R. C. Rivaz

Originaly published in 1943 while Rivaz was alive, this is a description of flying in a Halifax bomber over Germany and France in the early years of WW II. The author describes his moments of fear before a mission especially anytime he went to Cologne, but he also describes his excitement and anticipation of bombing the enemy and taking on German fighters as they attacked his plane. His descriptions of the two day trips to Brest to bomb the German battleships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and the cruiser Prinz Eugen are exciting and full of details that he must have immediately recorded when he returned to England.

During his tour, he twice ended up in the English Channel when his wounded bomber was too damaged to make it back to Blighty. The first time, the Whitley crashed into a cold stormy Channel where survival was almost impossible but a last minute rescue saved him and his fellow crew members. The pilot had gone down with the Whitley bomber when the life raft blew too far away for him to swim to it.

The second crash was in warm weather in a calm sea witnessed by two other bomber crews who stayed with them and focused the rescue teams on to the spot. There are photos in the book of the Halifax ditching and floating which was rare for a Halifax that crash landed in water.

One other important facts Rivaz was proud of was his relationship with famous RAF bomber pilot, Leonard Cheshire, VC with whom he flew a number of times and who wrote the Foreword for the re-issue of this book.… (mais)

The pilot used the journaling method to jot down memories of time spent in the service during World War II. The action jumps from scene to scene. There are numerous examples of missed transitional sentences and incomplete sentences. The format is reflective of the limited time military personnel had to relax between missions. Readers of military history will be interested in the combat scenes. The format and lack of notes make the book more indicative to military historical fiction than a memoir.

I received this book through a promotional giveaway. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (mais)