7 used & new from £2.83
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Berlin Raids (Cassell Military Paperbacks)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Berlin Raids (Cassell Military Paperbacks) (Paperback)

by Martin Middlebrook (Author) "It was no secret ..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


1 new from £6.25 6 used from £2.83

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Military OneSource opens new browser window
www.MilitaryOneSource.com  -  Available 24/7 for all your needs! You name it. We can help. 
   Are you Ex-Military/Navy? opens new browser window
www.HMForces.co.uk  -  Civilian job boring? Need some excitement? 
  
 

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Lancaster Target

Lancaster Target

by Jack Currie
5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  £4.98
The Peenemunde Raid: The Night of 17-18 August 1943 (Pen & Sword Military)

The Peenemunde Raid: The Night of 17-18 August 1943 (Pen & Sword Military)

by Martin Middlebrook
£11.49
The Peenemeunde Raid

The Peenemeunde Raid

by Martin Middlebrook
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £14.95
Dresden: Tuesday, 13 February, 1945

Dresden: Tuesday, 13 February, 1945

by Frederick Taylor
4.1 out of 5 stars (15)  £5.39
Bomber Offensive (Pen & Sword Military Classics)

Bomber Offensive (Pen & Sword Military Classics)

by Sir Arthur Harris
4.0 out of 5 stars (1) 
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Phoenix; New Ed edition (30 Mar 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0304353477
  • ISBN-13: 978-0304353477
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 187,951 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #26 in  Books > History > Military History > Battles & Campaigns > Battle for Berlin

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

Martin Middlebrook enjoys an international reputation with his superbly researched, compelling accounts of major turning points in the two World Wars. An absorbing account of the biggest bombing offensive in World War Two, based on the accounts of those who experienced it on both sides - in the air and on the ground.


About the Author

Following his first book, The First Day on the Somme, Martin Middlebrook has published a series of books on major turning points in the two World Wars - all classics of military history.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
It was no secret. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Berlin Raids (Cassell Military Paperbacks)
94% buy the item featured on this page:
Berlin Raids (Cassell Military Paperbacks) 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
Pathfinder (Bomber crews)
5% buy
Pathfinder (Bomber crews)
Mosquito Victory (Bomber Crews)
1% buy
Mosquito Victory (Bomber Crews) 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£5.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The World War II Berlin operations brought to life, 30 Oct 2001
By A Customer
Yet another excellent work by Martin Middlebrook. The depth and quality of the research shows in the writing. The basic facts and figures of the campaign are interspersed with accounts of each specific raid, including graphics of routings and losses, as well as the personal stories of individuals involved. The book presents a well balanced picture of the events by the inclusion of the German perspective from both military and civilian sources. The true "flavour" of the times can be gleaned from this work. It illustrates the quiet courage which kept the young men of Bomber Command returning night after night to what was probably the costliest target of the war in the air. A "must" for the collection of anyone with any interest in the Royal Air Force and in particular Bomber Command.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars A readable but disturbing book, 30 Dec 2007
By R. Szweda "rszweda2" (mk uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
MM sure knows his onions and he complements the stats with excellent accounts from both sides of the battle.

This approach makes for a very easy read and you find yourself drawn in hoping for a good outcome. Of course there isn't going to be one and you know that but read on.

I find it staggering that these brave men would go out on these raids knowing how the odds were stacked against them. As he says, one raid saw more casualties than Fighter Command suffered in the Battle of Britain. They 'pressed on' and in retrospect it is puzzling why. There is of course the school of thought that much comes down to Harris. In the armed forces you are supposed to follow orders. He comes across as single-minded and The Battle for Berlin was his supreme folly.

The snag is no one will ever know how close these raids may have been to cracking the Nazi will. More ordnance was expended on this city than several Hiroshimas in equivalent kilo-tonnage but it did not knock Germany out of the war.

Perhaps what disturbed this amateur student of the bomber offensive was the RAF's failure to counter Luftwaffe attacks. MM puts forward a good case for the lack of good intelligence about Luftwaffe tactics combined with the Schrage Muzik attack method. There were other problems too but these two likely caused the horrendous losses.

And it would not have been so bad had the bombers hit the target accurately and consistently. Weather and other factors often prevented this.

Until D-Day there was little the West could do to hit the Nazis so you could justify Harris's scheme that way. But I have always had the suspicion that he was too arrogant to change his mind. That's the price we pay - we have to have strong leaders but all too often they have character flaws. I feel so sorry for those bomber crews and their families. Maybe also for those on the ground who were also led by a strong willed man albeit one with even more character flaws.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4.0 out of 5 stars Blow By Blow Account of Air War, 10 Sep 2007
By Stephen Bull - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Martin Middlebrook's book on the Berlin raids has been through a number of printings - and deservedly so since it is such a well produced chronological account of the events of 1943 and 1944. The book properly takes into account technological developments on both sides, and looks at the damage on the ground, as well as the performance of the attackers. It highlights particularly well the differing attributes of the British bombers: Lancaster, Halifax, Sterling and Mosquito, which were the main types in use. Both British, and some German, primary sources have been used to excellent account, and appendices give plenty of squadron and group data.

One of the main problems with attempting a work of this sort is that what is effectively a list of similar raids could become turgid: Middlebrook largely avoids this however by the liveliness and quality of his writing. Another approach might have been to construct the anatomy of one 'typical' raid using examples from many - then present the total statistics as tables. Nevertheless Middlebrook's methodology is more exact, and makes it easier to refer back to the book for an account of any one day or raid.

A recommended work, especially for anybody with an interest in the RAF; World War II; aircraft or bombing.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject























i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.