Lest We Forget or They Ever Be Forgotten

[OneBardGooner]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18501658

[olgitgooner]

indeed.

About 50% of bomber crew never survived the war. It must have taken a huge amount of courage to go on those incredibly dangerous missions.

My old dad was in the RAF. He volunteered for bomber duty. Wanted to be a rear gunner. He reckoned he failed selection because he spelled the word "cylinder" incorrectly. He said it was the best mistake he ever made.

[Top Londoner]

Absolutely. Each and everyone of the courageous 55,573, who gave their lives. RIP



WOW.

FIFTY FIVE THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED and SEVENTY THREE LIVES.

[flash gunner]

The ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Respect to everyone who fought

[franksav63]

Great thread OBG.... great respect... and long overdue recognition, although surprised by this part ....... ''policy of large-scale area bombing near the end of the war that drew criticism...,'' didn't the German Luffwaffee, in the first place, flatten Coventry to nothing.... couldn't see no mention of this in the article.....

[storrmin571]

Thank you.

Thats all.

[OneBardGooner]

Great thread OBG.... great respect... and long overdue recognition, although surprised by this part ....... ''policy of large-scale area bombing near the end of the war that drew criticism...,'' didn't the German Luffwaffee, in the first place, flatten Coventry to nothing.... couldn't see no mention of this in the article.....

Thanks Frank, I just wanted to bring it to wider notice and everyone's attention - mine included - just how incredibly lucky we all are, that we have our freedom Thanks to the courage and heroism of such people, and to think they were often in their late teens / early twenties...and had it not been for them we'd all be marching (literally) to a very different tune.

God Bless Em All.

[SammyDroppedHisShorts]

Great thread OBG.... great respect... and long overdue recognition, although surprised by this part ....... ''policy of large-scale area bombing near the end of the war that drew criticism...,'' didn't the German Luffwaffee, in the first place, flatten Coventry to nothing.... couldn't see no mention of this in the article.....

In Churchills memoirs he mentions the Coventry raid as his darkest night throughout the entire war.

Being sent to Coventry is a quote about ignoring.......Churchills worst moment.

[OneBardGooner]

Great thread OBG.... great respect... and long overdue recognition, although surprised by this part ....... ''policy of large-scale area bombing near the end of the war that drew criticism...,'' didn't the German Luffwaffee, in the first place, flatten Coventry to nothing.... couldn't see no mention of this in the article.....

In Churchills memoirs he mentions the Coventry raid as his darkest night throughout the entire war.

Being sent to Coventry is a quote about ignoring.......Churchills worst moment.

Yeah they had a lot of heavy engineering there...armarments etc.... I remember my dad telling me they literally flattened the whole city.

[QuartzGooner]

Brave men.

In hindsight should have been more concentrated on industry less on residential areas, on both humane and strategic grounds.

[richpye]

Am I right in saying Churchill let them bomb Coventry so as not to give away the fact they had cracked the Enigma code?

Also, in the industrial days and before cars became mainstream, residential and industrial areas were pretty much intertwined, sooooo bombing factories but not houses was nigh on impossible.
They were effectively dropping a bomb out of a hole in the plane at the most likely moment, none of this laser guided stuff.

Pretty amazing stuff really

[DB10GOONER]

Great thread OBG.... great respect... and long overdue recognition, although surprised by this part ....... ''policy of large-scale area bombing near the end of the war that drew criticism...,'' didn't the German Luffwaffee, in the first place, flatten Coventry to nothing.... couldn't see no mention of this in the article.....

In Churchills memoirs he mentions the Coventry raid as his darkest night throughout the entire war.

Being sent to Coventry is a quote about ignoring.......Churchills worst moment.

Not sure about that Sammy. I’ve read of a few different origins, all predating WWII;

The first known mention that I can find is listed as being in the Club book of the Tarporley Hunt, 1765: “Mr. John Barry having sent the Fox Hounds to a different place to what was ordered was sent to Coventry, but return'd upon giving six bottles of Claret to the Hunt.”

During the English Civil War the story goes that Royalist troops that were captured in battle near there were sent as prisoners to Coventry, which contained a Parliamentarian prison. Those prisoners were sometimes beaten or lynched by the locals.

Also have read that Charles II passed the Coventry Act named for the MP Sir John Coventry who had been assaulted and slashed with a knife. Similar crimes involving knives were sentenced under the Coventry Act.

There’s also the possibility that the saying stems from a very old military anecdote regarding a regiment that was based in really shit billets in Coventry.

[DB10GOONER]

Am I right in saying Churchill let them bomb Coventry so as not to give away the fact they had cracked the Enigma code?

Also, in the industrial days and before cars became mainstream, residential and industrial areas were pretty much intertwined, sooooo bombing factories but not houses was nigh on impossible.
They were effectively dropping a bomb out of a hole in the plane at the most likely moment, none of this laser guided stuff.

Pretty amazing stuff really

The Churchill rumour has been around for decades but I don't think it's been proven either way to everyone's satisfaction... and you are right with regard to it being nigh on impossible for either the German's or RAF to use "Surgical Bombing" in many cases. The technology was just not there and carpet bombing was believed at the time to be most effective.

There is also the school of thought amongst some modern historians that the later fire bombing of Dresden for example was motivated as much by Bomber Command looking for revenge for cities like Coventry as it was by strategic considerations. Alot of modern historians try to make a name for themselves by slighting the achievements of revered historical figures though so that one is very much open to opinion really...

But whatever the politics of it, those young British, American, Australian, Irish, Dutch, French, Kiwi, Canadian and Polish men (kids really) that climbed into those bombers day after day and night after night (knowing as fact that the chances of them surviving were very slim) were just amazingly brave men. Heroes every one of them.

[storrmin571]

Brave men.

In hindsight should have been more concentrated on industry less on residential areas, on both humane and strategic grounds.

Hindsight is always 20/20. There was no precision bombing as we have now with laser guided missile and the like. Industrial areas were at that time in city areas surrounded by their workers homes, schools and shops. Its unfortunate that there was such a large loss of civilian life, but nothing should take away the sacrifice these made on our behalf.

We should have honoured their memory long before now when there is only a handful left.

http://www.rafbombercommand.com/master_welcome.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bomber_Command

[Top Londoner]

Just watched the Bomber Command Memorial on the beeb. Very touching.
The Tornado fly past went over my roof. Bloody noisey. I missed the Lancaster though.