Product Description

Robin Neillands examines every detail of the bomber campaign against Germany during World War II. He looks at the strengths and fundamental flaws in doctrine; the technical difficulties and developments; and the day-by-day, night-by-night endurance of the crews, flying to the limit in discomfort and danger. The book includes oral history in the shape of personal accounts not only of the British but of Americans, Australians, Canadians and other Allied fliers, and also of German aircrews and civilians.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #426419 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 458 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Sixty years ago, as squadrons of British and US bombers set off night after night for Nazi Germany, few people challenged the morality of the operations. The Allies were on the side of the angels and any means were justified in the pursuit of victory. These days, as both memories and veterans fade away, questions are increasingly asked about the ethics of Bomber Command. In some quarters, Sir Arthur Harris, head of Bomber Command, is regarded as little better than a war criminal. It was to redress this imbalance of modern perception that Robin Neillands began this study of the Allied bomber offensive but, as he acknowledges, his remit rapidly expanded into a critique of strategic bombing as a whole. This, though, presents problems. Strategic bombing can loosely be defined as the carpet bombing of civilian and military installations in order to break the morale of the enemy. It is immediately clear that if you cite Hiroshima and Nagasaki as examples, then you have to concede that the theory works, as Japan surrendered in their aftermath.

Rather than clarifying the issue though, the Japanese experience confuses it, as it suggests that if Britain and the US had had the capacity to drop even more tonnage on Germany, the Nazis would have surrendered without the need for D-Day and consequent loss of life. The fact is, however, that although the Allies didn't have the weaponry to force Germany to its knees, they carried on regardless. Moreover, the bombing campaigns began in earnest at a time when the Allies had no other means to strike at the heart of Germany, and continued into 1945 with the destruction of Dresden when the war was almost won. Under such circumstances it is hard to argue the unequivocal morality of the British position, much as Neillands might like to. Harris was clearly not a war criminal, but he was no saint either. The fact is that five years of war is enough to wear anyone down and people take decisions they otherwise might not make. By late 1944 everyone was thoroughly exhausted and the collateral damage of a few German cities and their inhabitants was a minor consideration in the effort to get the war over and done with. For the most part, though, Neillands is an engaging and fair-minded historian and his accounts of the main events of the campaign are skilfully told and enlivened by first-hand accounts. And if he doesn¹t succeed in getting the Allied commanders off the hook, he more than succeeds in conveying the courage and determination of the aircrews, many of whom were knowingly condemned to an early death. --John Crace

Review
A cogent analysis of the morally complex technological, political, and strategic decisions made by the Allied air forces during the war against Nazi Germany. Former Royal Marines Commando and military historian Neillands ("The Conquest of the Reich", not reviewed, etc.) notes that many current histories single out the Allied leaders as war criminals responsible for the notorious "terror" bombing of German civilians. By uncovering and presenting the pragmatic challenges faced by the bomber commanders, he argues that these authors fail to understand the historical context in which leaders like Air Marshal Arthur Harris directed these raids. Neillands details the technological race between the Allied and Axis forces as they struggled to overcome navigational challenges and develop effective bombsights that would improve bombing accuracy. He also shows how combat conditions encouraged the aircrews to release their bomb-loads quickly in order to preserve their own lives. Drawing on extensive interviews with British, American, and German pilots, he brings to life the intensity of the aerial combat that resulted in casualties in more than half the men who served in the British Bomber Command during WWII. These factors lead Neillands to conclude that the only way to affect Germany's wartime industry was to use the area bombing methods that killed tens of thousands of civilians in and around the industrial and transportation centers of Hamburg, Berlin, and Dresden. By the end, Neillands admits to the murky moral nature of the Allied strategic bombing campaign. Recognition of this moral ambiguity is his ultimate goal: to move the discourse about the bombing away from self-righteous moral platitudes and toward more thoughtful consideration of the campaign's historical context. Well-researched and thoughtfully argued, scholars and afficionados of WWII history and readers interested in the moral philosophy of war will find this compelling reading. (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author
Robin Neillands is 'one of Britain's most readable military historians' (Birmingham Post) and the author of several widely acclaimed books on the First and Second World Wars, including The Battle of Normandy, 1944; The Great War Generals on the Western Front, Eight Army and The Conquest of the Reich. He lives in Wiltshire.

Customer Reviews

Fair summary of controversial area
I think it is true to say that this book does not contain material that would surprise anybody who has read a fair bit on the Second World War and Bomber Command in particular. Having said that it is a very fair-minded review of the development of the bombing campaign against Germany.

I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Mr Neillands at the Imperial War Museum where he was accompanied by a group of remarkable elderly gentlemen who flew on operations over Germany. They were a lively bunch. Probably the best compliment that could be paid to this book is that these men - these heroes - were giving it their full support and said they were encouraged by the positive reaction the book was getting.

To say these men - and their comrades-in-arms - have been poorly treated - by history and by their countrymen - is an understatement. Most Bomber Command crew died in the Second World War - chilling fact. To have the survivors pilloried is a matter of shame for all of us. This book seeks to redress the balance and, for that alone, it is a welcome addition to the works available.

It is a good read - managing to eschew some of the more (dare I besmirch a great man and wonderful author)'trainspottery' elements of a Martin Middlebrook book and steers clear from the over-stating of argument contained within Max Hastings' standard work on the campaign 'Bomber Command' - notably on Peter Portal's 'failure' to control Arthur Harris.

A study of the Bomber War that's right on target.
BOMBER WAR by Robin Neillands

I'd seen a number of good reviews about this book and, having always felt that Bomber Harris had been harshly judged, was keen to read it. The book is indeed very readable, and even the technical arguments about the bomber war are easy to follow. What I particularly liked, apart from the gripping and sometimes very sad stories from aircrew veterans that the book is laced with, is that none of the serious issues have been ducked - on Dresden, on Area Bombing, on the American role and, not least, on the morality of bombing civilians at all. A first-class book, excellent history and very well written. A must for anyone interested in the Second World War.

Graham Tarrant

Good historic account
I'm in the US and picked up this book out of the bargain bin at a bookstore. I find WWII books very interesting and, as this was mostly a British book, thought it would be enlightening to see a different aspect of the war.

The book is very educational and has great detail of the Allied bombing offensive from its earliest days. Lots of interesting information about the technology and people who were involved including lots of first-hand accounts from the aircrews.

What I find a little odd in reading the other reviews is that I barely noticed the moral aspect to the book. Perhaps it is just that growing up and being educated in the US, I was never taught anything about the bombing being morally wrong. Thus, when I read the book, while I noted that the author did discuss the morals some, I viewed the book as a history piece rather than an exoneration of Harris. I just didn't take the book that way. Interesting how different life experiences can shape one's views I guess.

From an American standpoint, I would have loved a little more detail on the USAAF, but there is actually a fair amount in here and it seems petty to ask for more.

Enjoy the book.