Chased by the Sun : Courageous Australians in Bomber Command in World War II.

Real-life stories of Aussie heroes
Chased by the Sun

By Hank Nelson. ABC Books.
$32.95 :: 319 pages

Reviewer :: Pte Raymond Khoo

During World War 2, more than 40,000 men died while serving in Bomber Command over Europe. This amounted to 7.3 per cent of total casualties, and was one of Australia’s greatest and most costly commitments to WW2.

Chased by the Sun is marketed as both a military and social history book. It follows the lives of ordinary Australians who volunteered to train and serve as aircrew in British squadrons in the Bomber Command.

The book strives to depict the fear, despair and courage of the aircrew and provides a compelling insight into the conditions endured.

It begins their life pre-WW2 and, for the fortunate, concludes with their return to Australia and post-war life.

Chased by the Sun has opened my eyes to a side of WW2 which I have not really considered.

Whenever I have thought of the bombing campaign in Europe, Australian involvement has never really crossed my thoughts. The author points out that despite the number of casualties, Australian airmen who were killed in the air in Europe are largely unremembered in their own homeland.

As a result, I believe that the book is an informative source to an aspect of WW2 that most people overlook.