We Were Never There Volume 3: US Overflights in Europe & RAF Operation Jiu Jitsu, 1945-1960

By the early 1950s, Britain was the wartime base for over half of the US Strategic Air Command’s nuclear forces. US and British overflights were driven by the need for precise target intelligence on Soviet bomber bases. Deadly nuclear strikes would have been launched from Russia on British cities and SAC’s bomber bases. The target intelligence the Allied overflights provided was vital in prioritising targets in Russia and integrated into US war plans for striking the USSR. Previously unpublished details reveal new aspects of the technology, routes and further detail about these deep penetration reconnaissance missions.

Using a combination of new research, previously unpublished material and first-hand accounts, this book shows how aircrews worked with their aircraft that struggled to outpace Soviet air defences. This third book in the We Were Never There mini-series, continues the story of clandestine US and British missions over Europe and Asia. It follows on from the first two volumes on CIA U-2 operations from 1956 to 1974. Higher, Further, Faster will appeal to enthusiasts and students of Cold War history, military aviation and aerial espionage. 

We Were Never There Volume 3 is extensively illustrated throughout with original photographs and the @War series’ signature colour artworks.