reid compiling a remarkable record of part of Bomber Command's wartime service. "Lancaster at War" is packed with eyewitness accounts from aircrew, ground crew and WAAFs, all backed up by many previously unpublished photographs. The book is an important addition to the record of the Allied strategic bombing campaign in the Second World War and the role of Bomber Command in the defeat of the Third Reich.