An illustrated history of how the Luftwaffe intended 'the
Blitz' to knock Britain out of the war, emphasising the
German point of view and detailing how Britain's defences and civilians
responded.
The Blitz - the German 'blitzkrieg' of Britain's industrial and port
cities - was one of the most intensive bombing campaigns of World War
II. Cities from London to Glasgow, Belfast to Hull, and Liverpool to
Cardiff were targeted in an attempt to destroy Britain's
military-industrial facilities and force it out of the war.
Most histories of the Blitz concentrate on the civilian experience of
'life under the bombs' or the fighter pilots of the RAF but, in military
terms, the Blitz was also the Luftwaffe's biggest and most ambitious
strategic bombing campaign. Focusing on both sides, this book places
particular emphasis on the hitherto under-represented Luftwaffe view of
the campaign and looks at the new technology and tactics at its heart.
From the innovative development of specialist night-fighters to the
'Battle of the Beams' that pitted German electronic navigation systems
against British countermeasures, the Blitz demonstrated the effects of
developing technology on aerial warfare.
Describing and analyzing the strategy, tactics and operations of both
the Luftwaffe and the UK's air defences during the period between
September 1940 and May 1941, author Julian Hale demonstrates that, for a
variety of reasons, there was little chance of the Luftwaffe achieving
any of its aims.
Using primary sources, spectacular original artwork, 3D diagrams and
maps, this study shines a fresh light on how and why the world's first
true strategic air offensive failed.
