Bomber (novel)
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
|---|---|
| Narrated by | Tom Baker |
| Air dates | 1995 to 1995 |
Bomber is a novel by Len Deighton and published in the United Kingdom in 1970. It is the fictionalised account of the events of 31 June [sic] 1943 in which an RAF bombing raid on the Ruhr area of western Germany goes wrong. In each chapter, the plot is advanced by seeing the progress of the day through the eyes of protagonists on both sides of the conflict.
Bomber was the first novel to be written on a word processor, the IBM MT/ST.
Sam Lambert is an experienced RAF pilot based at an East Anglian bomber station. He has flown almost fifty bombing missions over Germany since the start of the war. As he nears his tour's end, he is developing signs of exhaustion. The stress of flying is exacerbated by a plot device similar to that found in From Here to Eternity. Lambert is an accomplished cricketer and the station commander needs his participation to assure victory against a rival. Lambert's refusals to do so put him at odds with his flight commander, an ambitious and unscrupulous flight lieutenant, who seeks to force him out of flying by individually taking Lambert's best crewmen and replacing them with poor performers (this chimes with another war movie, Twelve O'Clock High). At the same time, his crew revere him and believe that he is the one factor that will ensure their survival. RAF Bomber Command is organising a large raid on Krefeld. We join the bomber crews at rest and in preparation for the ordeal. The men, their planes, weapons, responsibilities, attitudes, thoughts and fears are described in great detail with minute historical accuracy. There are frequent references to weather conditions, meteorological phenomena and forecasts that add to the foreboding in the plot.
Meanwhile, across the Channel in northern Germany people in the small market town of Altgarten goes about their daily business. Its residents and wartime guests appear aware of the war's progress but curiously untouched by it.
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