Our Lancaster raced over the perimeter track and then tore down the slope through the dispersal area... with its wheels thumping on the grass but still firmly on the ground. It now seemed that nothing could save us and that, in the next couple of moments, we would disappear in a great explosion. I could hear Bob saying "Get off the ground, you bastard, get off," while Harry just said nothing..."Into the Darkness" is the true story of a young Australian thown into the crucible of the air war over Europe. Navigator, Arthur Hoyle, discovers the excitement, the comraderie and the fear of being part of Bomber Command. Intelligently written this book dramatically recreates the the trials of air crews over the dark skies of Europe — where the chance of surviving the full 'tour' was very low. Close to half of all Bomber Command crew who took off into the darkness never returned.