Max Hastings

An outstanding and justifiably famous history of a topic about which dozens of histories have been written. The author is himself a famous journalist, newspaper editor, and historian and he has created both an even-handed and penetrating look at British Bomber Command in WWII. He includes detailed accounts of strategic and political argument, stories from participating airmen, and a harrowing portrayal of the fire-bombing of Darmstadt. Controversial topics discussed include the difficulty in bringing Bomber Command under Supreme Allied Command for the D-Day invasion, Sir Arthur Harris' strengths and shortcomings in his almost obsessional interest in urban area bombing, and Churchill's role in the fire-bombing of Dresden. Hastings had access to original memoranda, their revised versions, examples of misrepresented statistics, and the various responses from personnel in Bomber Command, the US Army Air Force, Allied Naval and Army leaders, and Albert Speer and other Nazi leaders. Lastly, a history book of this scope and quality might have been twice as long, so we benefit both from the author's expansive work and his concision.… (mere)