Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Crew
- Narrated by: Peter McGovern
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
The Crew
Buy Now for £17.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
The Crew recounts the intimate, personal testimonies of Wing Commander Ken Cook, who served as Bomb Aimer with the Comans crew. The audiobook specifically follows Flying Officer Jim Comans and his crewmen from their enlistment as volunteers, through training and into operational service. The Comans crew flew 45 hazardous bombing missions - mostly deep into Germany at night - through the winter of 1943 to the summer of 1944.
At 95, Ken Cook is the crew's last survivor. Enlisting in the RAF Bomber Command at 19, his extraordinary story brings a moving insight into the bombing campaign. His experiences, particularly during the Battle of Berlin, highlight the extreme danger each bomber crew faced. With Bomber Command's casualty rate of over 44 percent, the book describes how the airmen overcame immense physical and mental challenges to survive. There are now very few surviving RAF Bomber Command airmen from the Second World War. The Crew will be one of the final eyewitness testimonies to a momentous time in our history.
Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Crew
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- N. Bowdren
- 29-02-24
Fascinating listen
excellent listen. really informative. showed how brave all those young men were knowing that going on every mission there was a risk of dying.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Paul G.
- 14-02-21
Very good but spoiled by poor narration
I read (listened) to this book on the back of the excellent 'Masters of the air' describing the American experience of the bombing war. This book would have been done justice had it been read by a narrator of the same calibre as that of 'Masters of the air'. It felt as though I was being read to by a teacher educating a nursery school class or to someone who does't speak English as their first language. Apart from that, I found the book hugely educational and learned much about the airmen of Bomber Cmds experiences compared to their their American counterparts. A very good book marred by poor narration which is probably best digested by reading rather than listening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- John Perry
- 16-03-21
Most Interesting
Excellent attention to detail, recommend listening more than once to not miss anything. Early chapters didn't totally interest me greatly but good back ground to a complete overall story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr A G T Holland
- 14-03-23
The Crew
Really enjoyed the book. A great narration and insight into the lives of a bomber crew.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Lightyear
- 16-04-21
very good
excellent book and fascinating, the only criticism is the reader needed to get the pronunciation of place names correct. Otherwise very enjoyable!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jade
- 21-01-21
Fantastic!
A brilliantly well written book that captures the imagination of what it must of been like flying at night on raid after raid. Incredibly brave men.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- cj
- 01-04-24
Interesting account of life on Bomber crew
Mostly enjoyed the book apart from some very dodgy pronunciation of French towns (It is NOT “clearmont” Ferrand!).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- dereksmith
- 13-08-20
not quite what it says on the tin.
The actual amount of time spent with the operational crew is very low. Most of the book seems to be a history lesson about the war and pre-war period. I was quite disappointed in both the book and the narration which was fairly monotone and didnt at any point assist in giving the story any presence.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Paul.C
- 12-02-20
Fascinating story but poor narration
This is an enjoyable and informative book and the following of the Comans crew was a good way to tell the story.
For me the audio book was spoiled by the poor narration with its continuous mispronunciations, the narrator seems not to be a history buff, never shortening Womens Auxiliary Air Force to WAAF (Pronounced WAFF) as an example and struggles repeatedly with how to pronounce place names.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liam McMunn
- 19-01-21
Great insight
What it lacks in the performance it more than makes up in the story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!