Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany 1939-1945. Volume IV - Annexes

In this review of Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany 1939-1945. Volume IV, the reviewer finds a dense and indispensable collection of primary materials for readers who want the documentary backbone of Britain's official air war history. This annex volume is aimed at historians, researchers and serious students of the RAF Bomber Command campaign because it gathers background documents, some previously secret, that underpin the narrative in earlier volumes. If you want original source material rather than popular synthesis, this volume is the clear choice.

Key Features

• Primary source compilation: Presents the background documents on which the official British history of the offensive is based, useful for direct citation and deeper analysis.
• Official perspective: Includes material from the British official history series, giving readers access to the government-sanctioned record of the strategic air campaign.
• Coverage of controversial topics: Contains documents that inform debates on morality, civilian casualties and the campaign's effectiveness, enabling balanced scholarly assessment.
• Technical appendices: Offers chapters on technical matters such as radar and operational methods, which support understanding of wartime decision making.
• Final volume completeness: Serves as the fourth and final volume of the series, completing the documentary record for the full campaign.

Who It's For

This volume is for academic readers, military historians and graduate students who require access to the documentary record behind analyses of the RAF strategic offensive. Researchers preparing scholarly work or teachers building seminar source packs will find the annexes particularly valuable.

It is less suitable for casual readers seeking a narrative history or light reading about the bombing campaign; those users should look to earlier narrative volumes or concise histories that synthesize rather than reproduce primary documents.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Essential documentary source material for serious research into the British strategic air campaign.
• Includes previously secret or less accessible documents that illuminate controversial issues.
• Provides technical appendices such as radar chapters that aid specialist study.

Cons

• Dense, appendix-style presentation makes it a poor choice for readers seeking a readable narrative account.

Specifications

Our Verdict

This annex volume is recommended for scholars and serious students because it supplies the documentary evidence behind the official narrative and clarifies contentious issues such as civilian casualties and operational effectiveness. It represents good value for research libraries or anyone building a rigorous bibliography on Bomber Command.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this volume contain original documents?
Yes. It compiles background documents and some previously secret material used by the official British history.

Is this a narrative history?
No. This volume is primarily annexes and appendices; readers seeking narrative should consult the earlier volumes of the series.

Who edited the series?
The series is part of the official British history and this volume is attributed to Sir Charles Webster and Noble Frankland.