Book reviews 
 Recommended reading 
 Book forum 
 Latest book feedback 

 Popular resources 
 Recent views 
 Random book 

 Newsletter requests 
 Sell your books 

 War Diary 
 Armies 
 Nations at war 
 History 
 Trivia challenge 

 WWII links

 About us 
 Site guide 
 Site index 

ISBN 978-0-85979-148-9
264 pages

Acknowledgements; Glossary and Abbreviations; Foreword; Preface; Introduction; Prologue; photos; Epilogue; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index

Appendices: Dramatis Personae; Luftwaffe bomber OB; Dates, targets, and aircraft involved in raids; Luftflotte report of attack on Coventry; Luftflotte recon photographs

   Chris Goss does not write the splashiest or best-selling books ever to hit the shelves, but readers can rely on him to provide thoughtful, interesting material about whatever topic he tackles. That's exactly the case in his latest effort, a relatively brief but quite appealing and useful look at Luftwaffe bomber operations over the UK between the end of the Battle of Britain and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, by which time most of the bomber units had transferred to the east.
   Goss wrote a pair of similar books on the Battle of Britain itself about ten years ago, and anyone familiar with Luftwaffe Bombers' Battle of Britain and Luftwaffe Fighters' Battle of Britain will already have a feel for The Luftwaffe's Blitz. The author is not one to waste ink. He keeps his text to a fairly minimal level while tracing the important outlines of the evolution of the air campaign between the RAF and Luftwaffe in British skies during this period, beginning with Hitler's speech of 4 September 1940 when, in retaliation for Bomber Command's nightly pinpricks, the Fuehrer threatened to drop 400,000 kilos of bombs in darkness and "erase" British cities.
   In addition to his own informative text, Goss relies in large measure on the words of Luftwaffe flyers. Like many of the foremost British air historians, the author met and established cordial working relationships with many aging German pilots, most of whom have now passed away. Nonetheless, Goss retains a trove of their recollections of wartime service. He puts those collected memories to good use here, fleshing out his book with the authentic words of the men of the Luftwaffe.
   Those men had much to say, sometimes in a manner that made aerial warfare sound little different than driving a taxi cab. Here's one of the first snippets Goss uses, a quote from Unteroffizier Horst Gotz of 1/KGr 100.

   I have no particular memories of individual operations. They were all quite routine, like running a bus service. The London flak defences put on a great show—at night the exploding shells gave the place the appearance of bubbling pea soup; but very few of our aircraft were hit—I myself never collected so much as a shell fragment. On rare occasions one of my crew might catch sight of a British night-fighter but it seems they never saw us and we were never attacked. During our return flights, the radio operator would often tune in his receiver to a music programme, to provide some relief from the monotony.

   On the other hand, a substantial number of the aviators interviewed by Goss seem to have survived the conflict because they were lucky enough—although it might not have seemed like good fortune at the time—to be downed over England and captured safe and sound early in the war.

   Surprised by so many hits, the Heinkel caught fire. Both engines were hit—they stopped at once. The oil temperature shot up and speed fell. I lost height quickly. I had no means of defence as I was completely occupied with the plane. Through the intercom I heard screaming and groaning of both my comrades, Bordfunker Steiger and Bordmechaniker Weisse, who seemed to be badly wounded. My left hand on the throttle and my left ankle were both wounded—they were outside the safety of the armour plate. My back and seat were protected by an 8mm armour plate. I felt only a slight blow—I had no pain. My Beobachter seemed to be unhurt. I saw no possibility of bringing the plane down—jumping by parachute was the only possible way of hanging on to life. I gave Dussel the order to crawl back, to lift up the escape hatch and, after preparing their parachutes, to throw both comrades out. Whether they were dead or wounded I could not ascertain—it was the only way of giving them a chance of life. The Beobachter came back and said he could not reach them as the walkway was already on fire. I gave the order 'Ready to jump!'#151;Dussel immediately jumped out through the side hatch. He must, as I later thought, have jumped without his parachute as everything happened so fast....

   Goss continues to alternate his notes about the campaign and the memories of the airmen throughout the three chapters comprising the heart of his book. This is neither a blow-by-blow chronology nor a treatise on technology and tactics, but the author does an excellent job of tracing the overall progress of the air war over Britain while illustrating the action with memorable first-hand accounts from Luftwaffe cockpits. He also includes a fine collection of black and white photographs.
   Interesting and appealing as the chapters are, Goss takes the book to a new level with appendices that demonstrate his abilities for researching and assembling important data. Appendix Two contains the Luftwaffe OB for bomber units in western Europe on November 1940, January 1941, February 1941, March 1941, April 1941, May 1941, and June 1941. Even more impressively, Appendix Three provides a detailed chronology of Luftwaffe raids on the UK from 1 November 1940 through 21/22 June 1941. For each date, the appendix shows each city targeted and the bomber unit(s) dispatched against each city. For major raids—on London, for example—the chronology breaks down the attacks on an hourly basis for each geschwader. Very nice.
   While not likely to garner a Pulitzer, The Luftwaffe's Blitz earns our recommendation as another worthwhile aviation effort by Chris Goss. It's a well-crafted book that integrates a clear understanding of the air war with the kinds of veteran voices that have departed forever. Adding such detailed appendices takes everything to an even higher level. Good job!
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Crecy Publishing or its US distributor, Specialty Press.
   Thanks to Specialty for providing this review copy.

Reviewed 30 January 2011
Copyright © 2011 by Bill Stone
May not be reproduced in any form without written permission of Stone & Stone