Xtended

The Xtended team welcomes back historian and author Jane Gulliford Lowes to discuss her latest book, The Invisible Campaign: Bomber Command Gardening Operations 1940–1945, with host Pieter Johnson.
Drawing on Air Ministry and Admiralty archives, squadron records and veteran testimony, Jane reveals how RAF Bomber Command’s aerial minelaying campaign (codenamed“gardening”) quietly sank or damaged hundreds of Axis ships and in fact destroyed more tonnage of enemy shipping than direct air attack. Yet it remains one of the least understood aspects of the air war.​
In this episode, Pieter and Jane explore why mining operations were developed from 1940 onwards, how Bomber Command integrated them into its wider strategy, and the evolving technology, aircraft and tactics used to plant“vegetables” from Hampden, Wellington, Stirling, Manchester, Lancaster and Halifax, in some of the most heavily defended waters in Europe.
They look at the human experience of low‑level, night‑time sorties over ports, estuaries and sea lanes from Norway tothe Bay of Biscay and deep into the Baltic, the real risk and loss rates behind the so‑called “milk run”, and why manyskilled specialist crews received little recognition during or after the war.
Jane also reassesses Arthur Harris’s view of minelaying, thesometimes tense relationship between Bomber Command and Coastal Command over anti‑shipping roles, and what this “invisible” campaign tells us about how we remember Bomber Command’s legacy today.
If you are interested in RAF history, maritime warfare or under‑told stories of the Second World War in the air, this conversation will change how you think about Bomber Command and the power of aerial mining.
For full show notes, links and images, please visit:
https://aviation-xtended.co.uk/

We talk to Rod Dean about ‘Fifty Years of Flying Fun’ which covers his half-century career in the air, from joining the RAF in 1962 to his work as a general aviation and airshow pilot.
Over his career Rod logged more than 7,000 hours on 59 different types of aircraft, including military jets like the Hunter and Jaguar, as well as vintage planes such as the Spitfire.
This is a fascinating reflection from flying fast jets through to warbirds.
For full show notes visits www.aviation-xtended.co.uk

Colonel Mike Mullane flew three Space Shuttle missions as a Mission Specialist and is a retired US Air Force weapon systems operator, flying 134 combat missions in Vietnam. 
He wrote the award-winning children's book Liftoff and the outrageously amusing and often times tragic “Riding Rockets”. 
He is a speaker on leadership, teamwork, and safety. He uses his experiences to explain the "normalisation of deviance," the tendency to take shortcuts and accept lower standards under pressure. 
Listen to Gareth’s interview with Mike, on the best and sadly some of the tragic elements of being a Space Shuttle astronaut.

This is a moving interview with Earl Moorhouse, crash survivor and author.

‘Wake Up, It’s A Crash – The Survivors’ Stories’ is his account of the world’s first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet disaster, in November 1974.

For full show notes, visit:
www.xtended.co.uk

In this episode, Tim talks to Award-winning aviation historian Victoria Taylor about her new book ‘Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain’.
 
Recorded 9th April 2025

For full show notes and imagery please visit https://aviation-xtended.co.uk/