Battle of Berlin 1943–44

Bomber Harris' gamble to end the war

Richard Worrall, Graham Turner

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9781472835222
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781472835192
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: German History
• Index: History

This illustrated study explores, in detail, the controversial Battle of Berlin, RAF Bomber Command's costly, brutal attempt to prove that strategic bombing alone could bring an end to World War II.

Throughout late-1943 into early-1944, an epic struggle raged over the skies of Germany between RAF Bomber Command and the Luftwaffe. This campaign had been undertaken by the Commander-in-Chief Bomber Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, and was baptized 'The Battle of Berlin'.

The Berlin campaign was a hard, desperate slog. Struggling against dreadful and bitter winter weather, Bomber Command 'went' to Berlin a total of sixteen times, suffering increasingly severe losses throughout the winter of 1943/44 in the face of a revitalized German air-defence. The campaign remains controversial and the jury, even today, is ultimately undecided as to what it realistically achieved.

Illustrated throughout with full-colour artwork depicting the enormous scale of the campaign, this is the story of the RAF's much debated attempt to win the war through bombing alone.

Table of contents

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