Jane's Battles with the Luftwaffe: The Bomber Campaign Against Germany 1942-45 [Hardcover]

Theo Boiten (Author), Martin W. Bowman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2001

This collection and analysis of first-hand accounts from World War 11 veteran aircrew offers a fresh look at the day air war that raged over Europe from 1942 to 1945. it retraces not only the course of events of the war years as experienced by both Allied and Axis pilots, but also offers vivid descriptions of weaponry, aircraft and tactical developments during the extensive bombing campaign against Germany.

Richly illustrated with some 300 photographs, many of which previously unpublished, Battles with the Luftwaffe is a fascinating account of the realities of air-combat during World War II.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Theo Boiten studied history at Groningen University in the Netherlands. He graduated in 1992, specialising in an overall history of the developments of the night air war over the Third Reich during the Second World War. Since graduating, he has worked in his spare time on his doctoral thesis at Leiden University, on the sea warfare in the North Sea during World War II. He currently works as a freelance historian and interviewer and has written five books: Blenheim Strike, Nachtjagd; The Night Fighter versus Bomber War over the Third Reich 1939-45; Raiders of the Reich: Air Battle Western Europe 1942-1945 (which he co-authored with Martin Bowman); Bristol Blenheim and Night Airwar. He lives in Almere, near Amsterdam.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Collins Reference; 1ST edition (November 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007113633
• ISBN-13: 978-0007113637
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #976,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh Look at the ETO Air War!, December 14, 2005

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jane's Battles with the Luftwaffe: The Bomber Campaign Against Germany 1942-45 (Hardcover)

The American air campaign against Germany has been chronicled in hundreds of books over the years. The Boiten and Bowman book is a fresh look at the Mighty 8th's air war with many new personal accounts from American and German aircrews topped off with 300+ photos, some in color. It's a very pleasing package and makes for fascinating reading. If you're an 8th Air Force enthusiast, buy this book. You won't be disappointed. Highly recommended!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personal stories of the bomber offensive, November 17, 2008

By 

Robert A., Shoaf (PITTSBURGH,PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jane's Battles with the Luftwaffe: The Bomber Campaign Against Germany 1942-45 (Hardcover)

I lucked upon this volume in a discount book store, and I am glad I did. While it does maintain a somewhat dry chronological overview of primarily 8th Air Force bombing missions from 1942-1945, more than half of the book consists of individual narratives from USAAF bomber & fighter crew, and Luftwaffe fighter pilots and flak crews. These I found to be, by and large, most interesting, and new to me, despite having read numerous works on this subject over the years. Many of the USAAF photos I have seen before, but few of those of the Luftwaffe.
The sacrifice of both sides is well described, both in the individual stories, and the dry statistics of bomber and fighter losses, and the attendant casualties. It was a massive effort by both sides, with the issue in doubt until well into 1944.
I strongly agree with an earlier reviewer that the print is definitely much too small, and hard on the eyes. Nevertheless, a worthy addition to anyone's library on the air war in Europe, 1942-1945.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive but difficult to read, June 22, 2006

By 

Dimitrios (Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jane's Battles with the Luftwaffe: The Bomber Campaign Against Germany 1942-45 (Hardcover)

The book contains hundreds of photographs from the air war over Europe (1942-45), many of them never before published, as well as a wealth of first hand accounts of the terrible sky battles. The main drawback of the book is that editors tried hard to put too much text in the pages, resulting in a very small letter font which really made me grow tired after reading a few pages each time.