Terror in the Tail

This lesson develops students’ understanding of the role and experience of the tail gunner in RAF Bomber Command. Students examine primary sources, including 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 tail gunner 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 tail gunner’s workspace inside a WWII Lancaster bomber. The user can freely look around the confined and isolated space at the rear of the Lancaster, scanning the skies for enemy fighters in the darkness.