Into the Night Sky

Britain's most northerly bomber base - Middleton St George in County Durham - played a key role in the RAF's strategic night bomber offensive against Germany - from the day its resident Whitley bomber squadron flew its first offensive operational sorties in April 1941 up until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Over four hard years of total war, its squadrons of Whitleys, Halifaxes and Lancasters flew in all the main RAF offensives against the Third Reich. These included the Thousand Bomber Raids, the Battles of the Ruhr, Hamburg and Berlin, and finally the huge daylight raids that pulverised the failing heart of Nazi Germany in the closing months of the war in Europe.

Paul Tweddle was brought up in County Durham and has taught Classics at university, independent senior and preparatory schools. He is currently Director of Enrichment at Holmewood House, near Tunbridge Wells. Paul is the author of 'Into the Night Sky: A Bomber Airfield at War' (Sutton, 2007) as well as a number of articles on the Second World War for the 'Modern History Review'. He lives in Surrey with his wife Caroline and their children Benedict and Theo.