Bomber CommandDIVBomber Command’s air offensive against the cities of Nazi Germany was one of the most epic campaigns of World War II. More than 56,000 British and Commonwealth aircrew and 600,000 Germans died in the course of the RAF’s attempt to win the war by bombing. The struggle in the air began meekly in 1939 with only a few Whitleys, Hampdens, and Wellingtons flying blindly through the night on their ill-conceived bombing runs. It ended six years later with 1,600 Lancasters, Halifaxes, and Mosquitoes, equipped with the best of British wartime technology, razing whole German cities in a single night. Bomber Command, through fits and starts, grew into an effective fighting force./divDIV /divDIVIn Bomber Command, originally published to critical acclaim in the U.K., famed British military historian Sir Max Hastings offers a captivating analysis of the strategy and decision-making behind one of World War II’s most violent episodes. With firsthand descriptions of the experiences of aircrew from 1939 to 1945—based on one hundred interviews with veterans—and a harrowing narrative of the experiences of Germans on the ground during the September 1944 bombing of Darmstadt, Bomber Command is widely recognized as a classic account of one of the bloodiest campaigns in World War II history. Now back in print in the U.S., this book is an essential addition to any history reader’s bookshelf./div |
Contents
In the Beginning Trenchard British Bomber Policy 191740 | 1 |
82 Squadron Norfolk 194041 | 22 |
10 Squadron Yorkshire 194041 | 42 |
Crisis of Confidence 194142 | 68 |
The Coming of Area Bombing 1942 | 85 |
50 Squadron Lincolnshire 1942 | 102 |
Protest and Policy 194243 | 130 |
76 Squadron Yorkshire 1943 | 155 |
The Balance Sheet | 304 |
Bomber Command sorties dispatched and aircraft missing and written off 193945 | 311 |
Specifications and performance of the principal aircraft of Bomber Command and Luftwaffe nightfighters 193945 | 314 |
The Target Indicator Board at Bomber Command HQ High Wycombe at the beginning of February 1945 | 323 |
Comparison of British and German production of selected armaments 194044 | 326 |
Schedule of German cities subjected to area attack by Bomber Command 194245 | 328 |
Comparison of Allied and German aircraft production 193945 | 334 |
Bibliography and a note on sources | 338 |
The Other Side of the Hill Germany 194044 | 181 |
Bomber Command Headquarters Buckinghamshire | 201 |
Conflict and Compromise 194344 | 215 |
Pathfinders 97 Squadron Lincolnshire 1944 | 237 |
A Quiet Trip All Round Darmstadt 1112 September 1944 | 261 |
Saturation | 285 |
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Common terms and phrases
76 Squadron 8th Air Force achieved Air Ministry Air Staff aircraft aircrew airfield airmen Allied American area bombing army attack Battle Battle of Berlin began Berlin Blenheim bomb-aimer Bomber Command bomber force bomber ofl'ensive bombload Britain Chief of Air Churchill civilian crews damage Darmstadt defenses destroyed destruction difficulties effort enemy engines factories feet field fierce fighter fighting figures final finally find fire first fitted five flak flames flew flight flying German German cities German fighter Germany’s Group guns Harris’s heavy bombers High Wycombe Hitler industrial inflicted Lancaster lost Luftwaffe Luftwaffe’s mess months morale Mosquitoes navigator never night night-fighter offensive Office operations Pathfinder percent pilot Portal Prime Minister production radar RAF’s raid rear gunner Royal Air Force Ruhr searchlights September significant sorties specific Speer staff officers station strategic air strategic bomber tactical target trip turret Wellington Whitley Wilhelmshaven wrote