487 pages
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31 June, 1943. An RAF crew prepare for their next bombing raid on Germany. It is a night that many will never forget. Len Deighton's devastating novel is a gripping minute-by-minute account of what happens over the next twenty-four hours . Told through the eyes of ordinary people in the air and on the ground - from a young pilot to the inhabitants of a small town in the Ruhr - Bomber is an unforgettable portrayal of individuals caught up in the wreckage of war.
This review is part of my 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. Details can be found here. The prompt for this week's book was a novel that was longlisted for the booker prize. This was nominated in 1970.
It's not often you get to review a novel that was the inspiration for a Motorhead Album.
So this was written a mere 25 years after the second world war by an RAF veteran. Considering it is 54 years old it stands up remarkably well. It should be up there with "All Quiet On The Western Front" as anti war book. Not because it preaches a pacifist message, because it does not. It just shows what happens an a bombing raid and lets you draw your own conclusions.
The date (31st June 1943) and the town (Altgarten) are fictitious. Everything else is remarkably real. The research for this novel is gargantuan but not jarringly intrusive on the narrative.
Deighton gives us 24hrs in the life of a British bombing raid. It is all encompassing. Much like a Tarantino film, we have an array of subtlety interlinking sub-plots from the war weary pilot, the Prussian aristocrat fighter pilot, the aging German radar command officer, his housekeeper, the burgo-master, and fire chief and numerous other characters. Given the vast cast, the author does an excellent job of keeping them separate in our minds. Each has their own issues and hopes. The English class system is quite prevalent here.
The scale is epic. Given the grand backdrop, the author also does an excellent job of immersing in the day to day lives of the protagonists. The first third of the book is setting out the outline and characters. the second two thirds deal with the raid. This is when the tension ramps up.
The raid itself features hundreds of bombers. We follow one in particular, nicknamed Creaking Door. The chaos and horrific deaths that ensue both within the British bomber crews and German fighters and just bog standard random people on the ground is immensely moving. We become invested in the people from both sides. I read on in the hope that certain characters make it through the night. It was a bit like the film Titanic in that you know its a disaster, but you just hope your favourites make it out alive.
All that technical knowledge and heroism, all just to murder each other. If only if could harnessed for a worthwhile cause.
On a personal note, I was drawn to this novel because my wife's grandfather (now sadly passed) was a P.O.W. His last Prisoner of War Camp, much like Kurt Vonnegut, was at Dresden which was obliterated by the allies towards the latter stages of the war. 1299 bombers dropped almost 4000tons of bombs killing 37,000 people. (for comparison roughly the same population as Port Talbot) He didn't talk about the war, but one day not long before he passed away he told me about it. That was 34 years ago and I've never forgotten.
Many think the heavy bombing campaign should have been classed as a war crime and reading this novel you can see why.
"there’s no difference between bankrupting a foreign factory in peacetime and bombing it in wartime. Capitalism is competition and the ultimate form of that is war.”
“He’s always wiping his mouth and fingers,” said Beer. “He makes me feel like I’m suffering from some sort of contagious disease.”
“You are,” said Kokke. “It’s called poverty.”
the English believe that only gentlemen can be leaders”
It’s as though the plane goes to bomb Germany of its own predatory volition, as though it takes us along just for the ride”
you don’t believe in this war” said Cohen “Believe in it? . . . you make it sound like a rumour.” Lambert replied.
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Len Deighton was born in Marylebone, London, in 1929. His father worked as a chauffeur and mechanic, while his mother was a part-time cook. After leaving school, Deighton took a job as a railway clerk before completing his National Service as a photographer for the Royal Air Force's Special Investigation Branch. Upon his discharge from the RAF, he attended St Martin's School of Art in London in 1949, and by 1952, he had secured a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, from which he graduated in 1955.
Deighton's career path led him to become an airline steward with BOAC. Prior to launching his writing career, he was an illustrator in New York and later, in 1960, an art director at a London advertising agency. He is recognized for designing the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and later used his artistic talents to illustrate several of his military history books.
With the success of his early novels, Deighton took on the role of cookery writer for The Observer and created illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967, he penned an article for the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop—an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The next year, David Stirling was awarded significant libel damages over the article.
Deighton also authored travel guides and served as the travel editor for Playboy before venturing into film production. He produced a film adaptation of his 1968 novel "Only When I Larf," and with photographer Brian Duffy, acquired the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical "Oh, What a Lovely War!" However, he chose to have his name removed from the film's credits, a decision he later regretted as "stupid and infantile." This marked his final foray into cinema.
In 1969, Deighton left England and briefly settled in Blackrock, County Louth, Ireland. He has seldom returned to England, save for personal visits and a handful of media appearances, the most recent being a 2006 interview that was part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four.
