By Day and by Night: The Bomber Air War in Europe 1939-1945 by Merrick, Kenneth A - 1989

UK: Ian Allan, 1989. 128pp & 800g to post. In the same way as the Napoleonic tactics of the opening years of World War 1 gave way to the demands of mechanised warfare, so too did the naive visions of the interwar bombing theorists as the role of the bomber became eroded by the harsh operational realities of World War 2. Using 44 two-colour route and target maps culled from official sources as his main tool, Ken Merrick examines the development of tactical and strategic bombing during World War 2 through the bombsights of the Luftwaffe, RAF Bomber Command and the US 8th Air Force. Detailed commentaries on 44 significant raids are provided and reveal how the prewar ideas of planning and implementation by the three air arms changed radically with the operational realities and technological innovations of the period 1939-45. The Front cover photograph is of the Munich-Pasing Marshalling Yards, a Lancaster is captured by the camera of a higher-flying Lancaster. The book is iIllustrated with over 50 black & white photographs, By Day and By Night provides a unique and detailed graphic treatment of the bomber air war from both the Allied and Axis viewpoints during World War 2.. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 30cm.