Formed in July 1942, the Pathfinder force was the corps d'élite of
Bomber Command, tasked with marking targets and leading bomber
formations to the right place at the right time. And the best of the
force formed the crews of the master bombers, the aircraft in charge of
the whole attack. It took nerves of steel for the crew to linger long
high over the target area, often for hours, in constant fear of attack
from fighters or flak.
Here Sean Feast gives a detailed and comprehensive exploration of the
exploits of one typical squadron in the heat of battle.