Bomber (novel)

The novel Bomber is a roman à clef written by Len Deighton and published in the UK in 1970. It is the fictionalised account of the events of June 31 (sic), 1943 in which an RAF bombing raid on the Ruhr area of western Germany goes wrong. In each chapter, the plot is advanced by seeing the progress of the day through the eyes of protagonists. The action is fast and vivid while at the same time giving much factual information in an almost documentary fashion about the preparation and delivery of a heavy bomber raid, the defence against it and its impact on the unfortunate victims. The novel is weaker when it comes to characterisation; individuals are somewhat one-dimensional stereotypes to represent differing points of view and attitudes.

Viewpoints

• The crew of RAF Lancaster bomber, nicknamed "Creaking Door", particularly its pilot, Sgt Lambert
• August Bach, the officer-commanding of a Luftwaffe radar station on the Dutch coast
• Oberleutnant Victor Löwenherz, an aristocratic Lutwaffe night fighter pilot and his fellow crew members
• Bach's housekeeper/mistress, Anna-Luisa, and his infant son, Hansl, at their home in Altgarten, a small German village close to the Dutch border
• Altgarten's burgomaster, fire chief, civil defence (TENO) engineers and residents