British Bomber Pilot Shares His World War II Experience

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published August 30, 2007 at 8:47 AM PDT

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

Tony Iveson flew combat missions against the Nazi regime during World War II. He tells us about being shot down, bombing a major German battleship, and why he is friends with his former enemies.

Originally aired June 11, 2007.

Alison St John (Guest Host): Tony Iveson is one of the great generations of British bomber pilots to fly incredibly dangerous and exciting missions over Germany during World War II. At the age of 21, he was shot down over the North Sea, when the war was going badly for Britain. Four years later, in 1944, he was one of the Bomber Commands that managed to sink the German battleship, the Tirpitz , in a Norwegian Fiord. Historians have suggested that the Bomber Command made a larger contribution to victory in Europe than any other element of the British armed forces.

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Guest

Tony Iveson, squadron leader, flight lieutenant, and " Dambuster " for Great Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II, and a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.