Söthe had already decided to use his nose armament against the 4-mot [four engined bomber]. He looked out and focused on a black shape of the Britisher. Small, bluish exhaust flames made it easier to keep the target in sight. Four engines, twin tail were recorded almost subconsciously. No sudden movement that might attract their attention. Calm now! Guns armed? Night sight switched on? Everything OK! Now he could see that it was a Lancaster, crossing gently from starboard to port. He applied a little more power and approached cautiously. Now he was exactly behind him at about 100 metres’ range. The rear turret was clearly recognisable. Brönies kept silent. ‘Pauke! Pauke!’ [‘Kettledrums! Kettledrums!’] Söthe announced with a cry. Brönies immediately transmitted ‘Ich beruhe’. Then they closed in rapidly for the kill. One can almost smell the flak, taste the cordite and experience the nervous ‘twitch’ before jumping out of one’s skin to the sound of exploding shells and detonating bombs in this pulsating and highly intriguing selection of never-before-told stories recalled largely by members of the revered Lancaster crews of RAF Bomber Command. From this bomber’s introduction into service in 1942 with the famous if flawed raid on Augsburg on 17 April that year, to the attacks on the Tirpitz in 1944, each chapter is a tribute to the spirit of those who flew the ‘Lanc’ in anger and gained the respect of their enemies.

"No! I will survive! No matter what... they have to know what's coming... she has to! I have to protect her!"Ezryan, the Commander of the First Legion, had fallen from the Heaven. He was sent to obtain a forbidden Secret within its walls, one that said could strengthen the Hell's reign over humans.What he did, caused the Heaven to unleash its wrath and burned him, thus, he carried the secret he'd obtained to his grave.Centuries after his death, lesser soldiers mysteriously disappeared. Cain, the son of Adam, announces the most unexpected prophecy which is believed to be a groundless lie not to be spoken.However, upon hearing Cain's prophecy, one of Ezryan's companions revealed the commander's last words he secretly confided before he died. It urged them to follow the dark trails he left behind. Their quest leads to encounter friends and foes beyond their imagination. Along with it, they uncovered not only deadly secrets that could save their lives, but also their true enemies who seek to destroy them.At their relentless search, the archangels deem them to be lethal threats that could overthrow the fragile balance between Heaven, Hell and Earth. Wanting to prevent this, the archangels orchestrated a plan: annihilate all Hell.But the Holy Army isn't the only ones after their lives. Driven by thoughts that they've stumbled upon something they weren't supposed to and that they plan to commit high treason, Leaders of Hell and ultimately their master, the Morningstar, want their blood.There's only one who holds the whole key for their survival, only a small problem: he's known to be dead.From another world to the depth of the abyss, it's a race to survive the Great War between heaven and hell and overcome the destiny... with humans as the victim.

'The epic story of an iconic aircraft and the breathtaking courage of those who flew her' Andy McNab, bestselling author of Bravo Two Zero 'Compelling, thrilling and rooted in quite extraordinary human drama' James Holland, author of Normandy 44 From John Nichol, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Spitfire, comes a passionate and profoundly moving tribute to the Lancaster bomber, its heroic crews and the men and women who kept her airborne during the country's greatest hour of need. 'The Avro Lancaster is an aviation icon; revered, romanticised, loved. Without her, and the bravery of those who flew her, the freedom we enjoy today would not exist.' Sir Arthur Harris, the controversial chief of Royal Air Force Bomber Command, described the Lancaster as his 'shining sword' and the 'greatest single factor in winning the war'. RAF bomber squadrons carried out offensive operations from the first day of the Second World War until the very last, more than five and a half years later. They flew nearly 300,000 sorties and dropped around a million tons of explosives, as well as life-saving supplies. Over 10,000 of their aircraft never returned. Of the 7,377 Lancasters built during the conflict, more than half were lost to enemy action or training accidents. The human cost was staggering. Of the 125,000 men who served in Bomber Command, over 55,000 were killed and another 8,400 were wounded. Some 10,000 survived being shot down, only to become prisoners of war. In simple, brutal terms, Harris's aircrew had only a 40 per cent chance of surviving the war unscathed. Former RAF Tornado Navigator, Gulf War veteran and bestselling author John Nichol now tells the inspiring and moving story of this legendary aircraft that took the fight deep into the heart of Nazi Germany.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1866.