Bombing Germany : the final phase : the destruction of Pforzheim and the closing months of Bomber Command's war

During 1942 and 1943 the striking power of RAF Bomber Command was transformed by the arrival of heavy bombers, advanced navigation and blind bombing systems, and new tactics to concentrate the bombers over the target and swamp the German defences. By October 1944 most of Germany's cities were in ruins, yet the bombing continued to intensify, reaching unprecedented levels in the final seven months of the air campaign. The value of further area raids was questioned during the opening months of 1945, yet the Allies destroyed the remaining cities in a bid to hasten the end of the war. The handful of German cities still largely unscathed in early February 1945 included Dresden, which was obliterated on 13 February. Ten days later, the South German city of Pforzheim was destined to suffer the same fate.#8232;#8232;This book commemorates the efforts of the aircrew members who risked their lives, consolidating a host of intriguing first-hand accounts. It also considers Pforzheim as a representative community under National Socialist rule. The city's survivors remember the horror of the raid and its aftermath, including eventual occupation by French Colonial troops and, subsequently, American forces. Tony does an admirable job of presenting historical context when considering actions in times of extreme trauma and his narrative offers an intriguing, engaging and poignant evocation of the closing months of Bomber Command's war. [Elib] The stated objective of Bomber Command during WWII, according to the Casablanca Directive of 1943, was to 'participate in the progressive destruction and dislocation of the German military, industrial and economic system' as well as to 'undermine the morale of the German people to the point where their capacity for armed resistance is fatally weakened'. Pondered from a moral perspective, these directives are wholly questionable, but during the allied bombing raid of Pforzheim in 1945, both objectives were emphatically met. Just 11 weeks after the event, Germany surrendered, signalling the end of the Second World War. In this, the 70th anniversary year of the raid and the end of the war, Anthony Redding explores each facet of the offensive within its wider historic context, describing the build-up, the strategic reasons why Pforzheim was chosen as a target, the consequences of the raid in terms of human casualties and technological/aircraft losses, and its aftermath. The fate of a set of pilots downed during the offensive is given particular attention; their executions are described in stark terms, with first-hand accounts included from members of the Hitler Youth employed in the task. Redding does an admirable job of emphasising the importance of understanding historical context when considering actions in times of extreme trauma, and his narrative account of the closing months of Bomber Command's war is sure to intrigue and engage a wide cross-section of readers. During 1942 and 1943 the striking power of RAF Bomber Command was transformed by the arrival of heavy bombers, advanced navigation and blind bombing systems, and new tactics to concentrate the bombers over the target and swamp the German defences. By October 1944 most of Germany's cities were in ruins, yet the bombing continued to intensify, reaching unprecedented levels in the final seven months of the air campaign. The value of further area raids was questioned during the opening months of 1945, yet the Allies destroyed the remaining cities in a bid to hasten the end of the war. The handful of German cities still largely unscathed in early February 1945 included Dresden, which was obliterated on 13 February. Ten days later, the South German city of Pforzheim was destined to suffer the same fate. This book commemorates the efforts of the aircrew members who risked their lives, consolidating a host of intriguing first-hand accounts. It also considers Pforzheim as a... HISTORY / Military / World War II An engaging and comprehensive narrative history of the cataclysmic allied bombing offensive at Pforzheim in February 1945, and the closing months of the Second World War. Ponders the morality of Bomber Command strategy and surveys the impact that it had upon the course and ultimate conclusion of the war.