Buckham's Bombers: The Australian Airmen Who Hunted Hitler's Deadliest Battleship

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Mark Baker

Buckham's Bombers

The Australian Airmen Who Hunted Hitler's Deadliest Battleship

Mark Baker

$34.99

Paperback

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English

Allen & Unwin
30 July 2024

History; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Second World War; Air forces & warfare

Bruce Buckham was captain of one of the finest Lancaster crews in World War II. The Australians were famous for their exploits in the air and infamous for their hijinks on the ground.

Buckham's crew flew night after night against heavily-defended targets in Germany - including during the Battle of Berlin, the bloodiest campaign of the war for Australians.

But their biggest and most dangerous operation was yet to come. The greatest battleship ever built and the pride of Hitler's fleet lay in a remote fjord in Norway's far north. Time and again, Tirpitz had evaded her hunters while continuing to threaten vital Arctic convoys, and by late 1944 her destruction was a top priority for Churchill. Buckham's crew was hand-picked because of their exceptional skills and bravery for the dramatic raids that finally sank 'The Beast'.

In this gripping account, journalist Mark Baker tells for the first time the full story of one of Australia's most highly decorated World War II pilots and his crew, drawing on extensive interviews with Buckham himself.

'The story of an extraordinary RAAF crew told in magnificent detail.' - from the foreword by Sir Angus Houston

'Buckham's Bombers brings to life a brilliant yet forgotten feat of arms of the World War II air war. A terrific read.' - Michael Veitch, author of 44 Days and Australia's Secret Army

By: Mark Baker
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
Weight: 358g
ISBN: 9781761471186
ISBN 10: 176147118X
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 30 July 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Prologue 1. Enlisting 2. Crewing Up 3. The Lancaster 4. Waddington 5. Berlin 6. Angels and Demons 7. The Beast 8. Normandy 9. D-Day 10. Paris 11. Bad Blood 12. Russia 13. Hurricane 14. Troms 15. Galland 16. Last Drinks 17. Home Notes Bibliography Index

Mark Baker is one of Australia's most experienced journalists. A former senior editor of The Age, editor of The Canberra Times and managing editor (National) of Fairfax Media, he is now publisher of Inside Story. He is the author of Phillip Schuler and The Emperor's Grace.

Reviews for Buckham's Bombers: The Australian Airmen Who Hunted Hitler's Deadliest Battleship

'A compelling and well told account' - Canberra Daily 'The danger, the adrenaline, the camaraderie, the day-to-day and even technical detail that in less talented hands would be suffocating, make for riveting passages ' - Sydney Morning Herald