Bomb Group is a compelling story of one unit’s part in the ferocious air battles of 1943 to 1945 that raged over northern Europe, focusing primarily on the human stories that resulted. Assigned to the Eighth Air Force, and equipped initially with Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress heavy bombers, the 381st Bomb Group arrived at Ridgewell, Essex in June 1943, a pivotal and costly point in the US Army Air Force’s operations against Germany and the occupied countries. At that point losses were heavy. The Eighth Air Force’s fledging fighter force had yet the means or numbers to escort the bombers all the way to their targets, and few crews survived to complete a tour of 25 missions. For example, replacement airmen had to be posted in just three weeks after the group began combat operations and within four months, the 381st had lost three quarters of its original crews.
While serving as a narrative of the unit’s combat record, the personal stories of the crews and other personnel involved are woven seamlessly into the overall story. While some are fleeting visitors or members of crews that were lucky to survive to finish their tours and return to the US, some follow us throughout the group’s history such as the 381st’s chaplain, John Good Goodson, who published his memoirs based on diaries written at the time. Other stories, such as Combat Crew (it took the reviewer a moment to remember why he recognised the name John Comer!), have helped greatly alongside a plethora of interview transcriptions, first-hand accounts and unpublished combat diaries. There are many poignant tales, one that particularly moved me being that of newlywed bombardier 2nd Lt Ross W. ‘Bud’ Perrin, killed in action a month before the birth of his baby daughter or Lt Col Arthur F. Briggs who at one point refused to fly because of the harrowing experiences he had suffered during combat but who then went on to overcome this and eventually command the 398th Bomb Group from April 1945.
Short intermissions give background information about 8th Air Force operations, such as how missions were planned or the make-up of a B-17 crew, which helps to add context to the story. It also acts as a stepping stone to further reading, for example, to understand the many factors that caused the decline and eventual ineffectiveness of the Luftwaffe in combating Allied bombing raids. This led to the point that a mission to Schweinfurt in October 1944 was described by one gunner as a ‘milk-run’ whereas the first mission on 17 August 1943 had seen the 381st suffer the worst casualties in the whole of the Eighth Air Force, losing 11 bombers and 110 men.
What shines through on every page is both authors obvious depth of knowledge, understanding and passion for the subject. Indeed, co-author Paul Bingley is the Chairman of the Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative Museum in Essex. Bomb Group serves is a fitting memorial to those who served with the 381st and those who never made it back.
Andrew Critchell is a historian and the author of A Tale of Ten Spitfires.
