Odds of Survival

This lesson develops students’ understanding of the role and experience of the wireless operator in RAF Bomber Command. Students examine primary sources, including wireless operator log books and RAAF oral history testimonies, to identify the responsibilities of the role, the conditions in which crews operated, and the risks they faced.

Students use this evidence to interpret the experience of the wireless operator and consider how different types of sources represent that experience. The VR component is used to support this analysis by placing students within a historical recreation of the wireless operator’s workspace inside a WWII Lancaster bomber. The user can freely look around the confined, dimly lit environment while listening to radio transmissions and crew communication.

An embedded historical recording runs throughout the experience, with some elements of the environment responding to it as it unfolds. This provides an additional reference point for students to compare with the primary sources and refine their understanding.