This fine book is yet another in Osprey’s Air Campaign series. It concerns itself with the massive bombing efforts over Germany in late 1943 through 1944. The author provides an excellent overview it’s chronology, including the daylight bombing raids over Berlin, Hanover, Peenemünde, Hamburg, Magdeburg, Stettin, Leipzig, Augsburg and numerous other targets.

Of particular interest is the outline the leadership and organization of both allied offensive and the German defensive forces—both in terms of the array of aircraft, bases and the defensive guns and equipment utilized by both axis and allies.

In the author’s campaign, there are clearly defined outlines dealing with many of the main air battles, including two of primary interest: The Berlin raids over the 22^nd and 23^rd of November 1943 and the split attacks over both Berlin and Stuttgart over the night of November 26-27^th, 1943. These latter raids are the subject of a wonderful illustration which details the events of the raids. During the period of August 23, 1943 through March 25, 1944, Great Britain lost an astonishing 626 aircraft amounting to 5.9% of their total aircraft during those raids.

This book is strongly recommended, both for its masterful narrative discussion of these very important British and Commonwealth nighttime raids over Germany and the beautiful illustrations, charts and tables used to flesh out the text. I wish to thank the Osprey Publishing Ltd. and IPMS-USA for the opportunity to read and review this work.

Contents

• Introduction
• Attacker’s Capabilities
• Defender’s Capabilities
• Campaign Objectives
• The Campaign
• Aftermath and Analysis
• Further Reading
• Index