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This is a message from sponsor Intuit. TurboTax NowTaxes is 100% free when you file in the TurboTax app if you're a first time filer or didn't file with TurboTax last year. That's right, just do your own taxes in the TurboTax app by February 18th. Had a few jobs last year. It's free. Have a lot of forms. Yep, still free. Have a bunch of new invisible crypto coins. Heads up, it's still free. Convinced you saw Bigfoot. Even if your friends don't believe you, that has absolutely nothing to do with taxes. But you better believe it's still absolutely free. Just download and do your own taxes in the TurboTax app by February 18th. All tax forms all 100% free. Now this is taxes. See if you qualify in the TurboTax app. Excludes TurboTax Live must start and file in app by February 18th. The time is exactly 2:30pm on Saturday 18th February 1943. Left Subject steady right. We knew that it was lethal to stay straight enough as you were running into the target. You couldn't weave any longer. They had time to fuse and send the shell up there. That was all the time they wanted. That I would have to go straight and level for the bomber to drop the bomb and take the picture needed nearly half a minute. Half a minute to make serious. Being shaped was like being on the stage in the spotlight. Bags of Panic this is the story of the final mission of RAF Lancaster bomber WF183, call sign O Orange, which took place on Saturday 18th February 1943. It is also the story of all the many men and women, British and German, whose lives were irrevocably changed by that life bombing raid. It was my defect we present Bomber, a documentary drama based on the novel by Len Dayton. Dramatized by Joe Dunlop, Starring Samuel west as Flight Sergeant Sam Lambert, Emma Chambers as wife Corporal Ruth Lambert, Jack Sheppard as Oberleutnant August Bach featuring Frank Windsor as Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris are narrated by Tom Baker Bomber it is just after 2.30pm on Saturday 18th February 1943. Oh Orange is in the sky above Wally Fenn Aerodrome doing her night flying. Test pilot to crew bumps around the garden, then home chiefly told him to save seven late lunches. The pilot, Sam Lamb, on his second tour has clocked up 47 operations. The noise in an aircraft of that era is only just bearable because the flying helmet of that era also was a thin leather one. And of course it Was damaging. I'm slightly deaf. And there's lots of other people flew. Some completely deaf. Make pie, Binty. What prices are heat these days anyway? Shut up, Binty. We might have any lunch after our best clue. Binty Jones, ex noteman from Pontypride, is Ophir Orange's mid upper gunner. His opposite number, the rear gunner, is an ex miner from Nottinghamshire. The whole crew are volunteers. Navigator to pilot. Yes, Goshaw. Is that glycol leaking on the starboard inner, Skip? Pilot and navigator were checking. Only small, but it looks like it's getting bigger. Thanks, coach. Is it glycol or fuel? Batters the coolant tax on thermal stick. No fuel pressure warning. Right, visual check. Sorry, Skip. Look out the bloody window. O Orange's new flight engineer, Ted Battersby, was at school in Lancashire six months ago. He's 18 and tonight will be his third op with Sam Lambert. Something there, all right? Shining on the engine cowling. Looks like a new penny. It's all right. I know what it is. Stuck. This. No problem. It's a footprint. Only an oily footprint. One of the biggest pieces. I saw him now. On the notice board, they would put up the names of the crews that were going to fly that night. But I used to find that if my name was up there, I went straight away to the toilet. How's the star dinner doing? Looks perfect. Well tempered. Pressure bang on. Is it shifting? Sorry, Kapal, can you shift a minute? Fers, Lift your legs, mate. Let KB out the nose. Royal Australian Air Force bomber ORM15 operations, all with Sam Lambert. What about the H2F? Kaish on the top line, Skip. Glad to hear it. You think it'll help diggers? Well, you know me, Sam, always optimistic. But the blight has broken down every flame and ops so far. Did they tell you where we're going tonight? 1300 gallons. Looks like we're going to bomb Adelaide. It's very funny, yeah. Steering right. 45. Flaps up, batters. Flaps up. Pilot to wireless operator. Jimmy here, Skip, getting a test done. I'm only going right once, mate. Wireless operator to pilot. If I'm going to Skip. Jimmy Grimm, a Londoner, 21 years old, wireless operator O Orange. Seated aft of the navigator on the port side, facing forward. Jimmy has the ass above his head. The area shared by the pilot, the site engineer, the bombing, the wireless operator and the navigator isn't much larger than a big family car. This was Jimmy Grimm's favorite test. Best bent wire tins. Best bent wire tins. 200 miles away in northern France, an officer in charge of German radio monitoring makes a note of Jimmy Grimm's wireless test. He knew the frequency of the different bombers quarants and use their number and knew also their air base. And in the afternoon those quarants which would fly the night air raid, they checked their wireless and our people listened. And they could tell me. Tonight we guess we will have 500 bombers from Squarrozorzo. They come from that base. That base. That base. That base. A message to that effect is sent to the CNC Luftwaffe Night Fighter Command of Zhiland. 350 miles away on the edge of the Eiselmere in northern Holland is Luftwaffe night fighter station Kroonsvig. Here are the Junkers 88s and Messerschmitt 110 Night Fighters which will engage the British bombers over the skies of Europe tonight. At this time of the afternoon they are being fueled and serviced. What are you shouting about? You're giving old Cougar a hard time. Oberleutnant Baron Victor von Lefenherz, Staffel Capitan of nightriders. I was just telling him how irritating it is to locate a terrifier. Creep up under his belly and then find your engine losing power before you can shoot him down. He's still having engine problems. Oh yes. But will he do what I want? God. Engineers. It sounds like oil pressure. It might be a leak. Ju88 whenever designed as I had a similar problem once on a mattress and it turned out to be a simple oil leak. Get him to fit new rims. Done it twice. It makes no difference. With the Redfin app you'll know the moment your next place hits the market. Whether you're looking to buy your dream home or rent a sweet apartment. Give Redfin your gotta have it wish list of property features and you'll receive real time notifications tailored just for you ready to see it up close and personal. Scheduling a tour is just a tap away. Don't wait to find your perfect match. Download the Redfin app and start searching. Today the engine is kaputs. It needs replacing. Why won't he listen? Old Kugel is under orders to keep replacements to a minimum. Besides, I hear the station commander is having trouble with his supercharger. My heart bleeds. If we all had superchargers, then Google and his mechanics would be even more overworked. So what about to do over Leutnant? We're on tonight. It's running okay now. But for how long? Tomorrow I'll get Kugel to do an engine right. If the revs are still dropping. I'll insist on a new engine tomorrow. Thank you. Are you all right? How do you mean? Well, you seem a bit, I don't know, down on the map. Girl trouble? No, no, it's nothing. Look, I'd. I better keep an eye on Klugel's men. Heil Hitler. Heil Hitler. Wireless operated to pilot. What's wrong with the engine, Skip? Nothing, Jimmy. It's just Battersby's on the throttles or reloads. If we were. Shut up, Mz. Go easy, Butters. It's not lost in seven. That's better. That's it. Listen to the ramps and look at the probes. Can't always cast the giles. The most isolated men on a Lancaster are the gunners. They know Orange's rear turret is Sergeant Flash Gordon. After the war, Flash plans to get an office job. No way will he ever go back to the mines. He swivels his turret, his eyes trained on the sights of his two pairs of parallel mounted 303 machine guns. Pilot's rear gunner. How's the view, Flash? The movie. Brilliant, Skip. It's really great. I can see so much better now. Keeper's taking out the rear Perspex. I saw a film with Bob Hope and he was stuck in a suitcase for quite a while. When they opened the suitcase and he cut out, he got out, he couldn't straighten up. He was all cramped and I thought, Christ, that's just how I used to feel when I come out the turret. They'll all be able to cut out rear turrets once word gets round. Stop blowing your old trumpet fuss, boy. We know you're a genius. The mid upper gunner, Binty Jones has a pair of 303 machine guns. Neither gunner has contact with the rest of the crew except through the intercom. Em only jealous I the Gordon turret. That's what they'll call it. All a flash arry turret, eh, Skip? Pilot's about ganond dry up. But that was Skip. Roger, Flash. You're thinking of moving here after the war, Sam? Sorry, Digby. You and the Mrs. After a nice little fetched cottage with a garden gate. Why'd you say that? Well, you always take us over this way. Hey look, Sam. Sturbo on the beam. Another Lancaster. Factory delivery, no markings. Replacement machine. Yeah, probably a shealer of the controls. Don't get too close, Skip. Don't worry. 2650 plus four batters. 2650 plus fellow skip coolant 105. R90 pressure 70. Skip. Pilot to rear gunner. Can you see the Length of the starboard side looks all right. Keep your hands off your weapon, flash boy. All right? Your boxes and tricks. Okay, navigator. Navigator to pilot. Seems to be working good. Pilot to all crew. We're going home. Oh. Orange begins her descent towards Wallace Hen airfield. The mile long Runway clearly visible like a black line across the countryside. Tonight, in the dark, it won't be quite so easy to find Wally Fan aerodrome, one of over a hundred bomber command stations dotted around the British Isles in 1943. There are 60 Lancaster bombers based here. All of them will take part in tonight's raid to be working out on dispersal areas with a icy wind blowing because aerodromes are always selected to be in the coldest and most hostile weather conditions that you can imagine during the morning. The pilot snag lists from the previous night's operations have been studied by the ground crews and repairs and replacements carried out. Now most of the aircraft on their concrete circular stands are being fueled and bombed up, ready for takeoff early this evening. Some of the smallest nuts and bolts are in the most inaccessible places. And to get your hands when they were blue down and tightened up in a 6ba nut and bolt, it's, you know, it takes some doing. B flight office. Airman Clark, Eric Sedge types up crew schedules in the office next door. B flight's temporary acting commander, Flight lieutenant Sweep stands by the open window watching the activity as o Orange comes onto its stand. Suite is 22, Mr. Fleming, sir. Here a second old chap. Fleming is the captain of the replacement crew of Lancaster Z Zebra. Of those who survived her crash landing at Warley three weeks ago, three are still in hospital. With a new tail assembly, wing section and undercarriage, the plane will fly again tonight. None of her old crew will ever fly again. You look after zed zebra, Mr. Fleming. She's a good old crate. You've had the best damn training, now use it. Can't wait to get out there and get on with it, Mr. Sweet. Good show, Fleming. Carry on. You call me sir. No search. Talking to Mr. Fleming. Ah, first operation tonight. They know the odds are 15 to 1 against for the first three trips. You didn't say that too, did you, sir? Oh, of course I didn't, you idiot. They aren't fools, Eric. Public school chaps. That'll hurt. Then they. How's it go again? Survive your first five and you double your chances of staying alive. At least for 30 ops ring CO Monroe. Son of a.60. True, sir. Done 28 myself. Fleming just needs a bit of luck. Everyone know, sir? Well, I do Remember an incident where a meet up a gunner lost his head? Yes. And the aircraft is right in front of the hangar. Yes, I do remember that. Yes. There's just nothing there. Nothing. Yes. Just completely lost his head. Oftentimes there will be that smell. Yes. Of bodies have been in there for eight or nine hours. Probably been no injuries to them. But there was that particular smell peculiar to a kite returning from operation. Absolutely. I remember one coming back though, George, where they'd had to pull the parachute for him to lie on. And the parachute was. Instead of being white, it was red. I remember that. And the ambulance came out. He left the parachute behind for us to clear up. And that was a made up a gunner as well. I've just forgotten his name. But I will be able to come to it. This was a nice old German town. With this typical marked house, with this old fronts and different roofs. With much old culture. So very nice. That Same afternoon in February 1943, in the small town of Altgarten in northwestern Germany, Walter Reisman, the Burgermeister, called into Frenzel's, his favorite restaurant. Only a small affair. Mind her Frensel. 18 guests. Yes. Yes, sir. Burgomaster. We must make it special. There is a war on like the Fuhrer. We must live simpler lives these days. Now with the fish Riesling. With the fish. Perfect. And with the main course, her Burgermeister. What a nice little chateau bottle. Burgundy. You were telling me about the LaFeet 37. Precisely. And of course, champagne for the toasts. How many bottles? Just keep it coming till I tell you to stop. Ah, Oberleutnant Bach. Good day, Fraulein. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Happy birthday. I'm sorry you won't be here for the party duty first. I fear Fritz wants to lay on an evening such as we used to have before the war. But I was just saying we have to make sacrifices. Even in a quiet little backwater like this. You return to Holland today? Within the hour. Well, I mustn't detain you from your meal. Your table, sir. Hitler. Heil Hitler. Who is that pretty little thing with him? His housekeeper? Well, his wife has been dead over a year. She's rather young for August. He must be pushing 50. Her father is a high ranking official in the Propaganda Ministry. Not just a pretty face then? Well connected, crafty old August. Now, where were we? Now the shank are you. You had no right to order alterations without my written authority. Sam, what are you talking about? Sam Lambert and Flight Lieutenant Terry Sweet in B flight office at Wally Fen the blast. Rear turret On O Orange. You told Worthington's riggers to leave the Perspex off? He just told me. It would have been good manners to at least check with me. I am meant to be B Flight commander, after all. I did. I left a note on your desk. Well, I never saw it. I got it back with your signature on it. Yes. Ask Eric. I signed so much. Look in the file if you don't believe me. All right, all right. Subject closed. We're on tonight. Big op briefing for Captain Navigators at 1530. You'll be ready. See you are. I want B Flight to be the best damn bomb delivery service in group. So how's it working out, this rear turret thing? My Flash says it's time. Eric. Sir. Where's my tea? Want some tea, Lambert? No, thanks, sir. I have a late lunch waiting. I'll get it now, sir. And Eric, tell Nicky Murphy to get over here. Sir. Bloody undercard keeps jamming on S sugar. Seems beyond Mickey Murphy to get the ground chaps to do anything about it. Doesn't sound like Mickey or the ground chaps. I've had to use emergency air twice to get the wretched gear down. So how's Ruth? You should watch yourself there, Sam. Group is no fool. Bound to find out. I doubt it. Unless someone tells him. Well, strictly speaking, I should. Won't, of course. Damn stupid reg of his. No wives within 40 miles. Quiet. So what's the thinking behind this rear turret thing? Oh, it's Flash's idea. Who? My rear gunner, Sergeant Gordon. Flash thought it would make for better night vision. No smears or scratches to spoil the view. Everybody's seen well enough through Perspex before. Could say the same for glass. But haven't you ever opened a window to see better? Yes. It's well done. Let me know how it works, Flash. You get the credit. Oh, don't worry, he will. Have you heard where we're going tonight? Well, even if I knew, I couldn't tell you. Siggy? No, thanks. Look, Lambert, I was going to leave this till after tonight, but I might as well give it to you now. You won't like it. How'd you go into your pie flesh? The coup of o orange and the sergeant's mess. Something considerate, so I'd support my line this morning. What's up then, Flash? You. You Welsh get your motorbike? 6:30 this morning. Shouldn't have been all well night in the first place. Mind your business, Flash. Read a comic or something back from Peterborough. Don't start YouTube. Well, it's not right having it off with a married woman while her husband's away fighting. Go and see if a padre's looking for an assistant one of these nights. He'll be standing by the bed when you wake up. He's in, Boomer. You'll hear about it. Weedy little boy. You would own wrench. I haven't seen him. You lying? I have here the wedding picture on a bedside table. And I might have got bigger since that was taken. Not according to Rosie, I hope. He's a bloody PT instructor. Out. He's fighting, J. It's not right. Where's Jimmy? Gone to see if there's any post. I wonder what Skip's drawing a sweet about. Afraid it's settled. Effective when? Tomorrow. What about replacements? Straight swap you get. Speak. And Simpson. I see. You get my navigator and bomb aimer and I get yours. Word from some desk flyer on high, old chap. Ours is not a reason why you don't split up crews that are working well. Sorry, Lambert. I bet you are. You've done this, haven't you? First you took Mickey Murphy, now having Cohen and Digby. Digby's the best bomb aimer in the squadron. My chap Tim speaks pretty good. I hear he's windy. And you'll never get your Simpsons. And no hope or two. I don't care for your tone, Lambert. What are you trying to do, sweet? Have the best crew in the group to cover your back? Do you think that's all it takes? I'd be careful what I said if I were you. You don't split crews up. Cohen's put in for a commission. He doesn't want to fly under a sergeant. You know, Lambert, these paranoid speculations of yours are very interesting. I think you're the one who wants a crew to watch your back. Bugger. Oberleutnant August Bach and Anna Luisa finish lunch at Frenzel's restaurant. More wine? No, thanks. Go on. Sausages aren't where they were. I think the British have some kind of secret weapon. A man flicks a switch in London and every sausage skin in the row splits from end to end. The Burgermeister keeps looking at me. Because you're so pretty? No. It's because you are Luftwaffe Oberleutnant and I'm a little housekeeper. Nonsense. Not many people of your rank would take their servant to lunch. They would if they were in love with them. Oh. I asked you here this afternoon because I want you to marry me, Ana Luisa. Oh. Young Hansel adores you. And I him. Now I know I'M not a young man. But I do love you and I'll do everything I can to make you happy. Well, what do you say? I've loved you for a long time, August. But you never said. I didn't dare hope. I. No. Oh, my head's in a while. You aren't used to drinking in the afternoon. No. When do you have to leave? The car's coming at three. Let's go back to the house. Now. I want you. I want you to make love to me. What's up, mate? I got a letter from my missus. Oh, not a Dear John letter. Don't be daft. Nice. Her little Tommy's not too well. Oh, dear. She says he was coughing all night. Look, Jimmy, you know standing order says you can't have your wife living less than 40 miles from base, right? Well, she's back in Mullet, isn't she? Living with her mum. Right. But it doesn't say a dicky bird about having other people's wives, does it? Don't you ever think of anything but Sheila's? I can't just say Jimmy's not in the mood for jokes. Well, I hope this roses or them's in the Marines, that's all I. Bolivia. B is a crook. Woman in advances fit the next. I wouldn't worry about Jimmy. How do you like it, B? How dare. Fine for your country. And some poxy little Welsh cuckoos in your nest shagging your wife? You're the one that sounds cuckoo to me. Yeah, all right, all right. That's enough. My hills tea. Save it for the Jerry's. Where are you going? Flash or war. Good idea. He fancies it himself. Look, why do you keep rubbing his nose? You better sort it out with him and quick. I mean, that's all we need, a rear gunner who hasn't got his mind on the job. But he's started it. I like the Germans, you mean? I mean, who gives a tap cuss who started it? All I want to see is the bloody thing finished. We had a lot of colonials. I mean, Australians, Canadians, New Zealand and South Africans. I mean, they had less regard for RAF discipline than. Than we did. What's he say, Sam? Who? Sweet. Saw you in his office. Giving you the benefit of his vast experience, was it? Flight Sergeant Worthington, Chief Engineer, Ground crew, Orange. Can you say what tonight's target is? No. What's the problem? The train's on its way. Starboard Jenny on the top line, then? Seems to be. She was definitely giving us a vault up this morning. That has never took his eyes off it. If that journey acts up, watch a step, the accumulator could go up. If it overloads. Well, whatever it was, you seem to have fixed it. Yeah, he's a good old girl. Old La Grain crew obviously became attached to the aircraft. And obviously, if the air crew managed to survive perhaps more than three or four trips, became attached to the air crew as well. It was their aircraft. We only on occasions to take over to Germany. And then I used to say, we'll bring it back in one piece, you know. Anything else? Chiefly. What's wrong, Sam? Not very much, you know, Chiefy. When I told my old man I was joining up in 37, he said to me, why, what are you joining that bloody shower of toffs for? Since Sweet took over the flight, I'm beginning to see what he meant. Eh? Not the way it was. Boys with bum fluff on their chops running the show. 48th trip tonight. Maybe it's time I packed it in. Has Sweet got it in for you? God knows. You look tired, Sam. No, I'm all right. You sleeping all right? I keep having this dream. This little German kid's having his birthday. He bends to blow the candles out and his head melts. Funny dream, eh? August Bach and Anna Luisa are on their way home from Frenzel's. Oh, no. August, it's your cousin. Let's pretend we haven't seen him. What? You know he's seen us. Afternoon, girl. I've just been round to the house, but you weren't in, you know. Anna Louisa? Yes. Afternoon, Fraulein. What's the matter? You look like you've swallowed something sour, cousin. You've been eating your own pickles. Very funny. My pickles are well liked in this town. Well, what do you want to see me about? I wanted a word in private. Anna and I have no secrets. No, I can wait. Well, no, no, no, no. Wait, girl. Wait, wait. I want you to be the first to know. I've asked Anna to marry me. And she said yes. Oh. Well, aren't you going to congratulate us? Yes. Yes, of course. Congratulations. Thank you. I must get back to the shop Saturday and I'm short staffed. Frau Kersten is ill. He doesn't like me. Nonsense. Gert likes everyone. Not young women, he doesn't. He's got nothing but old bats working in that grocer's of his. Sam sits behind a repair hangar at Wally Fen with a WAF corporal from Safety and Rescue Section, known on the base as waf. Corporal Taylor. She and Sam were secretly married six months before. He's poaching another two of my crew. What? Last month he took my flight engineer, Mickey Murphy. Now it's Cohen, the new navigator. And Digby, best bomb aimer on the squadron. Can he do that? He's bloody done it. Why don't you go to Monroe and complain? What'll I say? My flight commander won't get off my back, will deny everything. I still think it's worth it. I only have a couple of minutes. Let's talk about something else. Why don't we go up to London next weekend, eh? Why not? I wish we could just go over to that hole in the fence and walk away from here. Where would we go? Wouldn't care, just as long as it's as far away from here as possible. Awesome. We can't, of course. There's a war to win. I'll just do what they all do. Press on, Sam. Don't jump down my throat. But why don't you put in for a commission like Daddy said? We went through this last weekend. I don't want to be a bloody officer. The only way you can stop people like Terry Sweet from having the upper hand is by becoming one of them. If you wanted to Terry Sweet for a husband, you should have married him. Sorry. It's not as though you didn't have the chance. What? I know, Ruth. About you and him. No. What? You and him. What are you talking about? Please don't lie to me. You knew him before me. You did, didn't you? What do you mean, know him? That would have suited Mummy and Daddy better, wouldn't it? Public school boy. Officer class. Oh, stop it, Sam. Look, I haven't a clue what's brought. He's an old boyfriend, isn't he? Flight Lieutenant Sweet? Rubbish. Don't lie to me, Ruth. You went out with him, didn't you? Your mother told me the whole story last weekend. She thought it was a joke. Oh, yes. We remembered Terry Sweet all right. What a charming boy. Very struck on Ruth, he was. What a coincidence. He's on your squadron. He went to school with my brother. Of course he bloody would. Wouldn't he want to see the rest of it? He was nothing to me. It was nothing like that. Well, he's something to me, Flight Lieutenant Sweet. Seven years younger than me and treats me like I'm a 13 year old. He's my effing prefect. He's a chump. Always was. Don't let's quarrel, please. Can you tell me that's what all this smirking and asking after you is about I've got to go Pilots and navigators briefing Sam oh quickly Algos, we're getting soaked it was a little town with a lot of people of government and there was from the German army there was division and the commander of the division was an uncle of mine A word? Yes Is there an SS headquarters in this town? Yes, at the Wal hotel How do I get there? You follow this road till you come to the old walls and turn right on the Kaiser Strasse you see trees by the road it's just after the trees begin you see it on the left have you come far? Did you get that? Yes there are black and white sentry boxes you can't miss one hotel that's it Only my son is in the battle Hesses he's on the eastern front with army Some of these people are so mannered what is it? I don't know he frightened me that's the whole idea of the SS.