Description - Heroes of Coastal Command by Andrew D. Bird
Thirty was the number of minutes it took for one Coastal Command crew to sink two U-boats. This remarkable achievement was carried out by the crew of Flying Officer Kenneth Kayo Moore in their 224 Squadron Liberator on the evening of 7/8 June 1944. Whilst patrolling the western end of the English Channel, Moore s crew first despatched U-629, followed, just under thirty minutes later, by U-373. The story of this remarkable engagement is just one of many recounted by the author in Heroes of Coastal Command. Established in 1936, Coastal Command was the RAF s only maritime arm. Throughout the war, its crews worked tirelessly alongside the Royal Navy to keep Britain s vital sea lanes open. Together, they fought and won the Battle of the Atlantic, with RAF aircraft destroying 212 German U-Boats and sinking a significant tonnage of enemy warships and merchant vessels. Often working alone and unsupported, undertaking long patrols out over opens seas, Coastal Command bred a special kind of airman.Alongside individuals such as Kenneth Moore, there were Allan Trigg, Kenneth Campbell and John Cruickshank, all of whom were awarded the Victoria Cross; Norman Jackson-Smith, a Blenheim pilot who flew in the Battle of Britain; Jack Davenport, who flew his Hampden to Russia; John Watson, the sole survivor of a Short Sunderland which was lost during a rescue mission; Sam McHardy, a Coastal Command ground coordinator posted aboard a Royal Navy destroyer for a raid on Norway in 1941; and Ken Gatward, who flew a unique daylight mission over Paris to drop a Tricolore on the Arc de Triomphe. Theirs are just some of the many action-packed stories revealed by the author. AUTHOR: Andrew Bird was born in Woodley and studied at Reading College of Art and Design. Having served in the Royal Air Force Reserves, he has written for a number of newspapers and magazines. The author of A Separate Little War and Coastal Dawn, Andrew has also written, presented or acted as a historical consultant in documentaries, for BBC Radio and Television, Channel 4, and NRK in Norway. 16 illustrations
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