
Lancaster
The Second World War’s Greatest Bomber
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Narrated by:
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Peter Noble
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By:
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Leo McKinstry
About this listen
A comprehensive history of Britain's greatest bomber plane.
The Spitfire and the Lancaster were the two RAF weapons of victory in the Second World War, but the glamour of the fighter has tended to overshadow the performance of the heavy bomber. Yet without the Lancaster, Britain would never have been able to take the fight to the German homeland. Highlights the scale of the bomber's achievements, including the famous Dambusters attacks. With its vast bomb bay, ease of handling and surprising speed, the mighty Lancaster transformed the effectiveness of the Bomber Command.
Whilst addressing the political controversy surrounding the bombing offensive against Germany, Leo McKinstry also weaves individual tales into this compelling narrative. Rich characters are brought to life, such as Roy Chadwick the designer, who taught himself engineering at night school and Sir Arthur Harris, the austere head of the Bomber Command. This is a rich saga, a story of triumph over disaster and the history of an iconic plane.
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The Diary of a RAF Lancaster Bomber Pilot
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- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Leslie Joy flew in World War II for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a Lancaster Bomber Pilot. In November 2011, at the age of 88, he recorded this audiobook at his home in North Yorkshire, England. Hear Les tell his very own gripping story about life during and after World War II. Listen to Les recall how he was trained by the RAF as a pilot in Canada, experienced New York City and Chicago as a young man and then how he returned to England to become one of Britain's World War II heroes.
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Thank You Les
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
During the third week of February 1944, the combined Allied air forces based in Britain and Italy launched their first round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. Their goal: to smash the main factories and production centers of the Luftwaffe while also drawing German planes into an aerial battle of attrition to neutralize the Luftwaffe as a fighting force prior to the cross-channel invasion, planned for a few months later. Officially called Operation ARGUMENT, this aerial offensive quickly became known as “Big Week,” and it was one of the turning-points of World War II.
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War in the Air: Sets stage with gripping narrative
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What listeners say about Lancaster
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Paul
- 01-21-19
Personal connection to a book section
A solid story about the development and deployment of the great bomber. There was a section of the book that dealt with the repatriation of prisoners of war that had personal resonance.
My wife's uncle was a Canadian navigator in an RAF Lancaster squadron. He died at the end of the war in crash near Paris and he's buried in Clichy. The author details the decision to fly liberated prisoners to Britain due to the dangers of road and naval traffic. There was one crash in the entire massive air lift; a plane that suffered mechanical troubles at take off and failed in its attempt to get back to the airfield - he was on that plane. The detail around the airlift, the investigation and review at high levels of the RAF and Air Ministry give some context for the death of her uncle and the humanitarian work he was doing after all the painful duty required by Bomber Command.
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- Nicholas Jenkins
- 10-31-22
Great history; great narrator.
McKinstry is a great WW2 historian - lots of details, along with a strong narrative flow. Peter Noble, the narrator, is elite. He is perfect for serious history books.
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- Michael Kiehn
- 07-11-22
Remarkable
A truly remarkable book. Incredible stories of heroism in battle, strategy from commanders, and innovation in the factories. The narrator is fantastic bringing life to the story. If only all audiobooks were like this!
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- james walker
- 03-07-23
Jaimcito
Well researched and well told. Excellent narrative combined with a wealth of facts, statistics and anecdotes.
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