The RAFs Youngest Bomber Pilot of WW2

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 teenagers remarkable wartime career. Soon after being awarded his pilots 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 Brians 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 Peenemnde raid. _The RAFs Youngest Bomber Pilot of WW2_, told by his nephew, a former officer in the British Army, details all of Brians fifty-nine missions, and captures his compelling progress with Bomber Command, alongside the technological advances in aircraft, pathfinder strategy and tactics. Sadly, Brians Lancaster was shot down over Berlin in August 1943\. The details of its loss remained shrouded in mystery until the puzzle of his aircrafts demise was eventually solved by tracing the family of the only survivor. The relent-less dangers, not just in operations but also in training, and the continuous loss of life, are drawn into sharp focus. But, on account of his age, Brians story is unique. There may have never been, nor will ever be, an RAF pilot of 19 years old with his flying and operational experience. Complemented with a collection of previously unpublished photographs, _The RAFs Youngest Bomber Pilot of WW2_ is one of the Second World Wars most amazing tales.