World War II Database

Aerial bombing against enemy targets both civilian and military was, sadly, a major part of all theaters of WW2, aimed at destroying transportation hubs, reducing industrial capacity, and demoralizing the civilian population. Author Steven Zaloga's Defense of the Third Reich 1941-45 provided a closer look at Germany's defense against British air attacks. His study of anti-aircraft weapons was informative, providing information about guns of various calibers, construction of pedestal mountings and gun emplacements, and the organization of batteries. Given that this book was a part of the "Fortress" series, and strongly hinted by the cover art, the author then devoted the remainder of the book on giant towers that the Germans used both as active (in the case of flak towers) and passive (in the case of air raid shelter towers) defense, and massive fortifications that housed entire factories for the construction of jet fighters or plants for refining oil. Despite the book's small size, Zaloga was able to dive deep into minute details such as some air raid shelter towers were designed to improve the speed of people flowing into the interior and the architectural stylings of each blueprint. These massive structures were so sturdy that post-war demolition proved to be difficult, and the author took his readers to the sites where some of these towers still stood. While many of the books I had reviewed in the past offered much on the devastation brought upon Germany, namely against Hamburg and Dresden, Defense of the Third Reich 1941-45 was the first title I encountered to concentrate on the defensive fortifications. Similar to other titles in the "Fortress" series, the content was reinforced by many interesting photographs and illustrations; the photograph that struck heart was one at Bremen, a giant air raid shelter tower standing tall and completely in tact, surrounded by hundreds of completely destroyed homes. This book definitely re-sparked my interest in these fortifications, and would be on the look out for other titles that might go a little bit further.