The Defence of The Reich

In over 500 carefully-chosen photographs, this book presents a vivid pictorial history of the German night-fighters that fought to defend the cities and factories of the Reich from British and American bombing raids during the Second World War.
Starting with near-impossible moonlit interceptions, the night war over Germany developed through a series of dramatic technical advances into a war of scientific instruments—dominated by electronic search and countermeasures equipment. The photographs in this volume chart the German viewpoint of this struggle, in which each side continually sought to outwit and confound his opponent.

The chapter subjects include:
• Nightfighting by searchlight
• Combined nightfighting
• Long-range nightfighting
• Russia, Africa and special missions
• The Himmelbett system—the beginning of dark nightfighting
• Daylight sorties—senseless sacrifice
• Eyes for the nightfighter—from 'Spanner' to 'Lichtenstein'
• The 'Wild Boar'
In order to provide background to the photographs, and to place them in their correct historical perspective, each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the pictures that follow.


by Werner Held and Holger Nauroth
Published by Arms and Armour Press 1982 231pp profusely illustrated. 21x25 fine, including d/j.






Note:
"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "new edition" "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.