Starting with leaflet drops in 1940, the aerial offensive against the Nazis homeland grew into a huge armada that pulverised much of Germany, seriously damaging her ability to make war and killing hundreds of thousands. By day, the Flying Fortresses of the Mighty Eighth US Airforce confronted the day fighters of Luftflotte Reich, and then it was the turn of Bomber Commands Lancasters to fight off the deadly predators of the Nachtjagd (night hunters). The tactics and technology of Allied escort fighters evolved quickly though the war years, as they did for the defending German fighters. For the Allied airmen who fought this war the price was frighteningly high, for those who opposed them in the air and on the ground it was even higher.
As the bombing increased, Nazi high command was forced to devote more and more resources to try and defeat the Allied campaign, just when those same resources were desperately needed elsewhere, both on the Russian Front and, after D-Day on 6 June 1944, on the new Western Front. Written from the other side and told as much as possible through the words of the veterans, this is an important book on one of the most controversial campaigns of the Second World War.
Arvustused
'Whilst I have read many books on this subject previously, I found this a highly readable and engaging book which provided much new information, as well as many new eyewitness accounts. This will surely prove to be another popular book on this subject.' * History BookChat, June 2025 *
Jonathan has an honours degree in History and served in the British Army, completing operational tours in Northern Ireland and Bosnia, and latterly acting as a military instructor to friendly governments in the Arabian Gulf. He has written extensively, although not exclusively, on the Second World War, specialising in the fighting on the Eastern Front, and non-Germans who served in the Waffen-SS. A regular expert contributor to all aspects of media, including TV and a range of magazines including History of War, All About History and The Armourer. He also often features on radio; BBC Radio 4, Talk Radio, Newstalk, and in a large number of podcasts, such as ww2podcast.com, History Hack and History Hit. His previous books include 'Death on the Don: The Destruction of Germanys Allies on the Eastern Front' and the best-selling 'D-Day Through German Eyes'.