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Target Berlin: An Epic True Story of Valor and Sacrifice in the War-Torn Skies over Europe
'THE ME 110 WAS FIFTY FEET IN FRONT OF ME. I CLOSED STILL MORE, FIRING SHORT BURSTS. SUDDENLY HE EXPLODED LIKE A BIG SKY ROCKET AND I WENT DOWN THROUGH THE FLAME. I LOOKED DOWN TO SEE A MASS OF FIRE PLUMMETING EARTHWARDS AND CRASH IN THE WOODS BELOW . . .'
’An unputdownable, minute-by-minute account of an epic air battle and a powerful tribute to the heroes who fought in the skies above Nazi Germany' Rowland White, Author of Vulcan 607
On 6 March 1944 US 8th Air Force mounted their first full-scale daylight raid on Berlin. But in taking the battle to Hitler's capital they were to pay a heavy price.
Against one of the most fiercely defended targets of the war, the B-17s and their long-range fighter escorts absorbed terrible punishment at the hands of a desperate Luftwaffe.
Over seventy American aircraft would not return from the mission.
But their courage and sacrifice was not in vain. Nor was it a one-sided fight. So relentless was the Allied air assault in the months before D-Day that the Luftwaffe would be brought to its knees.
'The time has come', reported German ace, General Adolf Galland, 'when collapse is in sight.'Drawing on groundbreaking research and extensive interviews with veterans from both sides of the battle, Target Berlin brings to life a single, critical day's fighting with all the pace and edge-the-seat tension of the best suspense thriller.
***
'Masterful. Ethell and Price have done an outstanding job of capturing the tension, valor and skills demonstrated by airmen on both sides of the air battle over Berlin' Air Power History
'The gripping narrative is equal to graphic scenes of World War II bombing campaign movies like Twelve O'Clock High and Command Decision' Military Review
'A masterpiece of historical research brought to life with extraordinary clarity in clean, gripping prose' Rowland White, Author of Vulcan 607
If you like Stephen Ambrose, Adam Makos, Dan Hampton, Adam Makos, Mitchell Zuckoff, Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, James Holland and Rowland White you'll love Ethell and Price
Perfect for fans of A Higher Call, Unbroken, Flags of our Fathers, Memphis Belle, Band of Brothers, Devotion, The Forgotten 500, Flyboys, The Big Show and Carrier Pilot
’An unputdownable, minute-by-minute account of an epic air battle and a powerful tribute to the heroes who fought in the skies above Nazi Germany' Rowland White, Author of Vulcan 607
On 6 March 1944 US 8th Air Force mounted their first full-scale daylight raid on Berlin. But in taking the battle to Hitler's capital they were to pay a heavy price.
Against one of the most fiercely defended targets of the war, the B-17s and their long-range fighter escorts absorbed terrible punishment at the hands of a desperate Luftwaffe.
Over seventy American aircraft would not return from the mission.
But their courage and sacrifice was not in vain. Nor was it a one-sided fight. So relentless was the Allied air assault in the months before D-Day that the Luftwaffe would be brought to its knees.
'The time has come', reported German ace, General Adolf Galland, 'when collapse is in sight.'Drawing on groundbreaking research and extensive interviews with veterans from both sides of the battle, Target Berlin brings to life a single, critical day's fighting with all the pace and edge-the-seat tension of the best suspense thriller.
***
'Masterful. Ethell and Price have done an outstanding job of capturing the tension, valor and skills demonstrated by airmen on both sides of the air battle over Berlin' Air Power History
'The gripping narrative is equal to graphic scenes of World War II bombing campaign movies like Twelve O'Clock High and Command Decision' Military Review
'A masterpiece of historical research brought to life with extraordinary clarity in clean, gripping prose' Rowland White, Author of Vulcan 607
If you like Stephen Ambrose, Adam Makos, Dan Hampton, Adam Makos, Mitchell Zuckoff, Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, James Holland and Rowland White you'll love Ethell and Price
Perfect for fans of A Higher Call, Unbroken, Flags of our Fathers, Memphis Belle, Band of Brothers, Devotion, The Forgotten 500, Flyboys, The Big Show and Carrier Pilot
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2020
117 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey L. Ethell
68 books1 followerEthell, whose nickname in the air was "Fighter Writer," was the author of fifty-nine books and more than one thousand magazine articles, many dealing with World War II aviation. Born the son of a fighter pilot on March Air Force Base in Riverside, California, Ethell was prevented from joining the Air Force because he lacked 20/20 vision. He went on, however, to log more than 5000 hours of flight time in more than 215 types of military aircraft and became an honorary member of the American Fighter Aces Association, whose pilots have scored five or more combat victories. Ethell was also leader in the international "warbirds" movement, an effort to preserve aging military aircraft.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 5, 2025
Really wish all histories could be written with this amount of input from all participating sides. Superb from start to finish.
August 19, 2020
In 1939, the the Luftwaffe chief, Hermann Goring, said "If planes drop bombs on Germany, you can call me Meyer"- possibly an Anti Semitic Boast. British Bomber Command started their nightly war in 1940, leading to the Satirical name "Meyer's Sirens" for their early warning system. But on March 6th 1944, the US 8th Air Force called his bluff in Broad Daylight, sending more than 800 B-17s and B-24s over Berlin- "Going Downtown". They were escorted by about 800 fighters too- this was a "Maximum Effort" raid in the Pre D-Day work up with its triple strategies- The damage from the raid itself, the Morale effect of overflying the Reich with relative impunity, and the chance to destroy the Fighter force of the Luftwaffe in the air by attrition as they came up to defend the Reich- to establish Air Supremacy over Europe for the Invasion. Jeffrey Ethell and Dr. Alfred Price , two well known Aviation authors, give us a taut tick tock of the raid from the USAAF, RAF and Luftwaffe sides- writing in 1981, when they could still talk to some of the participants. They seemingly talked to EVERYONE who flew or handled logistics for this raid, or read their memoirs. The result is intensely compelling- and sometimes emotionally exhausting- as casualties were heavy on both sides.
The bombers were arranged in three waves by Group, with the classic "Boxes" to make the best use of the dozen or so .50 Caliber Machine guns that bristled on ever B-17/B-24. The fighters with their shorted range and faster speed would be in 9 waves (some pilots flying two sorties to cover outer and inner legs) with American P47 Thunderbolts, P51 Mustangs, P38 Lightnings , and British P-51s in the mix. The Germans came up with their FW 190s and Me 109 single seater fighters- but also their much slower "Destroyer" fighter units with Me 110s (out of date since 1940)- and the newer- but not really better Me 410, two engined aircraft better for Night fighting with the Brits. As the day unfolds, and things go wrong and pilots try to adjust, the tension builds with each page. I loved how the authors wove the stories in and out, coming back to characters, as their stories mingled into history.
There are few adult themes, but several frank casualty discussions, so this might be a better book for the Junior Reader over 13 Years of age. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast, this is a great resource. The tactical insights alone can help you understand Aerial war in the 1940s much better. I've read a lot of memoirs that describe the day to day pace of ops, and ones that focus on unit histories- but I really liked getting a 360 view of one massive raid with lots of moving parts. this really made you appreciate the efforts of the Greatest Generation- and made me wish I had asked better questions of my parents' friends- when they would casually say X "had been 10 times over Berlin" or Y had "flown a P-47 in '44" This was real war at high speed at thousands of feet above Europe in a way it's hard to fathom. You fathom it better after book like this...
The bombers were arranged in three waves by Group, with the classic "Boxes" to make the best use of the dozen or so .50 Caliber Machine guns that bristled on ever B-17/B-24. The fighters with their shorted range and faster speed would be in 9 waves (some pilots flying two sorties to cover outer and inner legs) with American P47 Thunderbolts, P51 Mustangs, P38 Lightnings , and British P-51s in the mix. The Germans came up with their FW 190s and Me 109 single seater fighters- but also their much slower "Destroyer" fighter units with Me 110s (out of date since 1940)- and the newer- but not really better Me 410, two engined aircraft better for Night fighting with the Brits. As the day unfolds, and things go wrong and pilots try to adjust, the tension builds with each page. I loved how the authors wove the stories in and out, coming back to characters, as their stories mingled into history.
There are few adult themes, but several frank casualty discussions, so this might be a better book for the Junior Reader over 13 Years of age. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast, this is a great resource. The tactical insights alone can help you understand Aerial war in the 1940s much better. I've read a lot of memoirs that describe the day to day pace of ops, and ones that focus on unit histories- but I really liked getting a 360 view of one massive raid with lots of moving parts. this really made you appreciate the efforts of the Greatest Generation- and made me wish I had asked better questions of my parents' friends- when they would casually say X "had been 10 times over Berlin" or Y had "flown a P-47 in '44" This was real war at high speed at thousands of feet above Europe in a way it's hard to fathom. You fathom it better after book like this...
February 25, 2025
Superb
A well researched book which takes you along a epic battleground of the air this will definitely be reading again.
A well researched book which takes you along a epic battleground of the air this will definitely be reading again.
May 5, 2025
The truth brought out
An amazing detailed account of both sides. Horrific detail of bravery and dedication to the cause on both sides and the civilians.
An amazing detailed account of both sides. Horrific detail of bravery and dedication to the cause on both sides and the civilians.
February 3, 2024
Ethell and Price have done a very nice job putting together a narrative history of the 8th Air Force's raid on Berlin on March 6, 1944. By focusing on one raid, they are able to add detail and produce a nice focused story. The authors interviewed more than 100 participants Allied fighter pilots, American bomber crews, German fighter pilots, and German civilians. The result is a well-written account of this raid that offers insight overall to the 8th Air Force's daylight bombing operations and their impact militarily and on German civilians. There are insights, for instance, on how a navigational error meant that one bomber group suffered much more heavily than the others and how weather shaped the ultimate targeting.
The authors also look at not only the ultimate impact of the raid but also how press and propaganda efforts shaped perspective on the raid.
The authors also look at not only the ultimate impact of the raid but also how press and propaganda efforts shaped perspective on the raid.
July 26, 2021
A most enjoyable read with all the details gory and eyewitness missing from other books.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews