
Missing Presumed Murdered
One raid, two trials, three lost airmen
Fighting High Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 1. September 2018
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-9998128-5-0 (ISBN)
Description
On 12 December 1944, with the war entering its final stages, Bomber Command launched its last Main Force raid on the Krupps Steel works at Essen. The attack was devastatingly successful, and completed for the loss of only a handful of aircraft. Three of the airmen lost in the raid are still listed as `missing', believed killed in action.
Extensive investigative research by aviation historians Sean Feast and Marc Hall has discovered the truth about what happened to these missing men, and how they are linked to the murder of three unidentified RAF airmen, on a bridge, within twenty-four hours of believing they were safe. They have also discovered the truth about a fourth airman, a Canadian, shot down on the same raid who died in mysterious circumstances and whose near-naked body was discovered after the war, hastily buried in an unmarked grave.
In the centenary year of the RAF, the authors reveal a darker side to the history of the `Third Service'. Complementing historical research with the evidence of present-day specialists, they have pieced together the harrowing story of four murders, the identities of the victims and their killers, and the tantalising possibility that at least one of the `missing' men may at last have been found.
Extensive investigative research by aviation historians Sean Feast and Marc Hall has discovered the truth about what happened to these missing men, and how they are linked to the murder of three unidentified RAF airmen, on a bridge, within twenty-four hours of believing they were safe. They have also discovered the truth about a fourth airman, a Canadian, shot down on the same raid who died in mysterious circumstances and whose near-naked body was discovered after the war, hastily buried in an unmarked grave.
In the centenary year of the RAF, the authors reveal a darker side to the history of the `Third Service'. Complementing historical research with the evidence of present-day specialists, they have pieced together the harrowing story of four murders, the identities of the victims and their killers, and the tantalising possibility that at least one of the `missing' men may at last have been found.
Reviews / Votes
It is heartening to know that long after hostilities have ceased, a group of airmen who suffered criminal deaths have not been, and thanks to this book never will be, forgotten. * Classic Wings 08/04/2019 * I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Bomber Command, War Crimes, and the psychological aspects of mob violence. A sad but important story that needs to be told. * Military Enthusiast Book Club 29/11/2018 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Approx 30 black and white photographs
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
579 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-9998128-5-0 (9781999812850)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Sean Feast works in PR and advertising and is an acclaimed Bomber Command historian and author, including numerous volumes of Fighting High's 'Failed to Return' series, and 'Thunder Bird in Bomber Command.
Marc Hall developed an interest in aviation at an early age, and gained a commercial pilots licence. Marc's research in to RAF Bomber Command is ongoing and his first book Bomber Command Operation Hurricane' met with critical acclaim.
Marc Hall developed an interest in aviation at an early age, and gained a commercial pilots licence. Marc's research in to RAF Bomber Command is ongoing and his first book Bomber Command Operation Hurricane' met with critical acclaim.