In the summer of 1943 Winston Churchill sanctioned a make-believe invasion of France codenamed Operation 'Starkey'. Its aim: to dupe the Germans into believing a real invasion in the Pas de Calais was imminent; and to cause the greatest possible damage to the Luftwaffe by drawing them up for battle.It envisaged British and Canadian troops in their thousands assembling in the south coast ports; 3,000 bomber sorties by day and as many by night; Royal Navy battleships to help soften up the German coastal defences; and a dozen destroyers plus a strong fighter umbrella to safeguard the assault convoys when they sailed towards Boulogne. 'Starkey' was organised in such a way that it could be escalated or stopped at will.To protect the invasion armada from the biggest threat, long-range guns to the north and south of the seaside resort of Le Portel, south of Boulogne, were to be bombed in the final phase of the operation. This was also vital to maintain the invasion deception theme central to 'Starkey'.On the night of 8/9 September 1943, over 200 RAF bomber aircraft attacked the long-range guns at Le Portel. Regrettably, the Pathfinders' marking of the targets was inaccurate and drew the bulk of the Main Force bombing effort towards a residential area. The gun sites were barely harmed, but in this and in daylight bombing by the USAAF, some 500 French civilians in Le Portel were killed and the town virtually razed.The Starkey Sacrifice tells the story of this little-known war operation which had such tragic results for the inhabitants of the French town of Le Portel. Michael Cumming has examined official documents and drawn on eyewitness accounts to reconstruct in detail the operation, establishing the reasons which led to its inception, and its unexpected consequences.

The Starkey Sacrifice: The Allied Bombing of Le Portel, 1943

History

Cumming, Michael

Military

Sutton Pub Ltd

Beam Bombers is the story of how British scientists and aircrew discovered and combated the invisible beams that guided German bombers to their targets in the dark days of 1940 and then, turning the tables on the enemy, developed one of Britain's most successful secret weapons which was itself beam-based. Its name was Oboe.This ground-controlled blind-bombing system, introduced by No. 109 Squadron into the Pathfinder Force, enabled RAF Bomber Command to pinpoint unseen targets with remarkable and previously unattainable accuracy.Michael Cumming has discovered much new and revealing material to tell how No. 109 Squadron, working with scientists at the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) in a range of radar-based activities between 1940 and 1945, established a unique position in RAF and aviation history, pioneering new forms of precision bombing against key targets. Supported by graphic eyewitness accounts and a selection of archive photographs, Beam Bombers tells the hitherto neglected story of No. 109 Squadron's secret war.

Beam Bombers: The Secret War of No. 109 Squadron

In 1962 Michael Cumming's account of the extraordinary story of one of the RAF's most notable Second World War bomber pilots, Alec Cranswick DSO, DFC, came to the attention of the public with the release of Pathfinder Cranswick. Since then the biography of this remarkable man has, quite rightly, achieved classic status. Alec Cranswick volunteered for the Royal Air Force in 1939 and went on to earn the distinction of having flown, as a bomber pilot, the largest number of operations during the Second World War. Sorties against enemy targets began in June 1940, and he completed a tour flying Wellington bombers prior to volunteering for service in the Middle East. He returned to Europe in 1942 with a Distinguished Flying Cross to his name and after a brief spell with No. 419 (Moose) Squadron he volunteered to lead the way for Bomber Command as part of the fledgling Pathfinders, serving with No. 35 Squadron. Upon completion of his third tour he was then rested, but returned to operational duties, for a fourth tour, in April 1944. Tragically, piloting a Lancaster bomber on his 107th bombing operation, Squadron Leader Alec Cranswick failed to return on the night of 4/5 July 1944. Bomber Command had lost an airman described by Pathfinder Force Commander Air Vice-Marshal Donald Bennett, as `so simply courageous and so selfless in sacrifice.' Michael Cumming's original work, based on family archives, official records, and interviews with those who knew Cranswick, has been extended and updated with new material and previously unpublished photographs. Fighting High presents the 50th anniversary edition of Pathfinder Cranswick, as an ongoing tribute to one of the Royal Air Force's most distinguished and accomplished pilots.

Pathfinder Cranswick

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Fighting High Publishing

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Books by Cumming, Michael