No moon tonight

the long version

This book is an account of the second World War II while the author served with the RAF in Bomber Command. It is not so much a story of individual raids or attacks, more a diary of the feelings of the men involved. It is very understated but vividly illustrates how brave these men were, dozens of crews being killed on a daily basis. The number of sorties required was 30, and until this man and his crew made that total, no-one had got there before - several making it to 29 before being lost. With no high drama or hysteria the book brings it home very forcefully just how bad things were and how grateful we should be to these people. Charlwood started out with 19 other Australians, but by the end of his tours there were only five left. His thoughts and reflections make it fascinating reading, as well as bringing the whole scene to life as I have never read before.