George Johnny Johnson (1921–2022)

This is a superb book telling the life story of a man who can be described as a Hero, which not everyone who went to war and happened to survive can, on account of having volunteered for one of, indeed some of, the most dangerous missions the most endangered arm of the British military undertook during World War II.

Johnson's story is, of course, much more than simply one raid and this book plays that aspect extremely well. Not only are his other exploits in the RAF well documented, his "external" life story is as well. I have read some biographies that find it difficult to balance the two but this most assuredly does not.

This is obviously a book of greatest interest to those with a military bent, but it actually serves as an excellent general portrait of the challenges a young man and subsequently a young couple faced growing up in pre-war conditions that seem very far distant and enduring through challenges that we are blessedly spared.… (mehr)

A entertaining and involving autobiography covering the lon and productive life of the man who now solely represents the last remaining Dam Buster. More than a tale of the Dams Raid, or even the RAF at war, this is the story of a man who from humble beginnings achieved most if not all, of what he wanted from his childhood. Whilst not shirking the more controversial aspects of his career and actions, he leaves the reader in no doubt about his own motives for some of these. I enjoyed this and I think anyone who likes biography, the RAF, family sagas, the Dam Busters and World War Two generally will like this.… (mehr)