Coming in September - Twenty-Four Hours in a Lancaster Squadron

[Edward]

Avro Lancaster: Twenty-Four Hours on a Squadron
(Evro Publishing - September 15th, 2026)
by Michael Napier
288 pages w/ 240 b&w photos - hardback (9 1/2" x 7 1/2")
$48 / $55 US

"Unique hour-by-hour insight into a Lancaster bombing mission. The most famous and successful heavy bomber flown by the RAF during World War 2, the Avro Lancaster remains one of the most enduring symbols of RAF, and indeed British, history. This book presents a completely new and original perspective on the iconic Avro Lancaster by covering the 24-hour cycle of a Lancaster squadron. Using over 200 first-hand accounts and illustrated with numerous photographs, it describes the activities and life of aircrew, ground maintenance personnel, mission planners and the plethora of support personnel each of whom played a vital role in the operation of a Lancaster bomber squadron. Starting with the ground activities on a typical wartime Lancaster airfield and the preparations for a night raid, the book then takes the reader with the aircrews on a night bombing mission over Germany, to discover the many dangers and hazards facing the crews throughout the flight, in their own words. In the thought-provoking and deeply poignant epilogue, the aircrew review their achievements against the sacrifices they made."

• An introduction to the Lancaster, describing the aeroplane, how Bomber Command operated, what the airfields were like, and who were the aircrew, ground crew and support personnel.
• The morning routines, particularly of the station ground staff, as they made arrangements for the mission that would be flown that night, servicing and loading the aircraft, and planning the raid.
• The afternoon preparations as the aircrew readied themselves for their ordeal, the planning and briefing cycle for aircrew and ground personnel and the huge contribution of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force to the running of a bomber station.
• A detailed journey on a night bombing mission, covering the outbound flight, the target area and the homebound leg, with vivid descriptions of the hazards they faced, ranging from thunderstorms and mid-air collisions through to anti-aircraft guns and fighters, and then the challenges of returning home in a damaged aeroplane or in poor weather.
• A farewell to the Lancaster, describing what happened after the war to the aeroplane, Bomber Command, the airfields and the personnel. Of particular interest are the first-hand accounts by aircrew revisiting the derelict airfields that they remembered as the busy centres of their lives."

The Author
Michael Napier joined the RAF in 1978 and qualified as a Tornado GR1 pilot. He was posted to RAF Brüggen in Germany, flying in the Strike/Attack role during the last five years of the Cold War. After a tour as a tactics instructor flying the Hawk at RAF Chivenor between 1990 and 1991, he returned to Brüggen, and the Tornado GR1 in 1992 and took part in operations over Iraq in the aftermath of the first Gulf War. Michael left the RAF in 1997 for a second career as an airline pilot with British Airways, retiring as a Boeing 787 captain in 2019. As well as television and radio appearances, he has lectured at both the RAF Historical Society and the Brooklands Museum, and he is the author of 18 published books on military aviation history.

https://www.evropublishing.com/en-us...ucts/lancaster

https://www.simonandschuster.com/boo.../9781918070019