A USAAF bomber crew tries to relax

28th June 1943: As casualties mount for the 8th Air Force in Britain there are limited diversions for the crews when they are off duty

A B-17 of the 305th Bomb Group over the synthetic rubber plant at Huls, which can be seen burning (bottom left), 22 June 1943.

A smoking rubber plant in the Ruhr, after being bombed by a B-17 Flying Fortress of the 96th Bomb Group. 8th Air Force bombing mission target.

Many memoirs and diaries talk of the agony of waiting to go into action. For the bomber crews, there was the uneasy business of facing up to operations every day or every few days. In wartime Britain recreational opportunities were limited. There was no getting away from the war, wherever you went.