Raymond H. Fredette Ordine dei libri (cronologico)

Strategic bombing, the use of airpower to destroy an enemy's industrial plants and paralyze the morale of his citizens, was not invented by the pilots of World War II or even by such earlier spokesmen of airpower as Douhet, Trenchard, and Billy Mitchell. For in 1917 and 1918 a squadron of courageous German pilots flew more than four hundred day and night sorties against London and the English coastal towns in huge, ponderous twin-engine Gotha and Giants (the largest bombers ever to attack Britain). Officially titled <i>Kampfgeschwader 3</i>, but more popularly known as the "England Squadron," these daredevils fearlessly crossed the Channel from their Belgian bases and pounded London from the air for more than a year. In THE SKY ON FIRE, Major Fredette describes these pilots and their machines, the hazardous conditions under which they flew, and the havoc they caused. In damage, casualties, and, above all, effect, they far outdid the better-remembered Zeppelins. They pioneered bomber formation flying, daylight bombing of specific targets, night bombing, and fire raids; in 1918, they were dropping bombs weighting a ton and more on London. The "England Squadron" sowed the boomerang seeds of a doctrine which eventually led to the destruction of Dresden and Hiroshima. London and the Home Counties were thrown into confusion and despair. Crowds rioted in the East End and there were violent scenes in Parliament. In near-panic a defense system of aircraft, balloons, guns, and searchlights was thrown together; as a result of the hue and cry, distraught British politicians hastily established the world's first independent air force, the RAF. Major Fredette has produced an unforgettable description of the epoch-shaping battle, seen fro both the air and he ground. Illustrated with come of the most remarkable air war photographs ever taken, many of them published here for the first time, it is, as Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Slessor writes, "a fascinating book and one that badly needed writing."