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    Bomber
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    Bomber
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    Bomber
    Ebook630 pages10 hours

    Bomber

    By Len Deighton

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The classic novel of the Second World War that relates in devastating detail the 24-hour story of an allied bombing raid.

    Bomber is a novel war. There are no victors, no vanquished. There are simply those who remain alive, and those who die.

    Bomber follows the progress of an Allied air raid through a period of twenty-four hours in the summer of 1943. It portrays all the participants in a terrifying drama, both in the air and on the ground, in Britain and in Germany.

    In its documentary style, it is unique. In its emotional power it is overwhelming.

    Len Deighton has been equally acclaimed as a novelist and as an historian. In Bomber he has combined both talents to produce a masterpiece.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateOct 15, 2009
    ISBN9780007347728
    Unavailable
    Bomber

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    Reviews for Bomber

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      This is indeed a very good book, and I like it even though it did not grip me emotionally.The style of writing, somewhat journalistic, is seemingly simple and yet it does so much to portray the pilots and protagonists in such a human manner. What I also like is the somewhat matter of fact manner in which Len Deighton describes some of the deaths. The almost deadpan nature of the writing brings out the horror of the war and death much more graphically than an overly emotional bit of writing would.The epilogue is a masterpiece. We forget what happens to people after the war. The epilogue is a masterly link to this. It makes it so very human and tragic.
    • 4/5
      Len Deighton would have been 14 years old at the time of this story. The war left a life-long impression being old enough to remember but a few years too young to be in the fight. He is of the generation that venerated their older siblings who had the experiences he never could - they were the heroes and his lot in life was to immortalize them. So it was he wrote a novel -- but not a hagiography. Deighton frames a single bombing raid and humanizes nearly everyone who took part - the British aviators, the German night-fighters and ground crew, their wives and girlfriends, even local people from the town that was bombed. In all over 100 characters. More than half the book goes by before the first plane lifts off as we gain an appreciation for the people and circumstances. Then he pitilessly and dispassionately kills most of them off, or scarred for life. We also learn the monetary cost of this single bombing run is astronomical. At the same time, the raid resulted in no benefit or had any historical importance.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of an RAF bombing raid--the hours leading up to the raid, the raid itself, and the aftermath, told from multiple points of view, including the pilots and crews at the RAF base, the pilots and crews at the Luftwaffe fighter base, the German radar base on the coast of the Netherlands tracking the bombers, and the inhabitants of a small Germany town--not the target but the place where the bombs were actually dropped. The novel is full of accurate historical detail, but reads like a thriller, with dozens of characters and many storylines. My interest was held through-out the book, and I read compulsively. It's easy to forget that aviation was still in its infancy during WW II, and the mechanical detail about the difficulties of flying the planes was fascinating, even to me. Deighton conveys the sense of helplessness of the pilots flying in total darkness (the ideal circumstances for such raids and there was no such thing as night vision goggles), knowing that another plane might be only inches away, but nevertheless invisible. Navigation was also rudimentary, and there were apparently many misdirected bombs. This particular raid was directed toward the industrial Ruhr Valley, but due to mismarking of the target, the bombs were actually dropped on a small residential civilian town with no military value.To a certain extent, the novel functions as an antiwar novel in that it graphically shows the horrors of war from both sides in presenting a single typical night of war in England, in Germany, and in the air. I recently read A God in Ruins, a novel about an RAF pilot who experienced many of the same sorts of circumstances described in this book. In that book, Teddy, the pilot, reflected many times in his later life on the implications of his actions as a bomber pilot, knowing that he was responsible for many civilian deaths.Highly recommended.4 stars
    • 5/5
      The title of this book implies it's the story of a single British bomber crew flying over Germany during 1943. It's much more. Deighton, known for his in-depth research, has given us a very realistic portrayal of both sides, the families of the bomber crews, the German citizens and defenders. Soldiers on both sides are frustrated by awkward interpersonal relationships and comrades with differing motivations. Deighton follows the crews of several bombers, sent on night-time raid against the Ruhr. Lacking night-vision goggles the crews had to release their bombs guided by flares dropped by scout planes. On this raid, the scout plane is shot down and its flares released short of the intended target, on the innocuous little town of Altgarten — of no military significance.

      British strategy was to drop bombs in the center of cities, usually targeting more civilians than military installations and to mix in lots of incendiaries and horrible phosphorous bombs to increase the damage. The soldiers of both sides are beleaguered by insidious forces in command. On the German side, Himmel, one of the best night-fighter pilots has stolen some medical documents that expose SS medical researchers using concentration camp as human guinea pigs in freezing experiments, so the Abwehr and Sicherheitsdienst want him arrested. In Britain, Lambert has the temerity to want to be with his wife rather than play cricket for the squadron team in an important match. He's also something of a rebel and because of that is being labeled LMF (Lacking Moral Fiber), i.e., a coward.

      In the meantime, the farmers and citizens bemoan the loss of excellent farmland to huge airfields, land they know will never be returned. Neither are the citizens without flaws, as they funnel stolen and looted goods into their own pockets.

      I particularly enjoyed one exchange. August Bach, a German pilot, is returning to his base with his friend, Max, when they are held up by a convoy directed by Vichy police.
      "A Frenchman," said Max angrily. "They are a logical race. They should make good traffic police."
      "Huh," said Max. "Logical. They put a knife between your ribs and spend an hour explaining the rational necessity of doing it."
      "That sounds like a lot of Germans I know."
      "No, a German puts a knife into your ribs and weeps a sea of regretful tears."
      "August smiled. "And after the Englishman has wielded the knife? He says, 'Knife? What knife?' "

      Sometimes the horror of war is brought home more vividly by almost dispassionately describing the raw facts. For example, a crew member’s chute fails to open after bailing out from his Lancaster. Falling from 16,000 feet at 120 miles per hour (his body's terminal velocity) he hits the ground in 90 seconds and makes an indentation 12 inches deep.

      Neither side is favored in this work. Deighton read several hundred books in preparation and interviewed many survivors and the epilogue tells us where they are today. He focuses on the shared humanity and suffering, selflessness and heroism endemic to war. This book rivals Slaughterhouse Five and Hiroshima as a statement of the horror and stupidity of war.
    • 2/5
      I really can't understand all the praise for this book.There's very little character development and page upon page of insufferable technical detail. All the characters have exactly the same tone of voice apart from those whose accents are written with abysmal phonetics. Virtually nothing happens until over half way through. Yes, the deaths are described in cold detail, but that doesn't make them interesting.Frankly, I found it dull from start to finish. Really not my cup of tea.
    • 4/5
      Thoroughly researched, detailed, sensitive and therefore terrifying. Compulsory reading for those who have a fascination with aircraft, organisations, morality or just humanity.
    • 5/5
      Kingsley Amis called this one of the best ten books of the 20th century, and I'm not going to argue. Deighton normally writes agreeable spy and war fiction, but this is on a higher plane (no pun intended). The story of Creaking Door, Joe for King, The Volkswagen and all the other Lancasters flying out of Warley Fen seems to have tapped a deep root of emotion in Deighton, leading him to write a book that for sheer emotional engagement has few parallels. He writes above himself consistently, making the characters live - and die - for you in a way few if any writers could equal. The story is by turns amusing, interesting, and in the end horrifying. I find it hard to believe that anyone could read this without being deeply moved. If Deighton could write like this all the time, he would be acclaimed as one of the greatest novelists of the age; he never reaches such heights in any other work, but I for one am glad he did it once.The audiobook of the 1995 BBC radio adaptation is (if possible) even better, being quite simply one of the finest examples of radio drama ever produced; Deighton's powerful story is interwoven with comments from real veterans of the bombing campaign (British and German) and the terrific acting, incredible atmosphere and superb adaptation combine into a solid gold masterpiece. Buy both book and CD, and enhance the quality of your library.
    • 5/5
      England og Tyskland, 31 juni 1943.Skildrer et enkelt døgn, hvor vi følger en engelsk bombereskadrille på togt over tyskland, deres tyske modstandere i natjagerne og ofrene på jorden.De første 225 sider er optakt til natangrebet og vi lærer både piloterne, deres mandskab, de tyske radarfolk og civilbefolkningen i byen Altgarten at kende inden et mosquito-fly, ført af Alan Hill, med målmarkeringsbomber skydes ned og derved angiver et forkert mål. Et andet Mosquito-fly kommer fint frem til Krefeld, men på det tidspunkt er det forkerte mål allerede yderligere markeret. Bombeflyene forveksler målet Krefeld med den lille Altgarten, hvis drivhuse ligner fabriksanlæg på den primitive radar.En af natjagermaskinerne en Ju88, ført af Kokke, flyver ind i en flok måger og styrter ned inden kampen er gået igang. En anden med Christian Himmel (Experte) som pilot, nedskyder maskinen S som Suger med Sweet som pilot.Himmels motor sætter ud, men idet han gør klar til nødlanding (kodeord: Et klaver ud fra femte sal) går den igang igen og han fortsætter.På jorden følger vi blandt andet to TENO (Technische Nothilfe) teknikere, Gerd Böll og Bodo Reuter, der løbende forsøger at lappe Altgartens vand, el og gasforsyning sammen.Første angrebsbølge er på 260 bombemaskiner som næsten alle rammer Altgarten og ikke Krefeld. Angrebet overbelaster i svær grad byens forsvar og koster hundrevis af døde. Som eksempel udsletter en enkelt 950 kilo tung bombe en hel fire-etagers karré på 800 kvadratmeter til en ruindynge kun svagt højere end mandshøjde.Den anden og meget større angrebsbølger rammer en helt lammet by uden vand, el og telefon. Ingen organiseret nødhjælp eksisterer mere og vi følger den kaotiske situation på sygehuset, som også er ramt af bomber. Lancaster maskinen S for Suger rammer Frau Kerstens gård og slår både hende og den franske krigsfange, der deler bord og seng med hende ihjel.I luftforsvarsbunkeren går det op for August Bach at hans kæreste Anna-Luisa og hans søn Hansl er midt i Altgarten og han sætter sit liv på spil for at kontakte dem, hvilket lykkes. Men ingen af dem er klar over at Anna-Luisa og sønnen er uhjælpeligt indespærret i beskyttelsesrummet.Gerd Böll kravler forsigtigt ind i ruinerne efter Anna-Luisa og glæder sig over at det er så let indtil han møder den ueksploderede 450 kilo bombe der har banet vejen for ham. Han når frem til Anna-Luisa og Hansl, men på vejen tilbage eksploderer bomben og pulveriserer dem alle.Knirkende Dør bliver ramt af antiluftskyts og kommer kun med nød og næppe hjem. Cohen dør nogle timer efter af kvæstelser fra en lysbombe, han lige akkurat nåede at skubbe ud af maskinen inden den eksploderede. Christian Himmel lander og bliver arresteret af Abwehr og senere henrettet, fordi han har spredt kopier af en rapport om forsøg med russiske krigsfanger. Samuel Lambert, pilot på Knirkende Døre, bliver fjernet fra pilottjeneste fordi han har udvist sympati for russerne.Oberstløjtnant John Munro eskadrillechef og pilot for D som Dog dør i en motorcykelulykke kort efter at være landet.Først efter fremkaldelsen af fotos taget under angrebet opdager fotoafdelingen at den ramte by ikke var Krefeld.Glimrende personskildringer og beretninger om kaos i en bombet by.