The deeds and sacrifice of RAF Bomber Command's squadrons and aircrews in the Second World War are well-recorded. However, whilst there has been much focus on high profile units such as 617 Squadron (the 'Dambusters'), other units played a part in the war of attrition that was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The heroism of their crews was every bit as prevalent as the exploits in more celebrated squadrons and tales abound of unbelievable courage, ingenuity and sheer guts. 514 Squadron was one such unit. Its service life was only eighteen months but its contribution, and the sacrifice of its crews, was considerable. Over the course of 220 operations 514 Squadron's Lancasters dropped nearly fifteen thousand tons of bombs at a cost of 88 aircraft. 437 members of the squadron gave their lives in the cause of our freedom with many others suffering serious injuries. Once shot down, those who survived tried to walk, or in some cases swim, home. One 'played dead', lying in a makeshift grave for 36 hours then, having been rescued by his Resistance helpers, shot an SS officer who chanced upon him. Others joined the Resistance or otherwise made life as difficult as possible for the Nazis. Some were sent to Buchenwald concentration camp whilst at least one was murdered by his captor. One pilot, burned alive as he struggled to keep his Lancaster steady so his crew could escape, was turned down for a VC as he had dropped his bombs seconds before, rather than after, the aircraft was hit. Nothing Can Stop Us is the companion volume to Striking Through Clouds, the War Diary of 514 Squadron. It combines the official operational record with personal stories of many who served with the unit, collated by Harry Dison who served in the squadron as a Flight Engineer. It is illustrated with over 150 contemporary photographs, most of which have never previously been published. With the benefit of painstaking research, along with contributions from veterans and their families, it is the definitive history of 514 Squadron, its people and aircraft.

Nothing Can Stop Us: The Definitive History of 514 Squadron RAF

History

Hepworth, Simon

Porrelli, Andrew

Dison, Harry

Military

Mention the War Ltd.

Harry Dison completed a tour of operations as a Flight Engineer in Lancasters, flying with 514 Squadron from RAF Waterbeach, near Cambridge. Four decades after the war was won, Harry contacted many of his fellow veterans from the squadron, determined to collect as many recollections as possible so that the memory of the unit and its members might be preserved for posterity.  Now, seventy years after the squadron was disbanded, the words of the veterans still speak loudly about the experiences of this incredibly brave group of men and women. The power of recall of the contributors provides a wealth of detail about life in one of the many bomber squadrons that carried the war to Germany.  It includes harrowing stories of the loss of friends, and the bravery and resilience of those who, shot down, tried to evade and escape from the German forces. But, as Harry points out, there were so many who were unable to tell their story as they did not survive.  For that reason, this can only ever be ‘some of the story’. This book is the authentic voice of those who served and survived and, in one case, who wrote an account of his first raid before failing to return from a subsequent operation.  It also remembers and honours their comrades, 437 from 514 Squadron amongst the 55573 aircrew lost from Bomber Command as a whole. For our tomorrow they gave their today.

Lancasters at Waterbeach: Some of the Story of No. 514 Squadron RAF

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dison, Harry. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Dison, Harry