Operation Steinbock 1944: The Luftwaffe's disastrous last Blitz over England (Air Campaign #52)

Description

The story of Germany's disastrous last cross-Channel Blitz in early 1944, which left the Luftwaffe devastated and barely able to oppose the D-Day landings.

Operation Steinbock was the Luftwaffe's last sustained bomber offensive against the United Kingdom. In this book, renowned World War II historian Simon Trew explains how and why the Luftwaffe's last cross-Channel campaign was such a contrast to the Blitz of 1940–41. In 1944, the Luftwaffe's under-trained and inexperienced bomber crews were out-thought and outfought by their opponents, who combined electronic warfare with powerful new night fighters and advanced anti-aircraft defences, including modern radar-cued guns.

Packed with dramatic original illustrations, explanatory diagrams, 2D maps of the strategic situation and 3D maps recreating key missions, this book tells the story of Operation Steinbock and its crucial consequences. The Germans' last air campaign over England ended in late May 1944, with the Luftwaffe having lost hundreds of strike aircraft. Just days later, the Allies stormed ashore across the beaches of Normandy, and the Luftwaffe's depleted strike force could do little to stop them.