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'Propaganda' book
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This wartime publication is obviously targeted for a juvenile readership, blatantly portraying a raid on Germany as a 'trip'. Any youngster reading through it would be thrilled with the content and I suppose youngsters living during the war would be influenced by the huge mass of adventure books, comics, stories, etc that would be a part of their growing up. I sensed this when going through it. The attached double-page scan is marvellously displayed, with a luminous effect of an onlooker's view of the target from inside the cockpit during a nighttime bombing raid. As the centrefold is too large to be accommodated within the scanner's platen I have also scanned separately.
I class it as a collector's item. GTB Attachment 136711 Attachment 136712 Attachment 136714 Attachment 136715 |
Fascinating. The Stirling's eye (below the cockpit) gives it a rather apprehensive look. Presumably the book skates over the details of the firestorm in the Ruhr and Luftwaffe night fighters? Mike
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Mike, Everything is presented as 'a piece of cake'. Even the cover - it shows what could be a bomber-pilot father and his young son (tellingly holding a model aircraft) preparing to go on a trip. However, this is entirely misleading. The content is all propaganda as the trip is actually a night raid and begins with "We are taking off on a night flight over Germany in a giant "STIRLING" bomber." One can surmise that the boy is actually attending the briefing and subsequent raid, and is in fact the unseen onlooker in the centre-spread!
As for your prophetic presumption re skating over the details, you weren't far off:" Back over the deadly anti-aircraft fire, dodging enemy fighters and searchlights, back across the shining waterways of Holland and the gleaming silver of the English Channel go the crew of the bomber called "A for Apple." Shades of Kipling! GTB |
I wonder if it was written by Anthony Cotterell?
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'Propaganda' book
Truth is the first casualty of war . . !
Rob |
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It could well be a work by Cotterell, however the absence of any credits leaves this a mystery. GTB |
A for Apple
I believe that, rather unkindly but understandably, crews of Lancasters and Halifaxes, both of which a greater operational ceiling than the Stirlings rather liked having the latter several thousand feet below, acting as what the American crews would term "flak bait". Poor old "A for Apple"! Mike
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And also enemy fighter bait. These would preferably go for the lower-flying aircraft.
I have been reading up on the Stirling. Apparently they were withdrawn from strategic bombing of Germany in 1943. Therefore the publication should date sometime between 1941 and 1943. GTB |
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GTB |
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Rgds, Thomas. |
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To be fair with the interest shown in this thread and for the sake of completeness I thought it apt to post the pamphlet's full cover, i.e. open-spreaded. This also gives a better indication of a 'Giant' bomber although it's a pity that scanning limitations prevent the full vista.
GTB |
Interestingly the squadron code letters OJ visible in the illustration indicate 149 Sqn RAF which was equipped with Stirlings from Nov 41 to Aug 44. But the aircraft illustrated is D Dog not A Apple! Mike
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Hi Mike,
Yes, I had noticed that point. It indicates that the cover design and the text content seem to have fallen under 2 different remits. Please don't think I'm nitpicking but the aircraft's marking is actually B (Baker) - OJ. I'll have a google to see where 149 Sqn were based. (At this rate we'll probably identify the boy!!) Seriously, the cover could very likely have been based on the Squadron Leader taking his son on a bona fide trip, if that was at all allowed during wartime. GTB |
You're right of course. Must replace my monitor!
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...verlay&first=1 |
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