The Berlin Raids: The Bomber Battle, Winter 1943-1944

by Martin Middlebrook

Overview

The Battle of Berlin was the longest and most sustained bombing offensive against one target in the Second World War. Bomber Commands Commander-in-Chief, Sir Arthur Harris, hoped to wreak Berlin from end to end and produce a state of devastation in which German surrender is inevitable. He dispatched nineteen major raids between August 1943 and March 1944 more than 10,000 aircraft sorties dropped over 30,000 tons of bombs on Berlin. It was the RAFs supreme effort to end the war by aerial bombing. But Berlin was not destroyed and the RAF lost more than 600 aircraft and their crews. The controversy over whether the Battle of Berlin was a success or failure has continued ever since.

Martin Middlebrook brings to this subject considerable experience as a military historian. In preparing his material he collected documents from both sides (many of the German ones never before used); he has also interviewed and corresponded with over 400 of the people involved in the battle and has made trips to Germany to interview the people of Berlin and Luftwaffe aircrews. He has achieved the difficult task of bringing together both sides of the Battle of Berlin the bombing force and the people on the ground to tell a coherent, single story.

The author describes the battle, month by month, as the bombers waited for the dark nights, with no moon, to resume their effort to destroy Berlin and end the war. He recounts the ebb and flow of fortunes, identifying the tactical factors that helped first the bombers, then the night fighters, to gain the upper hand. Through the words of the participants, he brings to the reader the hopes, fears and bravery of the young bomber aircrews in the desperate air battles that were waged as the Luftwaffe attempted to protect their capital city. And he includes that element so often omitted from books about the bombing war the experiences of ordinary people in the target city, showing how the bombing destroyed homes, killed families, affected morale and reduced the German war effort.

Martin Middlebrooks meticulous attention to detail makes The Berlin Raids one of his most accomplished book to date.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399011426
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	01/05/2022
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Martin Middlebrook has written many other books that deal with important turning-points in the two world wars, including The First Day on the Somme, Kaiser's Battle, The Peenemünde Raid, The Somme Battlefields (with Mary Middlebrook) and The Nuremberg Raid 30-31st March 1944 (all republished and in print with Pen and Sword).

Martin Middlebrook is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and lives near Boston, Lincolnshire

Table of Contents

List of Photographs vi

List of Maps and Diagrams vii

Introduction 1

1 'Berlin Next' 6

2 The Adversaries 10

3 Berlin: the City Target 21

4 The Battle Opens, 23 August 1943 29

5 31 August to 3 September 1943 77

6 A New Start 98

7 Under the Bombs 140

8 The New Year 173

9 January - Pressing on 220

10 February - Turning Away 262

11 One More Try 275

12 The Reckoning 306

13 The Aftermath 326

Experiences 334

Appendix 1 R.A.F. Bomber Command Order of Battle and Operational Performances in the Battle of Berlin 353

Appendix 2 Luftwaffe Night-Fighter Order of Battle in the Battle of Berlin 371

Appendix 3 Bomber Command Statistics 376

Appendix 4 156 Squadron Lancaster 387

Acknowledgments 390

Bibliography 397

Index 399

Editorial 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. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly