Synopses & Reviews
The twin-engine Vickers Wellington was one of the outstanding RAF bomber aircraft of the Second World War, as well as a capable maritime patrol aircraft and submarine hunter with Coastal Command. Thanks largely to its unique geodetic construction, designed by Barnes Wallis, the Wellington was able to soak up an enormous amount of battle damage. Centrepiece of this manual is Wellington Mk Ia, R for Robert – one of only two surviving examples of the Wellington – which took part in the earliest RAF bombing operations of the Second World War. When the aircraft was transferred to an operational training unit it suffered engine failure on a training flight on New Year’s Eve 1940 and was ditched into Loch Ness. R for Robert sank to the bottom of the loch where it remained until salvaged in 1985, in remarkably good condition. It was restored to display condition at the Brookands Museum, Weybridge.
Synopsis
The twin-engine Vickers Wellington was one of the outstanding RAF bomber aircraft of the Second World War, as well as a capable maritime patrol aircraft and submarine hunter with Coastal Command. Centrepiece of this manual is Wellington Mk Ia, N2980, ‘R’ for Robert, one of only two surviving examples of the Wellington in the world and restored to display condition at the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey. Iain Murray gives a fascinating insight into operating, flying and maintaining Barnes Wallis’s geodetic wonder with the help of many rarely seen photographs and technical illustrations.
About the Author
Dr Iain Murray is a lecturer in the School of Computing at the University of Dundee. Iain recently acted as a consultant for the ITV drama series Foyle’s War, which featured an episode set around a group working on the ‘bouncing bomb’. He lives in Dundee.