Cinderella Boys : The Forgotten RAF Force that Won the Battle of the Atlantic

by McKinstry, Leo | Atlantic Ocean
Published 23/05/2024 by John Murray Press (John Murray Publishers Ltd) in the United Kingdom
Paperback | 336 pages, 24 black and white illustrations
196 x 128mm | 240g

'Masterful' David Price'McKinstry has done a fine job in rescuing Coastal Command from long neglect' Richard OveryThe remarkable story of the unsung RAF wing who made Allied victory possible.

In 1943 Britain was engaged in an epic struggle for survival as deadly wolf packs of German U-boats roamed the Atlantic. In desperation, Churchill turned to an overlooked, underfunded force known as 'The Cinderella Service'. Armed with long-range planes, depth charges, rocket projectiles and radar equipment, the Cinderella boys provided vital air defence. The German hunters became the hunted, and - in a stunning defeat - fully retreated by the summer.

The transformation of Coastal Command from a ramshackle outfit into a formidable organisation served as one of the turning points of the war. But they never received the credit they deserved. Based on a wealth of new sources, Leo McKinstry shines a light on the courageous pilots, ingenious scientists and political risktakers who defended the freezing Atlantic from Nazi rule.

'Engrossing' Brendan Simms