- Hardcover: 496 pages
- Publisher: Viking; illustrated edition edition (4 Nov 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0670914568
- ISBN-13: 978-0670914562
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.2 x 4.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 432,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Tail-End Charlies
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Product Description
The Spectator
'Good stories are plentiful...crammed with anecdotes, all true, some of which stretch the imagination.'
Daily Telegraph
'In this detailed, vivid and moving account...Nichol and Rennell have made an important contribution towards righting a historical wrong.'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read many Bomber Command books, i found this one particularly good. The authors bring out a roller coaster of emotions within the reader... sorrow, joy, anger and pride to name but a few.
It is a very full and riveting read with extremely brave and moving accounts of the exceptionally well disciplined men of Bomber Command (all volunteers) led by an equally disciplined and robust commander (Harris).
The book is very well balanced in its views, making the reader aware of the fact that the 'tail end' of the war was a very uncertain time and certain logistical decisions, such as Dresden, were certainly justifiable at the time considering the climate of 'total war' and the fact that there could not be any 'give' whatsoever, not to mention the fact that Harris was leaned upon from above to hammer Dresden (which was actually bristling with war industry, contrary to popular belief) to assist Russian movements into Germany.
Some of the more personal accounts left me with a lump in my throat. Sad, sad tales of aircrew dying on thier very last op, often just shy of the airfield after getting through a very rough Ruhr Valley sortie, and the sad tale of the POW who'd been incarcerated since 1940 and kept motivated by letters from his loyal wife to be, whom at the end of the war, excitedly put banners up and gathered family for his return, only for him to be killed as the overloaded Lancaster bringing him home crashed.
The pyschological strain on the aircrews was massive, going from the relative comfort of rural English airbases to horror of major bombing raids deep into Germany, losing comrades at an alarming rate, witnessing gory death in its dirty glory then returning to the almost tranquil countryside of England a few hours later to sit and ponder whether they were next for 'the chop'.
After the war the aircrews were shunned and no specific campaign medal was allotted to them which leaves the reader angry and dismayed. The public effectively turned against them.
To quote one Lanc airman, Miles Tripp... 'The plain fact is that when one's survival is threatened, one is grateful to those who offer protection. Once the danger is past, one is ashamed that ones intellectual theories were so easily overruled by a primitive instinct or emotion and the erstwhile helpers are an immediate target for the hostility caused by this sense of shame'
Fantastic book
It is a very full and riveting read with extremely brave and moving accounts of the exceptionally well disciplined men of Bomber Command (all volunteers) led by an equally disciplined and robust commander (Harris).
The book is very well balanced in its views, making the reader aware of the fact that the 'tail end' of the war was a very uncertain time and certain logistical decisions, such as Dresden, were certainly justifiable at the time considering the climate of 'total war' and the fact that there could not be any 'give' whatsoever, not to mention the fact that Harris was leaned upon from above to hammer Dresden (which was actually bristling with war industry, contrary to popular belief) to assist Russian movements into Germany.
Some of the more personal accounts left me with a lump in my throat. Sad, sad tales of aircrew dying on thier very last op, often just shy of the airfield after getting through a very rough Ruhr Valley sortie, and the sad tale of the POW who'd been incarcerated since 1940 and kept motivated by letters from his loyal wife to be, whom at the end of the war, excitedly put banners up and gathered family for his return, only for him to be killed as the overloaded Lancaster bringing him home crashed.
The pyschological strain on the aircrews was massive, going from the relative comfort of rural English airbases to horror of major bombing raids deep into Germany, losing comrades at an alarming rate, witnessing gory death in its dirty glory then returning to the almost tranquil countryside of England a few hours later to sit and ponder whether they were next for 'the chop'.
After the war the aircrews were shunned and no specific campaign medal was allotted to them which leaves the reader angry and dismayed. The public effectively turned against them.
To quote one Lanc airman, Miles Tripp... 'The plain fact is that when one's survival is threatened, one is grateful to those who offer protection. Once the danger is past, one is ashamed that ones intellectual theories were so easily overruled by a primitive instinct or emotion and the erstwhile helpers are an immediate target for the hostility caused by this sense of shame'
Fantastic book
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I couldn't agree less with Michael - this is a truly awesome book. The authors have done a brilliant job in bringing to life the fears and emotions of the Bomber crews. My uncle was a rear-gunner in Bomber Command and he says this is the best, and most accurate book he has ever read on the subject. It's exciting and emotional and, to use a well-worn phrase, it's a real "couldn't put it down" book.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful book - it is such an emotional and rollercoaster of a read, to coin a phrase, "it's difficult to put down".
I have a couple of relatives who flew in Bomber Command and they all say that this is the most "true to life" account of their war that they have ever read. It really captures the fears and emotions of the time and portrays the horrors the men endured in such a realistic way that you feel as if you are sitting in the aircraft with them.
It is a magnificant tribute to the bravery and heroism of the time.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Eyewitness history at its best
While it's a good overview of the late WWII bombing war, its perceived necessity at the time and an interesting insight into the motives driving the area bombing campaigns, where... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. S. G. Ford-elliott
Requiem for bomber crews
An excellent ,very disturbing, book which makes me admire even more the service of men like my father who served during the period 1941-1945 in Bomber Commend as a navigator on... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Peter
Disappointing - a rehash of what's gone before
As a Bomber Command historian and specialist I will say - if you are new to Bomber Command, this is a reasonable read. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Rob Davis (Telford)
The last days od Bomber Command
A hugely dissappointing book. This was bought after a long search and taken as holiday reading - read in one day due to firstly repetition and secondly tedium. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Non Fiction Nut
Going over the top each night
This is the best book I've ever read about Bomber Command. Bomber Boys: Fighting Back 1940-1945 is another excellent history, but I think T-EC betters it. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2010 by SAP
Poignant and historically well-balanced
I remain emotionally very moved from reading this book. Historical facts are presented in a very readable way, but more importantly for me, I am left with a real sense of profound... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2009 by Sandford
Rivetting
As someone whose father was a tail gunner with 78 and 76 Sqdns who died in October 1944 after 29 ops, just to say thanks for such an informative book.
Published on 9 April 2008 by R. J. Sandilands
Tail End Charlies. Last Battles of The Bomber War 1944-45
This book is asuperb read for all aviation buffs.It is real life stories by people who were quite simply doing their duty as instructed, under horrendous risks of death,by the... Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2007 by Spitfire Sam
A superb history of some very brave people
This book is not a comfortable read - over half the people of Bomber Command never came back from their missions over Germany - yet they kept going and sustained more casulaties in... Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2007 by A. J. Sudworth
Tail End Charlies - The forgotten tales
Im not a big reader myself but am truly interested in war especially the efforts of Bomber Command in the 2nd World War. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read more
Published on 22 July 2006 by Jane Smith
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