2 Group Losses

[Jim Oxley]

Much is made of the fact that Bomber Command suffered the highest loss rate (in % terms) of any militray arm of the Western Allies during WWII. And almost always when one mentions Bomber Command the immediate image that pops to mind is of massive four-enginened bombers flying off at dusk to attack targets in Germany.

But the Group that suffered the highest rate of loss within Bomber Command was 2 Group, when they were operating the humble Bristol Blenheim from 1940 to early 1942 and tasked with taking the war to the enemy during daylight hours. During that period they undertook daylight un-escorted raids all along the European coast against shipping and un-escorted raids over Occupied Europe. The so-called Beat flights and the Cloud Cover Raids. With the occasional Circus thrown in the relieve the boredom.

During that period the loss rate averaged 43%. Thats mind-boggling. How morale held up during that period is a wonder.

An excellent book on the subject is Theo Boiten's 'Blenheim Strike'. Superb written, with some of the most vivid personal accounts of raids I have ever read.