The Raf's Youngest Bomber Pilot of Ww2: The Story of Flight Lieutenant Brian Slade Dfc, Lancaster Pilot and Pathfinder (Waterton Graham)(Pevná vazba)

Having left his grammar school just before his 16th birthday, Brian Slade falsified his age to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. Within a few days of his 17th birthday, he was awarded his ‘wings’. It was the start of this teenager’s remarkable wartime career. Soon after being awarded his pilot’s brevet, Brian was posted to his first squadron. Flying the venerable Vickers Wellington, he found himself experimenting with early target marking techniques. It was also there that Brian gained the nickname ‘The Boy Slade’. Though Brian’s journey through the wartime RAF mirrored the experiences of tens of thousands of young men, what was different, if not unique, was the fact before he had turned 18, which was the minimum age to begin aircrew training, Brian had already completed thirty-four operations – more than was needed for a tour. This tally included the three 1,000 bomber raids against Cologne, Essen and Bremen. Unsurprisingly, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his exploits. Undaunted, Brian immediately volunteered for his second tour of operations. It was at this stage that he joined the Lancaster-equipped 83 Squadron in the newly formed 8 Group, becoming an experienced Pathfinder skipper. It was a role in which he marked targets in the Battle of the Ruhr, the bombing of Hamburg (Operation _Gomorrah_) and the Peenemünde raid. _The RAF’s Youngest Bomber Pilot of WW2_, told by his nephew,
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