The Bombers and the Bombed Allied Air War Over Europe, 1940-1945

“An essential part of the literature of World War II.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

From acclaimed World War II historian Richard Overy comes this startling new history of the controversial Allied bombing war against Germany and German-occupied Europe. In the fullest account yet of the campaign and its consequences, Overy assesses not just the bombing strategies and pattern of operations, but also how the bombed communities coped with the devastation. This book presents a unique history of the bombing offensive from below as well as from above, and engages with moral questions that still resonate today.

RICHARD OVERY has written and edited more than thirty books, including Why the Allies Won, Russia’s War, The Twilight Years, and 1939. He is a professor of history at the University of Exeter, U.K.