Airborne in 1943: The Daring Allied Air Campaign over the North Sea

In this meticulously researched work, British journalist Wilson (Blood and Fears) lays out an exacting reconstruction of the aerial campaign of 1943, in which the Allies took “war home to the enemy as never before in the history of Germany or the world.” Wilson doesn’t skimp on detail in this yearlong narrative of the missions, triumphs, failures, and losses that made up the Allied assault on Germany’s cities, in a bold reversal of the earlier events of WWII. Precisely detailed military actions during such campaign milestones as the Battle of the Ruhr and the Battle of Berlin are interspersed with personal recollections (of such participants as rear gunner Sgt. Albert Bracegirdle, wireless operator Pilot Officer Dennis Bateman, and bomb aimer Sgt. Len Bradfield) to create a vivid, complex picture of this phase of the war, with an eye toward remembering those involved as increasingly unappreciated heroes. This is a solidly written, engaging military history. [em]Agent: Jessica Purdue, Orion. (Dec.) [/em]