In 1907, H.G. Wells published a science fiction novel called The War
in the Air. It proved to be portentous. In the early years of the
First World War, German lighter-than-air flying machines, Zeppelins,
undertook a series of attacks on the British mainland. German military
strategy was to subdue Britain, both by the damage these raids caused
and by the terrifying nature of the craft that carried them out. This
strategy proved successful. The early raids caused significant damage,
many civilian casualties and provoked terror and anger in equal
measure. But the British rapidly learnt how to deal with these
futuristic monsters. A variety of defence mechanisms were developed:
searchlights, guns and fighter aircraft were deployed, the British
learnt to pick up the airships’ radio messages and a central
communications headquarters was set up. Within months aerial strategy
and its impact on the lives of civilians and the course of conflict
became part of human warfare. As the Chief of the Imperial German
Naval Airship Division, Peter Strasser, crisply put it: ‘There is no
such thing as a non-combatant any more. Modern war is total war.’
Zeppelin Blitz is the first full, raid-by-raid, year-by-year account
of the Zeppelin air raids on Britain during the First World War, based
on contemporary official reports and documents.
Les mer
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780750963213
Publisert
2015
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
The History Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter