Julian Hale – författare

An illustrated history of how the Luftwaffe intended 'the Blitz' to knock Britain out of the war, emphasising the German point of view and detailing how Britain's defences and civilians responded.The Blitz - the German 'blitzkrieg' of Britain's industrial and port cities - was one of the most intensive bombing campaigns of World War II. Cities from London to Glasgow, Belfast to Hull, and Liverpool to Cardiff were targeted in an attempt to destroy Britain's military-industrial facilities and force it out of the war.Most histories of the Blitz concentrate on the civilian experience of ‘life under the bombs’ or the fighter pilots of the RAF but, in military terms, the Blitz was also the Luftwaffe's biggest and most ambitious strategic bombing campaign. Focusing on both sides, this book places particular emphasis on the hitherto under-represented Luftwaffe view of the campaign and looks at the new technology and tactics at its heart. From the innovative development of specialist night-fighters to the 'Battle of the Beams' that pitted German electronic navigation systems against British countermeasures, the Blitz demonstrated the effects of developing technology on aerial warfare.Describing and analyzing the strategy, tactics and operations of both the Luftwaffe and the UK’s air defences during the period between September 1940 and May 1941, author Julian Hale demonstrates that, for a variety of reasons, there was little chance of the Luftwaffe achieving any of its aims. Using primary sources, spectacular original artwork, 3D diagrams and maps, this study shines a fresh light on how and why the world’s first true strategic air offensive failed.

Packed with illustrations, this is the first book to focus on the 'Transportation Plan', the air campaign to isolate the D-Day beaches from German reinforcements.As the invasion of Europe grew closer, thought was given to how to use the Allies' substantial forces of heavy bombers in preparation. After much controversy, the plan eventually adopted was the ‘Transportation Plan’, in which the railway and road networks of France (and hence the German logistical chain) were targeted in order to slow German reinforcements to the Normandy beachhead both before and during the Allied invasion.In this book, aviation researcher Julian Hale draws on new archive research to explain how this crucial, dangerous and often spectacular campaign was fought. Running from April to July 1944, it would eventually involve heavy and medium bombers of both the RAF and USAAF, with a starring role for the fighter-bombers of the Ninth Air Force. Early attacks by strategic bombers on the French rail nodes were only partially successful at best. In mid-May, the decision was taken to attack bridges and road and rail traffic intensively using fighter-bombers, mainly drawn from the US Ninth. Illustrated with carefully chosen photos, spectacular battlescene artwork and explanatory maps and 3D diagrams, this is the story of how Allied airpower paved the way for D-Day.

For a hundred years the Royal Air Force has been at the forefront of the UK’s defences. In the 1920s and 1930s, the RAF protected Britain’s empire; during the Second World War it played a key role in defeating the Axis; and through the 1950s and 1960s it was a key part of Britain’s nuclear deterrent. Julian Hale examines the history of the RAF through its organisation, personnel, aircraft and campaigns, from the biplanes of the First World War, through its ‘Finest Hour’ in 1940 and the dawn of the jet age to today’s hi-tech aircraft and the emerging role of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Enriched with personal accounts and a wealth of photographs, this book provides a concise introduction to the world’s first air force.