The Luftwaffe's Blitz: The Inside Story November 1940 - May 1941

Key Points
„h Paperback edition of the best-selling hardback
„h The assault on Great Britain from the Luftwaffe¡¦s point of
view
„h 30 first-hand accounts from Luftwaffe pilots
„h 150 photographs previously unpublished
„h Written by best-selling author and renowned historian
Description
¡¥¡Ka red glowing Bofors shell hit us coming from above, the starboard
engine stopped with flames and smoke all over the starboard wing. I
stalled the aircraft, feathering the starboard propeller and tried to gain
height again but I had to level off at 1000 feet. The flames and smoke
stopped but I could not get the aircraft on a straight course. It banked to
the left and turned left and there was nothing I could do so I told the crew
that we could not make it home, that I could not land the aircraft and we
had to bale out very quickly since we were losing height all the time¡K¡¦
Oberleutnant Erick Kunst, 2 Staffel/Kampfgeschwader 3, 7 March 1941
Due to the failure of the day campaign during what has become known
as the Battle of Britain, on 7 September 1940, the Luftwaffe commenced
bombing London and major cities, predominantly by night. What became
known as the Blitz continued until 10 May 1941 with many towns and
cities across the country being attacked and London being struck 57
nights in succession.
By the end of May 1941, over 43,000 civilians, half of them in London,
had been killed by bombing and more than a million houses destroyed or
damaged in London alone. The Blitz failed to break the morale of the
British people and any thoughts of a German invasion were cancelled
with German attention quickly being transferred to the Soviet Union.
Accordingly, the intensity of the attacks against mainland Britain
lessened considerably.
Much has been written about the Blitz from a British perspective but The
Luftwaffe¡¦s Blitz tells the story from the viewpoint of the German aircrew
involved, many of whom were shot down and taken prisoner. Using over
30 first hand accounts and previously unpublished photos, The
Luftwaffe¡¦s Blitz details the Luftwaffe¡¦s assault against the United
Kingdom in 1941, covering the major attacks and those that occurred
during the remaining months of that year. Integrated with accounts from
the aircrew of RAF¡¦s embryonic night fighter force as they fought against
the Luftwaffe night after night in very difficult and sometimes primitive
circumstances, this book provides a new perspective on the Blitz from
the attacker¡¦s point of view.