When James Cyril McCaffery joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and headed off to the Second World War, he expected a rollicking adventure. What he experienced instead was the worst of aerial combat -- in all its violence and danger. He served his country bravely but returned forever changed. Based on lengthy interviews with his father and the people who served with him and years of tireless research, acclaimed aviation author Dan McCaffery has pieced together his father's career as a tail gunner in Bomber Command. Gunner McCaffery participated in many of the best-known and most controversial actions of the war, including the raid that created the firestorm that destroyed Dresden and killed tens of thousands of civilians. Unlike many of Canada's airmen in Bomber Command, McCaffery survived his tour of duty -- without ever firing his guns in combat. This book is a compelling and emotionally honest look at the horrors of war, and the story of an inexperienced Canadian teenager struggling to cope with the conflict between his beliefs and what he is being asked to do in the name of duty.