For Valour

A review of a unique band of airmen, every man a volunteer, willing and eager to serve in an elite force. From every corner of the Empire they answered the call to arms, to challenge the aspirations of European dominance by a rampant Germany. Following the French capitulation of 1940 and the miracle of Dunkirk Great Britain stood alone to face the Nazi blitzkrieg. During those dramatic months of August and September a numerically inferior Fighter Command withstood a relentless Luftwaffe to effectively scuttle Hitler's 'Operation Sea Lion', the projected air and sea-borne invasion of Britain. Having survived the gravest threat in its history the time had come for Britain to take up the offensive with whatever means at its disposal. Fighter Command had established itself as the nation's saviour; it was now Bomber Command's turn to carry the offensive to the enemy's homeland, to his very home if need be. What began as a tentative, probing campaign developed into a whirlwind of concentrated destruction. With the advent of new and sophisticated aircraft and tactics, as demonstrated by the creation of the elite Pathfinder Force, Bomber Command attained a terrifying efficiency. Against this was an equally disturbing loss rate among aircrew. When the guns fell silent in May 1945 Bomber Command alone had suffered a grievous loss rate of 47,000 gallant airmen. Many lie in graves in foreign lands, some of them the decorated VC winners listed in this book. Let their memory be a lasting tribute to all those who failed to return.