Tail End Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War 1944-45: Amazon.co.uk: Tony Rennell, John Nichol: Books

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Review
It was the destruction of the historic city of Dresden that irrevocably besmirched the reputation of Bomber Command and its commander-in-chief, Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris. After the war, instead of treating these airmen as the heroes they undoubtedly were, the nation chose to shun their efforts. That 55,000 comrades gave their lives during the bombing campaigns mattered not. John Nichol - himself shot down and taken prisoner in the first Gulf War - and Tony Rennell thought it was about time that the airmen of Bomber Command had their reputations restored and their brave sacrifices acknowledged. Theirs is a moving account of the missions flown night after night over enemy territories, when airmen risked ghastly death or capture in their attempts to crush Hitler's Third Reich. Britain was fighting for its life and the Tail-End Charlies, for so long the forgotten heroes of that fight, are finally given the respect they are due. (Kirkus UK)

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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18 Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly wonderful book, 6 Oct 2005

By A Customer

This review is from: Tail End Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War 1944-45 (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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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent history of Bomber Command, 10 Jul 2005

By A Customer

This review is from: Tail End Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War 1944-45 (Paperback)

It's long been popular to denigrate the actions of Bomber Command during the latter days of WW2. Harris' policy of area bombing population centres was, and certainly has been, extremely controversial, and the actions of his airmen have been compared to war crimes in the years since the war.

In the main this book attempts to explain the air war though the eyes of the men who fought it, largely through testimony of the men who fought in this campaign. It succeeds, for me, by making clear the conditions these men were expected to fight under, the stresses they bore day, in day, under odds of survival far worse than any other armed service. John Nichol's sympathy for these men is clear, and if this book is an attempt to redress the injustice that these men have been dealt since the war then it works very well. At the end of the day, irrespective of the orders, these men carried out their duty, night after night, despite terrible odds and the knowledge of a very unpleasant end. That in itself deserves recognition

That's not to say this book is wholly supportive of Bomber Command's actions - there are passages dealing with the callous treatment of airmen so traumatised by battle that they were unable to continue fighting. The opposition to area bombing during the latter days of WW2 is described in detail. The description of the bombing of Dresden is particularly interesting, setting it as it does as an entirely defendable action.

In summary, an excellent, well written book which in my opinion does justice to the largely ignored sacrifice these brave men made for the Allied war effort at a time when war was not optional or debatable, but purely for survival.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humbling Account of Real Men, 10 Mar 2007

By	Darren Bell "daz1387" (Durham Uk) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Tail End Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War 1944-45 (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

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 15 months ago by R. J. Sandilands

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 19 months ago by Spitfire Sam

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more

Published 23 months ago by A. J. Sudworth

4.0 out of 5 stars 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 Jul 2006 by Jane Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars hampden
Albeit a delusive title, this is surely a "Rose among the Thorns'.A magnificient effort by impressive researchers who have created a powerful tome worthy of the bravery shown by... Read more

Published on 5 Jul 2006 by Anthony E. Ball

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, brilliant and wonderful
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. Read more

Published on 6 Oct 2005

2.0 out of 5 stars Competent but marred by lazy writing
The subject is fascinating, the timing imaculate, but the writing basically lazy.

In lots of places there is repetition. Read more

Published on 21 Jun 2005 by michael61485

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and VERY moving
From a historical point of view this book looks at the various missions and reasons for certain actions of Bomber Command in the latter part of the war. Read more

Published on 19 April 2005 by Iceni Peasant

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent blend of first-hand recollection & narrative
I suspect the light-hearted title does this book few favours. I approached this with some trepidation, having received it as a gift and expected it to be little more than a... Read more

Published on 3 Feb 2005 by Trevor Stafford

4.0 out of 5 stars Moving view of the horror that is Night & Day Bombing
It wasn't clear if this was going to be another book of memoirs, or at the other end of the scale, a terse review of the strategy of the various air forces at the time. Read more

Published on 16 Jan 2005 by D.Hatcher

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Tail End Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War 1944-45 (Hardcover)

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