Journey's end : Bomber Command's battle from Arnhem to Dresden and beyond
Wilson, Kevin, 1942-2011
Books, Manuscripts
This work puts the Allied bombing of Dresden during World War Two into its proper context as a particularly devastating set of raids in a much larger campaign. It also looks at the threat German arms development posed to Brtain and assesses the successes of Bomber Command. The final, climactic volume of Wilson's acclaimed bomber war trilogy. In February 1945, British and American bombers rained down thousands of tons of incendiaries on the city of Dresden, creating one of the greatest firestorms in history. Their bombs killed an estimated 25,000 people, and wiped one of the most beautiful cities in Europe from the map. The controversy that erupted shortly afterwards, and which continues to this day, has long overshadowed the other events of the bomber war, and blighted the memory of the young men who gave their lives to fight in the skies over Germany.This book neither condemns the bombing of Dresden, nor excuses it, but simply puts it in its proper context as a devastating set of raids in a much larger campaign. To the crews who flew over Germany night after night there were other much more pressing worries: the V2 rockets that threatened their loved ones at home, the brand new German jet fighters that could strike them at speeds of over 600mph, the deadly flak over the cities of the Ruhr Valley. The bomber war had entered its final unforgiving months, and no quarter was given on either side. Kevin Wilson has interviewed over a hundred people for this book, some of whom flew on the Dresden raids, and many more who experienced other aspects of bombing, both in the air and on the ground. JOURNEY'S END chronicles the brutal endgame of a conflict that caused devastation and tragedy on both sides.
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
London : Phoenix, 2011.
Collation:
ix, 450 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., maps, ports. ; 20 cm.
Notes:
Originally published: London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2010.Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9780753828588 (pbk)
Dewey class:
940.544941940.54494
LC class:
D786
Language:
English
Subject:
Great Britain. Royal Air Force. Bomber Command -- HistoryWorld War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, BritishWorld War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- GermanyWorld War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, BritishWarfare and DefenceMilitary historyGermanyc 1940 to c 1949European historySecond World WarAir forces & warfareBattles & campaignsWarfare and DefenceWorld War II (Two), 1939-1945: aerial operations
BRN:
2004098
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