The Berlin Raids: R.A.F. Bomber Command Winter 1943/44 (First Edition)

Middlebrook, Martin

ISBN 10: 0670806978 / ISBN 13: 9780670806973

Published by Viking, London, 1989

About this Item

Viking, London, 1988. First edition. First printing. Fine in a fine jacket, with a remainder line on the top edge. Full light blue cloth; spine lettered in silver. A tight, clean copy with publisher?s original prices (£14.95 and $24.95) intact on front jacket flap, top and bottom. Map endpapers. 8vo, 407 pp., including index; illustrated with maps and a glossy section of black-and-white photographs. Middlebrook?s detailed account of RAF Bomber Command?s sustained winter offensive against Berlin in 1943?44, based in part on extensive interviews with British and German participants. Comes with archival-quality mylar dust jacket protector. A beautiful copy.

Seller Inventory # CLS--WWII

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Berlin Raids: R.A.F. Bomber Command Winter 1943/44 (First Edition)
• Publisher: Viking, London
• Publication Date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670806978
• ISBN 13: 9780670806973
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Weight: 1.12 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

The Battle of Berlin was the longest and most sustained bombing offensive against one target of World War II. 19 major raids between August 1943 and March 1944 and more than 10,000 aircraft sorties dropped over 30,000 tons of bombs on Berlin. The city was not destroyed, however, and the RAF lost over 600 aircraft and their crews. The controversy over whether the battle was a success or failure has continued to this day. The author has interviewed more than 400 people in this study in an attempt to bring together both sides of the story - the tactics of the bombing force and the experiences of ordinary people in the target city. The battle is described month by month, and tactical factors that helped first the bombers and then the night fighters are identified. The experiences of the people of Berlin are also recounted, showing how bombs destroyed homes and families, affected morale and reduced the German war effort. Martin Middlebrook is the author of many books on military history including "The First Day on the Somme", "The Bomber Command War" and "Operation Corporate", a study of the Falklands War.

Reviews

No other bombing campaign in World War II against a single target was pressed so relentlessly for so long, and at such a cost, as British Bomber Command's seven-month campaign to break the German will by destroying Berlin. More than 10,000 sorties were launched, more than 30,000 tons of bombs dropped. Six hundred and seven British aircraft were lost. Balancing the cost of the campaign against advantages gained, the official Royal Air Force historian concluded early on that the Battle of Berlin "was more than a failure. It was a defeat." Middlebrook ( The First Day on the Somme ) isn't so condemning, although he judges that Luftwaffe night-fighters in combination with ground anti-aircraft defenses hurt Bomber Command more than Bomber Command harmed Berlin. His straightforward narrative covers the 19 major raids, with a detailed description of three in particular, and includes recollections by British and German airmen as well as German civilians who weathered the storm that lasted throughout the winter of 1943-44. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.