Coventry: Thursday, 14 November 1940

by Frederick Taylor

At a few minutes past seven on the evening of Thursday, 14 November 1940, the historic industrial city of Coventry was subjected to the longest, most devastating air raid Britain had yet experienced. Only after eleven hours of continual bombardment by the German Luftwaffe could its people emerge from their half-sunk Anderson shelters and their cellars, from under their stairs or kitchen tables, to venture up into their wounded city. That long night of destruction marked a critical moment in the Second World War. It heralded a new kind of air warfare, one which abandoned the pursuit of immediate military goals and instead focused on obliterating all aspects of city life. It also provided the push America needed to join Britain in the war. But while the Coventry raid was furiously condemned publically, such effective enemy tactics provided Britain's politicians and military establishment with a 'blueprint for obliteration', to be adapted and turned against Germany. A merciless four-year war of attrition had begun. In this important work of history Frederick Taylor draws upon numerous sources, including eye witness interviews from the archives of the BBC which are published here for the first time, to reveal the true repercussions of the bombing of Coventry in 1940. He teases out the truth behind the persistent rumours and conspiracy theories that Churchill knew the raid was coming, assesses this significant turning point in modern warfare, looks at how it affected Britain's status in the war, and considers finally whether this attack really could provide justification for the horror of Dresden, 1945.

Genres: History, Military History, World War II, Nonfiction, Aviation, Germany, 20th Century

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

Frederick Taylor is a British novelist and historian specialising in modern German history.

He was educated at Aylesbury Grammar School and read History and Modern Languages at Oxford University. He did postgraduate work at Sussex University on the rise of the extreme right in Germany in the early twentieth century. Before embarking on the series of historical monographs for which he is best known, he translated The Goebbels Diaries 1939–1941 into English and wrote novels set in Germany.

Reviews

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars
Well researched but a bit dry and lacking in first hand accounts from the people of Coventry. If you're interested in German technological advances in aviation and radio navigation during World War II, you may find this book more interesting.

[Kayla]

I wasn’t able to read this as thoroughly as I would’ve liked since I was using it for a term paper, but one day I’ll go back and read it again to really enjoy it

[Regi Ja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niemals hätte ich gedacht, dass mich ein Buch über Kriegsereignisse so interessieren würde. … Nach einem Besuch in Coventry wollte ich mehr über die Bombenangriffe der Deutschen auf diese Stadt wissen. Der Autor beschrieb viele Details über das Leben in Coventry, über den Aufstieg der Stadt, die Geschichte vor der Bombardierung. Und er lässt viele Menschen zu Wort kommen, die die Angriffe selber erlebt haben. Darüber hinaus benennt er sehr sehr viele Opfer mit Namen, Alter und Beruf, so dass ich als Leserin wirklich berührt werde von Schicksalen, zusätzlich zu vielen vielen Daten und Fakten. Es gelingt ihm, das alles leicht lesbar darzustellen. Eine sinnvolle Lektüre zu den persönlichen Eindrücken in der Stadt.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really insightful and knowledgeable read. However, I felt at times the author dwelt too much on background details, at the cost of specifics of the Coventry bombing. For example, I really was hoping to find out more about the myth of the "Martyred City", and the conspiracy surrounding the British knowledge of the bombing before it occurred. Although the topic was covered, I was hoping for more discourse on it. However, on the plus side the author's clear local knowledge of the city is fascinating, with the first person testimonies really adding to the book. A great book for covering the overview of the bombing war, but less so on specifica

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the facts that I liked most about this book is it erased the myth that Churchill knew about the raid on Coventry a long time before the event and did not allow the city to be warned because to do so would reveal that the British had broken the enigma code. NOT!! The identity of the target of the "Moonlight Sonata" German mission was not deciphered until a few hours before the bombing. At that point notifying Coventry would have led to mass panic and may have contributed to more deaths than resulted from the raid. Another partial myth concerns the power of the RAF fighter pilots. They ultimately were equipped with radar and were essential to winning the Battle of Britain. Early in the war they were really largely ineffective at night but were brave in engaging the Germans in daylight dogfights. At the time of the Coventry raid, they could not intervene and did nothing to protect the city. Not a single German bomber was engaged by an RAF fighter - they could not find them. No bomber was shot down - only one bomber was lost and it crashed on its own. The antiaircraft fire did more damage when the flack fell back to earth on the city as burning hot shrapnel. Although Coventry was a major industrial city, most of the damage was to civilians, hospitals, and the city center. Most of the large factories were undamaged. Unfortunately loss of life was partially due to the city's lack of planning for large scale bombing via adequate shelters. Another myth was that the people of Coventry wanted revenge and their desires led to the bombing of Dresden. Although I am certain some residents wanted revenge on Germany, the general feeling was that of resolve to "carry on" to win the war. It is difficult to believe that a revenge raid did not happen for 4 1/2 years. The best part of the book was the information leading up to the bombing and the raid itself. I found the later chapters a little boring. I still heartily recommend this excellent book on a sad night in WWII. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Binston Birchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Luftwaffe raid on Coventry marked a shift in the horrors of air warfare, no longer were air raids strictly (at least officially) targeted at “legitimate” military targets, now obliteration was the name of the game. In this biography of a city, focused on the events of November 14, 1940, Taylor describes in great detail the events leading up to the raid and, using numerous survivor’s accounts, he vividly reconstructs what it was like for those who lived through it.

One of the more interesting aspects of raids on cities such as Coventry is that, while the destruction appears total visually, the cities that are terrorized in such a way often retain a certain ability to function, as evidenced by workers returning from the countryside to their places work the following day, climbing over rubble to get there, although many would find their place of employment destroyed, they did return.

A few of the author’s other works look particularly interesting, so I’m sure I’ll be reviewing more from Fredrick Taylor in the future.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

A visit to Coventry and a quiet, contemplative walk around the still-standing ruins of St. Michael's Cathedral made me want to learn more about the English city whose urban core was almost completely flattened by the Luftwaffe in 1940. This one seemed like it would be exactly what I was looking for.

It's a little dry at times (I found myself skimming sections about British radar stations, German approach beams, and restoring utilities), but learning about the early history of Coventry, the firebombing, and the stories of survival were very interesting. The last paragraph of the acknowledgements reveals that the book was dedicated to a German teenage survivor of the Allied bombing of Dresden who would grow up to write a history of that bombing and contributed to the reconciliation efforts between the two cities that suffered in similar ways.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have run this very detailed and extensively researched account up to four stars. The author, Frederick Taylor is a historian, educated at Oxford University and his authoritative narrative is so richly informative of the November 1940 raid that I feel all aspects of Coventry's dark night have been covered.
My only suggestion for improvement would be for a better, more detailed city map to assist in following the text, but that is a very minor negative.

[Luke Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew very little about the attacks on Coventry before reading this book. Coventry is a detailed historical account of the bombing attacks and the preparation for and recovery from them.

[Garth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Besides the story of the bombing of Coventry, this book exposes the class-bound incompetence of many in the hierarchy in the second world war.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

probably more details than I needed...I may not have been the intended public-)

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This past summer, I was able to visit both Dresden and Coventry. Taylor's account of the bombing of Dresden dispelled many myths that had lasted for 50 + years, thanks to the advent of the Communist regime in East Germany. Many of the facts of hat fateful February night were lost and obscured by the new power. Taylor's books was a huge reason I ended my trip in Coventry, not knowing that this book was about to be released.

Like Dresden, Coventry stands as a testimony to the insanity of war, and the ability for nations to exert "total war" upon a populous with almost pure impunity. What was done n November, 1940 to a Midlands city such as Coventry (where the idea of "fire storm" may have been first named) was visited plenty-fold to Germany in Hamburg, Frankfort, and Dresden some five years later.

The common denominator between Dresden and Coventry was the clear military imposrtance of these two cities. Unlike narratives that sprung up after the war surrounding both cities, each had definite strategic importance. Both contained these targets deep within residential areas. In both books, Taylor makes clear the importance of these "outlying" communities. Both were legitimate targets. Both were also victims of a military/political system that sought to make an example of the cities and their populous, and were ready and eager to bomb the city with indiscriminate methods, with predictable results. In "Coventry", Taylor also illuminates the limitations of 1940 technology to assist the British side, the difficulties of that era's night fighting capabilities; and the probable politcal decisions from Downing Street that doomed Coventry even before the "Moonlight Sonata" raid even began.
Well written and well documented, Taylor's Coventry is a welcome addition to anyone interested in the history of WW2, or who has visited the modern Coventry and witnessed the emphasis on reconciliation, especial through the once-destroyed St. Michael's' Cathedral (now known simply as "Coventry Cathedral").

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Taylor's book on the bombing of Dresden, this book about the bombing of Coventry, England, is heavy on the military side of things. That said, I liked this one better than I did the Dresden book. Although a bit of a slog at points, Taylor's description of the various players in this situation and how their strategies played out in the devastation of Coventry is well done and well researched. I didn't really get a sense for the look of Coventry, but I think the portrait of the population was well drawn. I especially liked the eyewitness accounts of the bombing and the aftermath, as well as how Coventry (and other cities, to be fair) rallied to overcome the Nazi bombing raids in the early days of World War II.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, if you are interested in one of the key topics (military history, military strategy, WWII, Coventry, etc.). If you're looking for something that focuses mainly on the people of Coventry, however, this one could be hard going.

[Anthony Cleary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having been astonished at the industry and narrative of Frederick Taylor in his remarkable book about the Dresden bombings, I looked forward to Coventry with keen anticipation. I have rated it at '3' since, as the rating state, I liked it, but I'm afraid that it doesn't reach the heights of Dresden. There are some oversights - the controversial Christmas 1940 broadcast by Provost Howard on the BBC World Service, so also the birth of the Community of the Cross of Nails - and one very disappointing and inaccurate reference to the words carved into the altar in the ruined Cathedral. But there is much to intrigue and inform the reader - not least the remarkable reference to the City Architect's relaxed view of the destruction. A number of myths are exposed, but this is a sympathetic overview, and one which I am glad to have on my shelf.

[Russell Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this history of the bombing of Coventry !! I've been wanting to read this book since November last year when I attended a talk by Frederick Taylor to launch his book on the 75th anniversary of the raid.

However, I wanted to wait until August 2016 this year as this as it marks the fifth year since I began studying at Coventry Univeristy and I began my affinity with this resilient city.

This is an excellent analysis and narrative of the history of Coventry, the build up to the raid and the results of the raid.

I've always believe that the Phoenix is a fitting mascot for Coventry rising out of the ashes and soaring to the heavens

[Kges1901 · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent summary of the 14 November 1940 bombing of Coventry.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good account of the bombing raid. I found Dresden slightly more absorbing, but that may be because I started with less detailed knowledge about that raid.