Fire and Fury

‘There are a lot of people who say that bombing can never win a war… We shall see.’ Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris

During the Second World War, American and British air forces dropped nearly two million tons of bombs on Germany. They destroyed sixty cities, killed more than half a million German citizens, and left eighty thousand aircrew dead.

Head of RAF Bomber Command Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris vowed to flatten the nation’s cities one after another ‘like pulling teeth’. The US Air Force, meanwhile, pursued a different strategy in Europe: precision bombing of critical infrastructure.

But which was more effective? Did the carpet bombing of cities actually impact the course of the conflict? Could the war have ended months earlier if bombing missions had focused on key industrial targets instead?

In Fire and Fury acclaimed historian Randall Hansen draws together the records of the Allied air forces as well as accounts of the German citizens who lived through the raids. He explores the differences between the American and British bomber campaigns, and their impact, in a clear-eyed and wide-ranging book.

Perfect for fans of Max Hastings, James Holland and Antony Beevor.