The story of the early years of Bomber Command and the aircraft they flew from 1939 to 1942, including Blenheims, Hampdens, Wellingtons, Whitleys, and Battles. These aircraft were involved in campaigns in France, Norway, Germany, Greece, Africa, and the Middle East, where they were often outmatched, but relentless in their missions.



From the lessons of the First World War, the RAF developed a fleet of modern monoplane aircraft in time for hostilities in 1939; a force that consisted of Hampdens, Whitleys, Wellingtons, Blenheims, and Battles. These aircraft and their crews were pitted against the German war machine from day one-flying into storms of flak shells and swarms of Messerschmitt fighters in their flimsy, and often poorly armed, bombers. From theatres as far apart as Norway and Syria, Java and France, the crews and their aircraft were at the front of every military operation without adequate fighter escorts and with poor equipment against stiff opposition. They were the few who bravely went on 'one way ticket' missions, that saw operational life expectancy as only a matter of hours, without hesitation or complaint.