Author(s): Julian Hale; Mads Bangso (Illustrator)

Overseas Military

Although best known for civilian suffering under the bombs, or perhaps for the valiant efforts of RAF Fighter Command, in military terms the Blitz was also the Luftwaffe's biggest and most ambitious strategic bombing campaign of the war. Striking industrial cities and vital ports from London to Glasgow and Belfast to Hull, the Luftwaffe hoped that the Blitz would succeed where the Battle of Britain had failed. In this book, aviation researcher Julian Hale examines the Blitz with a particular focus on the Luftwaffe's objectives, methods and results, and on the new technology and tactics at the heart of the campaign. 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. Based on primary research with spectacular new artwork, 3D diagrams and maps, this study shines a fresh light on how and why the world's first true strategic air offensive failed. Includes: Battlescenes, Bird's-Eye Views, Maps and Diagrams, Expert Analysis