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The Crew: The Story of a Lancaster Bomber Crew Kindle Edition

by David Price (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,845 ratings
See all formats and editions
A moving tribute to the sacrifice and bravery of the fliers of RAF Bomber Command.
******************************

The Crew, based on interviews with Ken Cook, the crew's sole surviving member, recounts the wartime exploits of the members of an Avro Lancaster crew between 1942 and the war's end. Gloucestershire-born bomb aimer Ken Cook, hard-bitten Australian pilot Jim Comans, Navigator Don Bowes, Upper Gunner George Widdis, Tail Gunner 'Jock' Bolland, Flight Engineer Ken Randle and Radio Operator Roy Woollford were seven ordinary young men living in extraordinary times, risking their lives in freedom's cause in the dark skies above Hitler's Reich.

From their earliest beginnings – in places as far apart as a Cotswold village and the suburbs of Sydney – through the adventure of training in North America and the dread and danger of the forty-five bombing raids they flew with 97 Squadron, David Price describes the crew's wartime experiences with human sympathy allied to a secure technical understanding of one of the RAF's most iconic aircraft. The drama and anxiety of individual missions – to Kassel, Munich and Augsburg as well as Berlin – is evoked with thrilling immediacy; while the military events and strategic decisions that drove the RAF's area bombing campaign against Nazi Germany are interwoven deftly with the narrative of the crew's operational careers.

******************************

Reviews:

'A sensitive account of the bomber's life... Price has given the bomber offensive a human face. This book [...] has a heart and soul' The Times.

'A fascinating and fast-paced account of the exploits of an Avro Lancaster bomber crew from 97 Squadron RAF' The Herald.

'A remarkable insight into the bravery, determination and skill of British Bomber Command crews during WWII' Waterstones.
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  1. Print length
    465 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Apollo
  5. Publication date
    January 9, 2020
  6. File size
    15573 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A sensitive account of the bomber's life... Price has given the bomber offensive a human face. This book [...] has a heart and soul'” ―The Times

“A fascinating and fast-paced account of the exploits of an Avro Lancaster bomber crew from 97 Squadron RAF” ―Herald

“His eyewitness account is frank about the dangers of the role” ―i newspaper

“A remarkable insight into the bravery, determination and skill of British Bomber Command crews during WWII” ―Waterstones

“This book uses [Ken Cook's] story of bravery to shed light on the Second World War bombing campaign” ―The Times

“The story of one Lancaster bomber crew, and of its last surviving member, former bomb-aimer Ken Cook provides the focus for David Price's sobering and poignant book” ―Mail on Sunday

“The drama and anxiety of individual missions is evoked with thrilling immediacy, while the military events and strategic decisions are interwoven deftly with the narrative of the crew's careers” ―Military History

About the Author

David Price's early interest in aviation was inspired by days exploring deserted RAF airfields in his native Cumbria. He has written for many newspapers and magazines on military aviation and is the author of A Bomber Crew Mystery: The Forgotten Heroes of 388th Bombardment Group, and The Crew, the story of an Avro Lancaster crew during the Second World War.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NZX8ZTJ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Apollo; 1st edition (January 9, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 9, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 15573 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 465 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,845 ratings

About the author

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David Price

David Price

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David Price's lifelong interest in military research was kindled as a teenager by roaming deserted RAF airfields and chance meetings with veterans of the First and Second World. For the last thirty years he has been involved in aircraft preservation with Solway Aviation Museum and this hands-on knowledge, combined with thousands of hours of historical research is evident in his writing. As a best selling author, David's passion for detail and accuracy, combined with his strong desire to tell personal stories has been widely acclaimed.

His project to build a Spitfire in the garden of his Cumbrian home will feature in a new book 'How to Build a Spitfire' in spring 2025.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,845 global ratings
Made me Laugh, Made me Cry, Great read.
5 Stars
Made me Laugh, Made me Cry, Great read.
The CrewI enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. It made me laugh, it made me cry. I wanted to call the author and tell him to re-write the ending. Looking forward to the next book "The Storm Within". According to the author it is also about paramedics. After meeting the Author Ken Tucker I must have been impressed by the man because I am now Mrs. LeeAnna Tucker. Enjoy the book.
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Top reviews from the United States

J. Stein
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
Spellbinding. Reads like a novel.
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DBS
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good History Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2021
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The book is packed with lots of history facts and might be little boring for those who are not interested in the era or in military aviation. The story of the crew combined in the book is making it more personal and interesting.
I liked it
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John Duffy
5.0 out of 5 stars A well written novel into the life and adventures of ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
A well written novel into the life and adventures of a midshipmen at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The story is deftly interwoven with the rigors of the academic challenges, participation in a varsity sport (Crew) and complicated by a budding romantic involvment.
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Dorothy A Bartlett
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on Kings Point USMMA
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2015
Verified Purchase
The story is great, love it... The only issue is that there must not be a proofreader at the publishing company. There were many grammatical errors....
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Patricia Brill
5.0 out of 5 stars A unique love story written from the perspective of a young man ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2015
A unique love story written from the perspective of a young man attending a federal service academy. An old fashioned love story that has you routing for the main character throughout the book.
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Wingate
4.0 out of 5 stars Takes too long to get started
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2021
Around one fifth of this book had elapsed before it got around to bomber crew operations.Then it really sprang to life.To me the bombing war was rather like the Battle of the Somme.Needless slaughter.Little surprise that the nicknames of both Field Marshall Haigh and Air Marshall Harris was Butcher.This book brings home the cold blooded mentality of Harris and the effect of his decisions.
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LeeAnna Tucker
5.0 out of 5 stars Made me Laugh, Made me Cry, Great read.
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2008
The Crew

I enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. It made me laugh, it made me cry. I wanted to call the author and tell him to re-write the ending. Looking forward to the next book "The Storm Within". According to the author it is also about paramedics. After meeting the Author Ken Tucker I must have been impressed by the man because I am now Mrs. LeeAnna Tucker. Enjoy the book.
Customer image
LeeAnna Tucker
5.0 out of 5 stars Made me Laugh, Made me Cry, Great read.
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2008
[[ASIN:1880254476 The Crew]]

I enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. It made me laugh, it made me cry. I wanted to call the author and tell him to re-write the ending. Looking forward to the next book "The Storm Within". According to the author it is also about paramedics. After meeting the Author Ken Tucker I must have been impressed by the man because I am now Mrs. LeeAnna Tucker. Enjoy the book.
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Bank Of America
3.0 out of 5 stars I believe too much time was spent about the war in general and not enough about each, mission flown.
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2021
Verified Purchase
I thought this book was supposed to be a bout the "crew"but the first 92 pages was about the uncertain years
1919-1939, The Adventure, the Lancaster, and "Bardney" ? All covered by many other books..

s s

I thought the first 92 pages were not needed ass those subjects have been covered by many other
books. Namely Uncertain Years 1919-1939, The Adventure, and Lancaster.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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rama
5.0 out of 5 stars spot on skipper
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2024
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excellent read very informative
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
Reviewed in Canada on September 1, 2020
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Very informative and easy to read. I couldn't put it down and finished reading it in about three days.
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R. Zoelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolle Mischung von "fiktionalem" Schreibstil mit profundem Faktenwissen und -präsentation
Reviewed in Germany on May 31, 2021
Verified Purchase
Ich habe noch nie ein historisches Sachbuch gelesen, dass wie eine fiktionale Geschichte gelesen werden kann, aber besonders durch die Einbindung persönlicher Erinnerungen, historischer Fakten, vieler kleiner Seitenstränge (z.B. über die Schicksale auch der deutschen Piloten, die in Abschüsse verwickelt waren) und des großen historischen Rahmens, der technische und strategische Entscheidungen beleuchtet, so spannend geschrieben ist und überzeugendes Zeugnis der damaligen Zeit abliefert.
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Wolkensohn
4.0 out of 5 stars Lesenswertes Buch
Reviewed in Germany on May 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
Spannend und informativ geschriebenes Buch über die Besatzung einer Avro "Lancaster", die nächtliche Angriffe auf deutsche Städte flog. Biografien der Besatzungsmitglieder und deren umfangreiche Ausbildung in England, Australien, Kanada und den USA sowie ihr sozialer Hintergrund wurden offenbar in intensiver Recherche zusammengestellt und sind sehr lesenswert. Der Autor gibt auch eine Zusammenfassung über die Entwicklung des Bombenkrieges im Allgemeinen und die Entwicklung der Avro "Lancaster" im Besonderen.
Einziger Minuspunkt ist der Versuch des Autors, die nächtlichen Angriffe des RAF Bomber Commands als Angriffe auf militärische Ziele (wie Fabriken oder Bahnhöfe) darzustellen. Dabei war das "Morale Bombing" - also der gezielte Angriff auf die deutsche Zivilbevölkerung - erklärte Strategie der RAF. Der Autor geht sogar so weit, einen Angriff auf München damit zu rechtfertigen, dass der "Generalgouverneur" von Polen, Hans Frank, am gleichen Tag den Befehl zur Erschießung polnischer Widerstandskämpfer im 1000km entfernten Krakow, erließ. Die plumpe Übernahme britischer Kriegspropaganda kostet dieses ansonsten hervorragende Buch einen Stern. Schade.
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Sea Bass
4.0 out of 5 stars Behind the glory
Reviewed in Canada on September 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
This story takes you behind the heroic myths and underscores how the bomber campaign was fought, and won, by ordinary men who reached deeply into themselves and discovered a quiet courage. For that reason, it's a valuable addition to the history of the European night bombing campaign.
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