Cradle Crew: Royal Canadian Air Force, World War II [Paperback]

Kenneth K. Blyth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1997

The Cradle Crew, one of the youngest bombing crews in the Royal Canadian Air Force's Six Group, flew Handley Page Halifax bombers during World War II. Author Ken Blyth recalls their training, raids over enemy targets, being shot down over Germany, prison camp, and, at war's end, release by the Russians.

The majority of the prisoners in Stalag Luft 1, says the author, were Americans. Colonel Hubert Zemke, the senior-ranking American officer, had been shot own while flying a P-47 Thunderbolt, sometime during November 1944. Group Captain Cecil Weir was the senior-ranking officer of the British, Australian, and Canadian forces in the camp. He and Zemke worked well together.

At 1:00 a.m. on 30 April 1945, the Germans abandoned Stalag Luft 1, just ahead of the advancing Russian tanks, cavalry, and guerilla troops, who were "hell bent for the Baltic." Ken Blyth and his fellow prisoners awoke that morning to find themselves no longer under armed guard and comparatively free. It was later that the world would learn that Adolf Hitler had committed suicide on 30 April 1945, in his bunker at the Reichschancellery in Berlin.

To maintain protection and order for the prisoners until they could be rescued by the Allies, Colonel Zemke became the camp's commanding officer, assisted by Group Captain Weir. In essence, Stalag Luft 1, without the German troops, was an "Allied island" surrounded by their enemy, the German countrymen.

"Frankly," states Blyth, "the Cradle Crew members . . . consider themselves very fortunate to be alive today."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kenneth K. Blyth , of Naples, Florida, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 19423, and eventually became the pilot of one of its youngest bombing crews -- the "Cradle Crew" -- and a prisoner-of-war of the Germans.

Upon his return from World War II, his job at the Canadian Pacific Railway was waiting for him.

After 47 years in the railroad industry, he retired as Assistant Vice President-Sales of CSX in 1987.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Foreword: For the past 50 years I have regaled my family and friends with many of the stories in this book. They have enjoyed the wartime personal experiences of the Cradle Crew that flew the Handley Page Halifax bombers with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. My close friends, Cal and Bill Ollerhead, have encouraged me to document those experiences, part of the nostalgia half a century after the Big War: training experiences, raids over enemy targets, being shot down over Germany, life in a prison camp, and finally release at war's end by the Russians.

Fear, like pain, thankfully is forgotten in time. The reader may feel that I have treated our fears in a cavalier manner, but it was not my intention to do so. To my mind, none of these exploits were heroic -- they were simply the experiences of seven very young men serving their country with no thought of reward, yet at the same time placing their lives on the line each time they took off on a mission.

I have tried to describe these experiences as I did to my children, and as I would have if I were talking to you; and while this style may not be the formal literary style usually found in such a manuscript, I believe if I were to do otherwise, the story would lose some of the personal touch I am trying to capture.

It is quite possible these adventures will stir up similar, almost forgotten memories of your own. Should they do so, write down your memories, or tell them to your good friends; but most importantly, tell them to your children. This book, then, will have accomplished what I set out to do. (Flying Officer Kenneth K. Blyth)

Product Details

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: Sunflower Univ Pr (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897452178
• ISBN-13: 978-0897452175
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,273,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book About Canadian Airmen/POW's in World War II, December 26, 2001

By 

Rob Morris (Idaho Falls, ID United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cradle Crew: Royal Canadian Air Force, World War II (Paperback)

As a historian, I am aware of few books that tell the story of the air war over Europe from the Canadian perspective. 'Cradle Crew' is such a book, and it's a good one that I highly recommend. Written by Ken Blyth, a Canadian who became the pilot of one of the youngest air crews to fly over Europe in the war (thus the name 'Cradle Crew'), this story tells of the entire air crew experience, from enlistment through combat. But it goes much farther, for Blyth and his crew were shot down over Europe and ended up spending time in a German Stalag as POW's. Therefore, the book not only gives the reader an excellent, well-written perspective on the Canadian aircrew experience in the war, but is also a memoir of a POW. Blyth is a strong writer, and his story is engaging and never dull. This is an excellent book, and an important addition to the literature on the air war over Europe. It is invaluable as one of few Canadian books on the subject. Filled with interesting and rare photos of crew life, aircraft, and German Stalags, this is a must-have for any aviation history lover, and should be in every Canadian's bookshelf as a record of how the men from up north helped defeat Hitler and save the world not so many years ago.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story!, February 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Cradle Crew: Royal Canadian Air Force, World War II (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading Blyth's account of his escapades during WWII. It is one of those "slice of life" books where you can really get a good understanding of his (and his crew's) time in the RCAF and the war. For any students who are studying the treatment of POWs in the different wars, this book would give them valuable insight into the German's treatment of POWs in WWII. Enjoyable!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is easy to read and hard to put down!, January 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Cradle Crew: Royal Canadian Air Force, World War II (Paperback)

This book was great because it gave wonderful insight to what it was like during WWII. There is such detail about everything the author experienced from flying night raids, his capture and the surroundings at the POW camp. I really enjoyed all the different stories about his crew and other POWs. The author is a great storyteller!!