Ralph Barker - Böcker

Low-level strikes by British torpedo-bombers against enemy naval vessels ranked among the most dangerous aerial tactics developed during World War II. But the risks frequently paid off, whether in the attack by a single bomber on the German battleship Lützow, the torpedoing of the Gneisenau, or the crippling blows against Rommel’s supply lines to Africa. Colorful in its depiction of aircrew life and stirring in its descriptions of torpedo-bombers in combat, Ship-Busters is a classic account of World War II in the air.

This accessible text covers the all of the major First World War battles, from Bloody April 1917, when the squadrons suffered enormous casualties, through Third Ypres and Passchendaele to the chaotic retreat from Ludendorff's offensive. Drawing extensively from letters and diaries of the men who took part, Ralph Barker creates a bird's eye view of the battleground from the menacing skies above France and brings fresh off the page the exhiliration of combat, the debility of the "shakes", the grit of observers and gunners, the strain of low-level flying, the bonding of pilot and ground mechanic, and the awareness of tragedy as brave men gave their lives.