GROUP CAPTAIN JOHN 'JOE' COLLIER

GROUP CAPTAIN JOHN 'JOE' COLLIER
By Simon Gooch.

I have been wanting to read this book ever since first spotting it online. Thanks to its very supportive publisher, I'm delighted to have now been given the chance to do so.

John Collier (Joe to his fellow flyers) left behind an unpublished and uncensored memoir which he wrote in 1946 whilst events were still fresh in his mind. 
Aided by this and Joe's many service records and logbooks the author has brought all this information together to provide not just a full account of Joe's wartime service, but he also reveals some fascinating information from within the higher echelons of Bomber Command. 

Joe had joined the RAF in 1936 and was posted to his first squadron the following year where a close friendship was formed with Guy Gibson. 
Flying Hampden bombers by the time war broke out, both men led their own flights on the RAF's very first bombing raid of the war.
Joe would eventually move on to different squadrons where he converted to flying Lancasters going on to fly an incredible 63 bombing missions.

Well respected and seemingly a born leader and organiser, he would quickly rise through Bomber Command's ranks, as well as receiving many commendations. 
Guy Gibson himself described Joe's squadron as 'the best in Bomber Command'.

By the age of just 25, Joe became one of the youngest Wing Commanders and soon an air staff role at the Air Ministry beckoned.
As the narrative now switches to his new desk job, Joe's unpublished and uncensored memoir reveals the many arguments within Bomber Command regarding tactics and targets. His flying experience meant he had the ear of senior staff and he worked closely with Barnes Wallis on both the dams raid and subsequent special operations. 
Joe would also be appointed on several committees including working with SOE on potential targets in German occupied countries and also on the destruction of the V-Weapon missile sites across Europe.
In a fascinating 22-year-career he would return to flying in Meteor jets before his final staff post at NATO.
Joe Collier sadly died in 2000, aged 83. 

This book is far more than a bomber pilot's biography and provides a fascinating insight into Bomber Command. There is much here that was new to me including the bombing of other dams later in the war and even the discussions had as to whether to attempt the bombing of Auschwitz.
A truly fascinating read that I read in just a few sittings and one that I most definitely would recommend to all. 

Available now in hardback, a paperback edition will be published later this month by Pen and Sword Books. 
I thank P&S for this review copy. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MITCHELL

Image
MITCHELL: Father of the Spitfire  By Paul Beaver. The majority of readers will have heard the name R.J. Mitchell and certainly his most famous aircraft design, the beloved Spitfire. Yet many, myself included, might not have known that his career began in railway engineering. This and so much more is revealed by author , Paul Beaver, who shares the full story of this remarkable man who became Supermarine's chief designer at the age of just 24. Alongside Reginald's career, we also learn how the Supermarine company was founded and then grew during the decades between the two world wars.  Mitchell's answering of Supermarine's job advertisement  would prove to be the beginning of a remarkable legacy. Importantly, o ne the author also states came about with the brains and skills of a talented group of people who have been too often overlooked. This legacy is of course far more than just the Spitfire. Many other types of aircraft especially flying boats were also d...
Read more

ROYAL NAVY FORCE H: 1940-42

Image
ROYAL NAVY FORCE H 1940-42 This is book 14 in Osprey's 'Fleet' series and is written by naval historian, Angus Konstam. If you have read any second world war books on the Mediterranean war and/or Malta, then it is highly likely that Force H and its well respected commander, V.Adm. Sir James Somerville, is mentioned. Based at Gibraltar, Force H patrolled both the Atlantic and the Western Mediterranean often escorting vital convoys to Malta. It was Somerville who led the fleet in the attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir and they would also be later involved in the hunt for the Bismarck.  As well as describing the fleet's ships, its commander and their wartime endeavors, the role and defences of Gibraltar is also covered. This is an added bonus as most books generally only give Gibraltar a passing mention. With a fascinating narrative, aided with many useful maps, charts and original artwork, it is a book I have certainly enjoyed and would definitely rec...
Read more

THE DUMMY DRONE

Image
THE DUMMY DRONE BY Rob More. Away from the Battle of Britain in the skies over the English Channel and Southern counties, or the devastating blitz bombing of London and other major cities, surely  the far North of Scotland would hardly be effected by the second world war?  Well the opposite was true. In this fabulous new book, local author and resident, Rob More reveals how the county of Caithness was a scene of great change from the coastline and beaches to the farmland, hills and villages. Not forgetting all those who lived and worked there.  With the area hosting a range of wartime installations and airfields it received many visits from the Luftwaffe. As we learn in the book, civilians and their properties would also be caught up in these raids. From the radar stations searching for enemy aircraft, to those recruited for the local Home Guard and the lesser known Auxiliary Units. Communities the length of Britain prepared for an expected German invasion. Ro...
Read more