Under A Bomber's Moon

They were the best of enemies - dedicated, skilled and deadly. In the night skies above wartime Germany an RAF navigator-bomb aimer from New Zealand and a Luftwaffe pilot seek out their targets, testing the gap between success and their own destruction as they cross each other's paths. The odds are heavily against either of them making it through the war, but as this sobering realisation displaces their initial exuberant sense of adventure, both come to see in their youthful sacrifice...
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They were the best of enemies - dedicated, skilled and deadly. In the night skies above wartime Germany an RAF navigator-bomb aimer from New Zealand and a Luftwaffe pilot seek out their targets, testing the gap between success and their own destruction as they cross each other's paths. The odds are heavily against either of them making it through the war, but as this sobering realisation displaces their initial exuberant sense of adventure, both come to see in their youthful sacrifice the survival of all they hold dear. Under a Bomber's Moon reaches across the divide of years, of geography, of nationality, to tell their story largely in their own words - describing both the breathtaking clashes in the air and the camaraderie, humour, patriotism and personal tragedies that became their war. Stephen Harris began his journey of discovery because he wanted to know the truth of his great-uncle Colwyn Jones' fate. With Col's vividly written letters and diary as a starting-point, he set out to discover what really happened on the night Col's extraordinary luck ran out. Little did he know that his quest would lead him to a meeting with a former Luftwaffe pilot who was pitted against his great-uncle in the skies over Germany. Otto-Heinrich Fries proved to be both engaging and articulate, eventually allowing Harris to tell his story in this book. The result is a unique and personal account of two highly successful airmen from opposing sides. AUTHOR: Stephen Harris trained as a journalist, working as a reporter for the Auckland Star, the Dominion and the National Business Review, a presenter and editor for Radio Deutsche Welle in Germany, and later as the Political Correspondent for Radio New Zealand. In 2001 he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, recently completing a three-year assignment as Deputy Ambassador in Berlin. He and his family are now based in Wellington. SELLING POINTS: * The gripping story of two airmen in World War Two - one in the RAF, the other in the Luftwaffe. * Stephen Harris discovers the truth about his great-uncle's exploits in the skies above Germany - and meets a Luftwaffe pilot sent up each night to hunt him.