The Hardest Victory

There was widespread appreciation in Britain of the wartime work of the RAF Bomber Command until the appearance of the official history in 1961. The criticisms in that book were taken up by writers such as Max Hastings, John Terraine and Len Deighton, and by the press, so that a different perception prevailed for a whole generation. This book aims to set the record straight. Dennis Richards, one of the official historians of the RAF in World War II, depicts Bomber Command's achievements and those of its main commander, Sir Arthur Harris, in true perspective, properly related to the circumstances of the time, dismissing the detractors' claim that the RAF offensive against Germany was at worst immoral and at best wasteful. He tells of the strategy, build-up, personal stories and operations as the offensive moves from small beginnings through heroic failures to final overwhelming achievements. Other works by the author include "Portal of Hungerford", "The Battle of Britain: A Jubilee History" (with Richard Hough) and "An Illustrated History of Modern Europe".