One of Butch's Boys: The World War II Exploits of Allen Clifford, a Navigator with 218 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command

On the 8th November 1944, during a daylight raid on Homberg, Lancaster PD374 HA-C 'Charlie' of No.218 Squadron, based at RAF Methwold in Norfolk was shot down over the target. Three of the crew went down with the aircraft, one was murdered on the ground and three survived. Allen Clifford, the navigator, was one of the survivors.He was to endure near-lynching, hungry months in captivity as a prisoner of war and the infamous 'cold march' in the closing months of the conflict as the Germans tried to keep their prisoners from being liberated by the advancing Red Army.When the Russians finally did arrive and continued to hold the survivors captive, Allen and fellow POW Bill Dunbar - a glider pilot who had survived Arnhem - escaped and made a dash for the American lines...Allen was just one of Butch's Boys ('Butch' being the nickname used by aircrews for Sir Arthur Harris, C-in-C, RAF Bomber Command) , ordinary young men from all over the UK and Commonwealth whose experiences in World War Two were anything but ordinary.They sweated and studied to earn their aircrew brevets when the 'prize' at the end was an even chance of meeting with a singularly unpleasant death.The almost casual bravery with which they faced their fate was exemplified by Les Hough, Allen's Australian pilot and skipper, who stayed at the controls of his crippled Lancaster, sacrificing his own life in order to give his crewmates a few extra seconds in which to escape.Between 1939 and 1945 such stories were not uncommon but the heroism of Les and many like him was never officially recognised or rewarded as it should have been.This book, therefore is not just for Allen, Les and the crew of Lancaster HA-C 'Charlie' - it is for all the other unsung heroes of RAF Bomber Command who are owed recognition for the vital role they played in securing victory for the Allies in World War II.