RAF BOMBER COMMAND STRIKING BACK

OPERATIONS OF A HALIFAX CREW

Author: Alan Measures Publisher: Whittles Publishing

This is a truly pleasing book which focusses on the operations of just one crew who served in RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War – specifically, six men who crewed a Halifax of 102 Squadron. As such, RAF

Bomber Command Striking Back is a most useful addition to our sum of knowledge about Bomber Command operations. It grew from the author’s initial intent to construct a family tree when, in 2011, he discovered details recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission about his cousin, Wireless Operator/air Gunner Sgt Len Starbuck, lost on 26 June 1942. His interest piqued, Measures found himself side-tracked from his family tree research into investigating the tragically short lives of Starbuck and his crew, all lost on their final sortie.

For the period of Starbuck’s time on 102 Squadron, the author sets out to tell the story of each of the squadron’s operations and the involvement of Starbuck and his crew. This he does in a most readable and engaging fashion, interspersing the account of each night’s operation with route maps, orders of battle, losses, target details and more.

These 302 pages of tightly packed and detailed research are supplemented with excellent imagery, appendices, reference notes and details of German anti-aircraft and night-fighting capabilities. The suddenness with which the narrative of Starbuck’s war ends as the aircraft goes down is chilling. The brief sentence: “It was 0308 hrs” underlines the awful last moments of the six young men. This is a remarkable and highly recommended piece of work.