Trusty to the End: The History of 148 (Special Duties) Squadron RAF 1918-1945
Oliver Clutton-Brock chronicles 148 Squadron’s clandestine missions from Malta to Warsaw, honouring the crews who supplied Europe’s resistance.
- Author
- Oliver Clutton-Brock
- Publisher
- Mention the War Ltd
- Price
- £20
- ISBN
- 9781911255185
- Published
- 2018
Trusty to the End: The History of 148 (Special Duties) Squadron RAF 1918-1945 by Oliver Clutton-Brock
Oliver Clutton-Brock resurrects the achievements of a squadron repeatedly formed, disbanded and reborn to meet the demands of clandestine warfare. Re-formed in 1943 at Churchill’s insistence, 148 Squadron flew Liberators and Halifaxes from Malta, Egypt and Brindisi to sustain resistance movements across Europe.
The squadron’s crews delivered agents, arms and supplies to partisan groups in the Balkans, Greece and Poland, enduring heavy losses on missions such as the Warsaw airlift. Clutton-Brock’s meticulous research covers operational details, personnel, evasions and the political complexities of working with disparate resistance factions.
It is a fitting tribute to the airmen whose efforts kept the “special duties” pipeline open under the most hazardous conditions.
Mention the War Ltd. £20. ISBN 9781911255185.