Drawing largely on Bomber Command's operational records, 'RAF Coningsby in the Second World War' charts the wartime history of Royal Air Force Coningsby through the contributions of squadron and station personnel. From the start of operational flying in March 1941, the output of all flying units is set against the phases of the strategic bombing campaign. The punitive attacks of 1941 and escalating efforts of 1942 are considered in light of inadequate aircraft and difficulties in target identification. From August 1943, the constant effort to improve accuracy is seen through the efforts of 617 Squadron to breach the Dortmund-Ems Canal and precision targets across occupied France. The subsequent introduction of a Pathfinder Force within No. 5 Group defined all operations from D-Day to the armistice. These monumental events are described through the testimonies and experiences of Coningsby personnel. With accounts of survival and loss, imprisonment and bravery, this book measures the human cost of fighting Nazi Germany, a battle that took the lives of 1,096 Coningsby airmen.
Robert Perry was born in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and educated at Bedford Modern School. He studied mechanical engineering at Brunel University, joining British Aerospace as a flight test engineer in 1995, working on Typhoon development. Commissioned as an engineer officer in the Royal Air Force in 2005, he has undertaken tours at Coningsby, in Scotland, the Falkland Islands and served operationally in Afghanistan on 617 Squadron. In 2019 he was appointed the senior engineer officer of 12 Squadron, to reform the unit for Typhoon operations.
Acknowledgements; 1 Construction and Commissioning; 2 Maritime Focus: January-June 1941; 3 Targeting Germany: July-October 1941; 4 November 1941-February 1942; 5 The Arrival of Harris: February-May 1942; 6 Thousand Bomber Raids: May-September 1942; 7 Airfield Expansion: September 1942-July 1943; 8 Specialist Bombing Operations: August 1943-January 1944; 9 Main Force Operations: January-March 1944; 10 Pathfinder Force: April 1944; 11 Preparation for Overlord: April-June 1944; 12 Battle of Normandy: June-August 1944; 13 Return to the Strategic Bombing Campaign: August-October 1944; 14 Winter: November-December 1944; 15 Attacks on Oil Production: January-February 1945; 16 Endgame: March-August 1944; Epilogue: Cost and Commitment; Appendix; Endnotes; Bibliography.
