After the failure to win the Battle of Britain, despite their superior numbers of better equipped aircraft, the Luftwaffe switched to night bombing raids in an attempt to defeat British morale. It was the first experience of a population under mass attack, night after night, and there were important lessons to be learnt on both sides. If the loss of life and the destruction of property in this campaign, between September 1940 and early summer 1941, failed to bring the nation down then surely Britain would win the war... In this finely-structured study of the campaign John Ray assesses the aircraft and weapons used, the strategies involved and the leaders of the combatant forces. He describes the effects of the Blitz on British cities, industry and people, and recalls for readers who could never have experienced it for themselves the terror of indiscriminate attack from the air. Yet despite all the death and destruction, the will of the British people to fight, and fight, and fight again remained undaunted even in their darkest hours.

Dr John Ray has taught history for forty years, and published over thirty books on historical subjects, most of them designed to help students understand history better and appreciate that history is no dry academic subject: history is all around them, and they are part of it. Previous titles include The Battle of Britain and The Second World War.