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[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
Meet Tim, James, John, Tanya and Luke, whose grandfathers all took part in some of the most daring aerial warfare of World War II. After experiencing the same training as their grandfathers, the Bomber Crew team were sent out to face the flak in a simulated bombing mission.
Take a look at Trace your relatives if you think any of your family members may have been members of Bomber Command.
Tim, 22, is a yacht engineer, and lives in Devon.
'Being chosen for Bomber Crew gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly some of the rarest warbirds in the world. Flying these planes is very difficult, and putting them where you want them, at the right speed and altitude, is extremely hard work. I came to appreciate how good (or lucky!) my grandfather must have been to survive 68 operational missions. I found out that my grandfather flew Mosquitos with John Nolan's grandfather in 142 Squadron. In the programme, John and I did our aerobatics over our grandfathers' wartime airfield, which was truly memorable. The whole experience has made me realise that life is far to short to say 'I'll do it tomorrow', and I'm now completely focussed on my goals of becoming an airline pilot and airshow display pilot.'
Tim's grandfather
Pilot Ivor Chambers DFC and bar, flew his first tour on Wellingtons and Halifaxes. His second tour was with 142 Squadron, a specialist Light Night Striking Force formed with Pathfinders to conduct nuisance raids when the weather prevented full heavy bomber raids. Ivor completed his tours relatively unscathed, and was offered promotion and a third tour, but turned both down, as he had been very shaken by his heavy bomber missions.
James, 31, is Senior First Officer with a commercial airline, and lives in Berkshire.
'What surprised me most was how quickly the crew bonded, and the speed at which we had to learn our roles and put them into practice. The worst bit of training was the ditching drill, we all found it very difficult to achieve the aims involved. The feeling of elation at the end was genuine - it was tough, and we were only in a swimming pool, on a relatively sunny afternoon, and hadn't just crashed into the sea. What the crews at the time must have gone through I can only try to imagine.
'I took from the series exactly how much we owe to those very brave boys, who became very brave men a matter of weeks. I was very close to my grandfather and always held him in very high esteem, now I could not even start to explain how proud I am of him. I really don't know if I'd be strong enough to go through what he and thousands of other young men went through, and I hope upon hope that the world is never put into such a state again where I have to find out.'
James's grandfather
Harry Smith was a wireless operator on Lancasters, and sometimes acted as navigator. He joined the RAF in 1943 and did his operations with 186 Squadron, later serving with other squadrons, including 617, where he trained as a member of Tiger Force. After the war, Harry became an art teacher and artist, and has work in the Prince of Wales' collection. Many of his paintings drew on his experiences in Bomber Command.
John, 25, lives in Kent and works in telecommunications.
'When I was growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandfather and used to dream of being a World War II fighter pilot. I loved love the idea of being a dashing young man duelling aeroplanes in the sky, like in Biggles. I now realise that the reality was very different. Flying cutting-edge aircraft, in freezing temperatures, over hostile territory, must have been exhausting, During the fortnight of our training I lost a stone and a half in weight and was permanently tired. It gives me a new level of respect for my grandfather that he went through something similar for real, but his tour of 'ops' lasted for six months. Taking part in the programme has made me even more determined to achieve my professional pilot's licence and pursue a career in commercial aviation.'
John's grandfather
Flight Lieutenant Stephen Nolan DFC, a Mosquito pilot on 142 Squadron, who carried out 39 operational sorties, and is thought to be the only pilot to have bombed Berlin twice in 24 hours. He kept a detailed diary throughout the war. On his last operation, his plane caught fire on take-off. Stephen was pulled out before its cargo of bombs exploded, but that was the end of his flying career.
Tanya, 25, is a toy designer and sculptor from New Zealand.
'I didn't know it was so complicated to drop a bomb. There was so much to remember, in such a short time. Some parts were just a matter of skill or hand/eye coordination, but other aspects were trickier and involved a lot of memorising. Although it was just a simulation, the nervous tension that built up waiting for the bomb run was excruciating.
'I'd only met Grandad a few times before he died, and I learned an awful lot about him through the programme. I got in touch with the last surviving member of his crew, and we've become close friends. I feel like I am living Grandad's experience through him. I'm more grateful now for the sacrifices the men made, and am really proud of what they did.'
Tanya's grandfather
Fred Logan joined the RAF near the end of the war, aged 17, as Mid-Upper Gunner with the Australian 463 Squadron. He completed 22 operations, and was in the last Lancaster to be shot down during the war. The plane was damaged by cannon fire over Tonsberg, all maps and navigation equipment lost and three crew severely wounded, but managed to limp on to Sweden with the pilot's hands frozen to the controls, and made a forced landing. All crew survived.
Luke, 22, comes from Loughborough and works as a chef in a restaurant.
'I didn't realise what a legend my grandfather was. All the veterans from the Lancaster bomber crews wanted to meet me, because they'd heard of him. James helped me decipher a lot of the abbreviations in my grandfather's diary, which has helped me understand more of his experiences.
'The training was very intense, and there was a huge camaraderie as everyone relied on each other in the air. The worst bit was the ditching exercise in the swimming pool. I ended up wasting all my energy racing up the pool doing front crawl, then realised I couldn't breath and the others had to help me out.
'Being in the programme has made me a nicer person, because comparing my life with the way the men in the bomber crews lived, has made me less likely to moan about little things.'
Luke's grandfather
Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade was a Rear Air Gunner who joined the RAF in 1940 and served with 115 Squadron. The story of his remarkable escape is one of the best known from Bomber Command, and has been featured in books and Hurricaneand The Victor comics. Hit by cannon fire over Berlin, his plane caught fire and began to go down. Nicholas couldn't make it through the flames to his parachute stashed in the fuselage, so baled out at 18,000 feet without it. Miraculously, though badly injured he survived and ended up as a much-celebrated prisoner of war near Frankfurt.
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