Nuremberg Raid

A thorough history of the RAF Bomber Command attack on the German city during World War II, by the author of The First Day on the Somme. This book describes one twenty-four-hour period in the Allied Strategic Bomber Offensive in the greatest possible detail. Author Martin Middlebrook sets the scene by outlining the course of the bombing war from 1939 to the night of the Nuremberg raid, the characters and aims of the British bombing leaders, and the composition of the opposing Bomber Command and German night fighter forces. The aim of the Nuremberg raid was not unlike many hundreds of other Royal Air Force missions but, due to the difficulties and dangers of the enemy defenses and weather plus bad luck, it went horribly wrong. The result was so notorious that it became a turning point in the campaign. The target, the symbolic Nazi rally city of Nuremberg, was only lightly damaged, and 96 out of 779 bombers went missing. Middlebrook recreates the events of the fateful night in astonishing detail. The result is a meticulous, dramatic, and often controversial account. It is also a moving tribute to the bravery of the RAF bomber crews and their adversaries. Praise for The Nuremberg Raid “Employing hundreds of eyewitness accounts, he shows the raid from the point of view of the German defenses and the civilians on the ground. Factual and analytical, this is a portrait of mechanized warfare at the level of personal experience.” —Simon Mawer, Wall Street Journal

Bomber Command's raid on Nuremberg in early 1944 should have been a routine 'maximum effort' operation. It wasn't: it was a major disaster. The target was only lightly damaged and 96 of the 779 bombers dispatched went missing. Martin Middlebrook recreates the events of the night of 30-31 March in astonishing detail. He consults archives, corresponds with the raid's planners, interviews RAF and Luftwaffe aircrew as well as the German civilians in the areas that were bombed. It is a meticulous, dramatic and often controversial account. It is also a moving testimony to the bravery of both the RAF's bomber crews and their opponents.

This is a brand-new, updated history of the Nuremburg Raid, taking advantage of new stores of information that have come to light in recent years. In his usual, highly-praised style, Martin Bowman's historical narrative is supplemented throughout by first-hand snippets of pilot testimony, offering an authentic sense of events as they played out. Having access to extensive archives of images ensures that this is a visually pleasing and comprehensive account of one of the most iconic raids of the Second World War.

From best-selling author of Tail-End Charlie and Tornado Down comes this powerful and deeply moving account of Bomber Command’s 1944 Nuremberg Raid – the RAF’s bloodiest night of the Second World War

The content of this book are based on personal interviews, personal service stories among my mates, members of the Royal Australian Air Force, and with historic records of airmen who were mainly trained in the Empire Air Training scheme. The scheme was set up to keep up a supply of trained aircrew to replace the immense numbers who were giving their lives. This book also tells of Australians among the heroic crews of Bomber Command and of their amazing courage and the record of achievement that is recorded forever in this history of Australian courage. It tells in detail the high price paid by aircrews to achieve victory, the loss of comrades and the extreme hazards faced day after day, which called for great courage and effort that in the end stole their youth.