Radio Times

Review by:

Alison Graham

At the height of RAF Bomber Command’s area bombardments of Germany, crew members (average age 22) flying a minimum of 30 missions had a one-in-20 chance of being killed, with a life expectancy of little more than two weeks. Yet in his VE Day speech, Churchill praised every single arm of the services – except Bomber Command. Its ferocious bombing raids on major German industrial cities, and most notoriously Dresden, left Churchill and his coalition government marooned in moral ambiguity, fearful of the judgement of history. Thus the achievements of Bomber Command and the enormous losses they suffered – more than 55,000 crew men died – have never been recognised officially until now.

Stephen Fry narrates this poignant documentary, which coincides with the unveiling today by the Queen of the Bomber Command memorial in London. Sadly its major supporter, Bee Gee Robin Gibb (interviewed here), did not live to see it.

About this programme

Documentary revealing how the achievements of British bomber crews during the Second World War were covered up by political leaders, who feared that history might judge the destruction of Germany's infrastructure harshly. Narrated by Stephen Fry.

Cast and crew

Cast

Narrator

Stephen Fry

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