The 'Baby Killers' (Paperback)
German Air Raids on Britain in the First World War
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 192
ISBN: 9781781592038
Published: 5th August 2013
(click here for international delivery rates)
Order within the next 53 minutes to get your order processed the next working day!
Need a currency converter? Check XE.com for live rates
Other formats available | Price |
---|---|
The 'Baby Killers' ePub (13.5 MB) Add to Basket | £6.99 |
Just over a decade after the Wright Brothers' triumph of powered flight, the conduct of war was changed for ever. Until the Kaiser's Zeppelins raided British cities and towns, it had been unthinkable that civilian populations and property hundreds of miles from the battlefield could be at risk from sudden death and destruction.
In the first section of The 'Baby Killers' Thomas Fegan charts the precise chronology of the air raids on Britain in this most thorough and fascinating work. From the start-point of the doom-laden prophecies of HG Wells and others, he describes the development of the German threat and the desperate search for answers to it. He analyses public reaction and assesses the effectiveness of the campaign as it progressed from airships to Gotha heavy bombers and, later, 'Giants'.
The second part of this superbly researched book features a gazetteer to the places bombed. The extent of the list, which includes Edinburgh, Hull and Greater Manchester, will almost certainly surprise most readers. Helpfully there are also comprehensive lists of memorials and relevant museums. The 'Baby Killers' provides a chilling insight into an aspect of The Great War which is all too often overlooked. Yet, at the time, these raids, while modest compared with those of the Second World War Blitz, shook national
morale and instilled great fear and outrage. This is an important and highly readable work.
As featured in the Burton Mail.
“A highly recommended gazetteer with information about many of the locations that were attacked.”
Britain at War
“A concise, succinct and well-illustrated account of German air raids on Britain during the Great War and is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how civilians become legitimate targets for airborne raiders.”
Burton Mail
“This is a perfect introduction to the war which took place in British skies during the Great War.”
“Concise, succinct, and well illustrated account of German air raids on Britain during the Great War and is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how civilians became legitimate targets for airborne raiders.”
Nuneaton News
“Jam -packed with photographs, propaganda posters and prints, this is a perfect introduction to the war which took place in British skies during the Great War.”
t is a book of two halves. The first is used to describe and explain the changing nature of the aerial attack on Britain, from the earliest Zeppelin raids to the aeroplane raids of 1917-18. This is done well and is illustrated with numerous photographs. A useful overview for anyone new to the subject. It is the second half of the book that really interested me. It is a gazetteer of most places attacked, given on a country by country basis. Descriptions and photographs are provided of places raided and mention is made of any surviving monument or artefact. The book is very good value at a modest price.
Cross & Cockade
Here is a welcome reappearance of a book which forms an essential guide to the air raids of the Great War. Thomas Fegan outlines the attacks of both the air ship and bomber fleets of the Kaiser’s forces and it’s difficult to find anything to dislike about it.
www.warhistoryonline.com
“A highly recommended gazetteer with information about many of the locations that were attacked.”
Britain at War
“A concise, succinct and well-illustrated account of German air raids on Britain during the Great War and is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how civilians become legitimate targets for airborne raiders.”
Burton Mail
“This is a perfect introduction to the war which took place in British skies during the Great War.”
The author has researched well, presenting and arguing points effectively in a very well illustrated book. The reader will probably be surprised by some of the revelations. The construction of sound mirrors to detect attacking aircraft and the truck mounted anti-aircraft guns operated by the Royal Navy are amongst the rarely referred to aspects of this bombing campaign. A fascinating account of a campaign that changed the nature of warfare and served to pioneer the widespread bombing of WWII that was to reach terrible heights of effectiveness with the Anglo-American bombing of Germany and the American nuclear bombing of Japanese targets. Given the nature of democracies, the Anglo American bombing campaigns might never have been attempted had the Germans not decided to deliberately bomb civilian targets in Britain during the Great War.
aerospace.firetrench.com
The author has researched well, presenting and arguing points effectively in a very well illustrated book. The reader will probably be surprised by some of the revelations. The construction of sound mirrors to detect attacking aircraft and the truck mounted anti-aircraft guns operated by the Royal Navy are amongst the rarely referred to aspects of this bombing campaign. A fascinating account of a campaign that changed the nature of warfare and served to pioneer the widespread bombing of WWII that was to reach terrible heights of effectiveness with the Anglo-American bombing of Germany and the American nuclear bombing of Japanese targets. Given the nature of democracies, the Anglo American bombing campaigns might never have been attempted had the Germans not decided to deliberately bomb civilian targets in Britain during the Great War.
aerospace.firetrench