The Bomber Command Memorial at Green Park in London.

RAF Bomber Command

On August 20, 1940 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave a famous speech to the House of Commons where he remarked on the bravery of the Royal Air Force and the resilience of the British people. The most famous line from this speech is

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

Churchill was talking about the fighter pilots who fought off the Luftwaffe during the battle of Britain. Without air superiority, the German army could not launch their planned invasion of Britain. Many people forget the words Churchill spoke next. 

“We must never forget that all the time, night after night, month after month, our bomber squadrons travel far into Germany, find their targets in the darkness by the highest navigational skill, aim their attacks, often under the heaviest fire, often with serious loss, with deliberate careful discrimination, and inflict shattering blows upon the whole of the technical and war-making structure of the Nazi power. On no part of the Royal Air Force does the weight of the war fall more heavily than on the bombers.”

This was the job of Bomber Command. It was relentless, brutal and dangerous. Just under 50% of the men who flew with Bomber Command died. Despite their bravery, their work was downplayed after the war. Once the total cost of the war was counted, the military strategy of area bombing had inflicted devastating numbers of casualties across Europe. 

War is always terrible. In Heart in the Clouds I don’t mean to celebrate their destructive work, vital as it was to defeating the Nazis. I mean to illuminate it. To take the reader inside a Bomber Command station, inside an Avro Lancaster, and inside the head of a pilot grappling with meaning in what he does each night.

RAAF 467 Squadron

Although Alec and his crew are of my own making, their squadron was real. It was formed in November 1942 and disbanded in 1945, so this number represents a very specific time in history. Under Royal Australian Air Force control, the squadron featured airmen from Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth, including New Zealand and Canada.

RAAF pilots with Bomber Command in WWII had to fly thirty operations to complete their flying tour. In Heart in the Clouds, Alec is counting down the operations until he finishes his tour. But, he eventually agrees to do another tour and is selected for Squadron X. History buffs will know that the famous 617 “Dambusters” Squadron was formed so hastily it didn’t have a number and was originally called Squadron X. All of the characters in Heart in the Clouds are imaginary, except for Wing Commander Guy Gibson, whom Alec travels to RAF Scampton to meet.

The Air Transport Auxiliary

Eagle-eyed readers may notice an historical inaccuracy in the form of Birdie Bates, the ATA pilot who gives Maggie the advice to let Alec “reap the whirlwind”. Birdie is one of my favourite creations. In fact, she is the heroine in a story I have out on submission! (Easter Egg: those of you who paid very close attention in Finishing School might realise that Birdie Bates and Grace Deroy were Amy Snee’s debating team-mates at school.)

Although women did fly with the ATA and 11 of those women were licensed to fly Lancasters at the end of the war, they didn’t start flying that aircraft until 1944. However, I just couldn’t resist having Birdie fly onto the scene in one, even though it was 1942. Apologies to the purists.

Have you got any questions about the history in Heart in the Clouds? I love talking about the history behind the book! So feel free to reach out via the contact page and ask.