Bomber Boys

Inspired by author Patrick Bishop's 2007 nonfiction book Bomber Boys and following up on their earlier historical documentary Battle of Britain (VL-1/12), actor Ewan McGregor and his brother Colin, a Royal Air Force pilot, focus on unsung heroes of World War II, those RAF commanders and gunners (many of them teenagers who had never even driven motorcars before) manning the mighty Lancaster bombers that took “total war” to Germany's heavily defended industrial heartland. Only half survived, and of the more than 7,000 Lancasters built, only two remain airworthy. Parallel narratives unfold as Ewan delivers the history while Colin trains to fly a lovingly preserved Lancaster. The siblings also chat with now-elderly RAF veterans (and a German Luftwaffe gunner), mixing reminiscences with full-gear run-throughs of navigation and crew stations. Also appearing are German victims of the saturation bombing of Hamburg; in fact, the devastation of Hamburg, as well as the inferno of Dresden, turned public opinion against the RAF Bomber Command, and only recently has a memorial to their effort been approved. A sidebar shows Colin visiting fellow RAF bombers in Afghanistan, where high-level technology enables pinpoint airstrikes that contrast markedly with the mass destruction wielded by the Axis powers and the Allies. An excellent addition to WWII collections, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)