Book published by Woodfield in 2003, 298 pages. Large A4 size softback (N4463)
From the rear side cover: RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire has a history as long and illustrious as any in the Royal Air Force and is best known for its role as a bomber station - in fact, when No 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron disbanded on 31st December 1982, it was the longest serving bomber station in any air force in the world.
But Waddington did not begin its days as a bomber station. Back in the early days of the First World War it was selected as a suitable site for a training airfield for the Royal Flying Corps, and it remained as a training station throughout WW1.
Unlike most WW1 aerodromes, Waddington was not handed back to its orignal owners but instead remained as a military airbase, and with the expansion of the RAF in 1937 three regular units moved to the airfield - 110 Squadron, 50 Squadron and 44 Squadron, all equipped with Hawker Hinds. In December 1938 44 Squadron became the first at Waddington to be equipped with the Blenheim Mk1, and by the outbreak of the Second World War two Waddington Squadrons (44 and 50) were using Hampdens. Both squadrons took part in many early raids, including the so called 'Battle of the Barges'. In November 1941 207 Squadron was formed at Waddington, and a month after that 44 Sqadron was the very first in the RAF to convert to using the 4 engined Avro Lancaster Bomber.
Less than four months after receiing its first Lancasters, 44 Squadron took part in the low level daylight attack on the U-Boat engine factory at Augsburg, and the leader of the attack was subsequently awarded the VC.
The full story of the men, the aircraft and the major sorties flown from RAF Waddington are comprehensively described in this substantial and detailed account, and it is illustrated with over 100 black & white photographs.
The condition of the book is generally excellent. The covers are clean and bright, the spine is tight and intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound - the book looks like it has never been read! Please note their is a very small amount of 'waving' (slight undulations across the pages) to the inside pages throughout, from where the book has been stoted flat on the shelves
| Condition | New |