THE NUREMBERG RAID: 30-31 March 1944

The story of a massive but abortive British bombing of Nuremberg -- the last great raid before the Battle for Berlin -- is told in great detail, not so much through the eyes of the officers and men who were involved as through considerable research and documentation. The ""you are there"" technique is given less play than the whys and analysis of the tragedy. Unfortunately the Nuremberg strike failed to find its target and, mistakenly, many bombers unloaded on other cities instead. Several reasons are given for Bomber Command's disaster -- and disaster it was. The raid should have been cancelled given the weather conditions; Bomber Command was being flown by inexperienced, tired crews; bombing was inaccurate, only lightly damaging Nuremberg; the British were grievously wrong to gamble that they would not be intercepted. A fairly dry, sympathetic record, mostly for buffs -- without any of the horror or the humanity of Vonnegut on Dresden.