Overview

The deeds and sacrifice of RAF Bomber Command's squadrons and aircrews in the Second World War are well-recorded. However, whilst there has been much focus on high profile units such as 617 Squadron (the 'Dambusters'), other units played a part in the war of attrition that was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The heroism of their crews was every bit as prevalent as the exploits in more celebrated squadrons and tales abound of unbelievable courage, ingenuity and sheer guts. 514 Squadron was one such unit. Its service life was only eighteen months but its contribution, and the sacrifice of its crews, was considerable. Over the course of 220 operations 514 Squadron's Lancasters dropped nearly fifteen thousand tons of bombs at a cost of 88 aircraft. 437 members of the squadron gave their lives in the cause of our freedom with many others suffering serious injuries. Once shot down, those who survived tried to walk, or in some cases swim, home. One 'played dead', lying in a makeshift grave for 36 hours then, having been rescued by his Resistance helpers, shot an SS officer who chanced upon him. Others joined the Resistance or otherwise made life as difficult as possible for the Nazis. Some were sent to Buchenwald concentration camp whilst at least one was murdered by his captor. One pilot, burned alive as he struggled to keep his Lancaster steady so his crew could escape, was turned down for a VC as he had dropped his bombs seconds before, rather than after, the aircraft was hit. Nothing Can Stop Us is the companion volume to Striking Through Clouds, the War Diary of 514 Squadron. It combines the official operational record with personal stories of many who served with the unit, collated by Harry Dison who served in the squadron as a Flight Engineer. It is illustrated with over 150 contemporary photographs, most of which have never previously been published. With the benefit of painstaking research, along with contributions from veterans and their families, it is the definitive history of 514 Squadron, its people and aircraft.

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