Dr. Alfred Price released the original book Battle of the Reich in 1973. Now, over 30 years later the book has been reworked and released in a new form. It is basically one book sold as two separate volumes as the second volume begins at page 168. The publisher has provided just the second volume for this review which is why there is difficulty in making a review with a full book impression.

The first volume covers air battles from the beginning of the war until 1943 and in the second volume we go directly to the decisive battles over the Reich in November 1943. Through fact-filled pages we get to read the story about the latter phases in the bombing campaign against Germany with a focus on the air battles, the pilots, the aircraft and the tactics. Using modern illustrations the book has a very good and informative depth with breakdowns on interesting aspects of the campaign. The costly Nürnberg raid 1943, the formation and usage of the Sturmgruppen, the stories of specific German pilots and units;  all this and more is described at a detailed level adding great value to the book.

Special chapters are devoted to the German jet and rocket fighters and the impact they had on the campaign. Although this turned out rather limited it is an interesting part of the history and makes for great speculation about the outcome of the air war.

Dr. Price, himself a RAF aviator and a history PhD, has written an excellent book about the air battles over Germany. This book is excellent for a deep insight on the technical and air combat aspects of the strategic bomber campaign. The format is A4 and there is numerous illustrations, pictures, fact boxes and similar complementing the text.  A reader looking for the broader picture involving the effect of the bombing raids, the impacts for civilians or a discussion about the vast resources put into the bombing program by the allies must however choose a different book. That is by no means a problem since this book is an excellent publication for the reader wishing deeper knowledge on the pilots, airplanes and tactics that formed the air battle over the Reich 1943 – 1945. Just make sure to read Volume One before Volume Two.

(Reviewed by Mathias Forsberg)
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.