To Destroy a City: Strategic Bombing and Its Human Consequences in World War II

Rating:
Summary: Poorly Written Except In Personal Memoir
Review: "To Destroy A City" by Hermann Knell. Subtitled: "Strategic Bombing And Its Human consequences In World War II" Da Capo Press, 2003.


If the author, Hermann Knell, had stopped with the personal memoir of the bombing of his home town, Wuerzburg, Germany, this would have been a good book. Knell, however, stretches out to encompass the development and implementation of the bomber as a strategic weapon, and, in so writing, he lacks impartiality, in my humble opinion. Many of his chapters address the air war in general, its morality and its effectiveness. While I was working on an MA in History, there were a few class sessions dealing with the effectiveness of Air Power, and whether or not Sea Power or the Infantry won the Second World War. Knell adds nothing new to those arguments/discussions.

The chief difference in this book can be found in the chapters dealing with the actual horrors of the actual raid on the city. The author examines how some German people felt as they realized they had survived while others had died. Obviously, the author's experience helped him to present a more human side of the event.


Knell's book, as with most books from the "West", hardly deals with what the Luftwaffe did to the Soviets. In Frederick Taylor's book, "Dresden", in the chapter entitled, "The Sleep Of Reason", on page 411, the author states, "It is rarely mentioned that almost exactly the same number of Soviet citizens died as a result of bombing during the Second World War as Germans: around half a million". Then he recounts the Luftwaffe's "thousand-bomber raid" ...on Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe performed as capably as the combined forces of the RAF and the USAAF. Although the German Dorniers and Heinkels may not have been as excellent a bomber as were the British Lancasters and the American Liberators, the Luftwaffe killed as many people as did the Allies. Further, Knell laments that the bombing raid against Wuerzburg was so late in the War. Did it never occur to him that the bombing raid might have been avoided if the Third Reich had surrendered sooner?

Hermann Knell's book would benefit from another round of competent editing. He uses "effect" as when he wants the verb, "affect". On page 321, he writes, "..."For my five cousins and I"...when, of course, the correct English is: ..."For my five cousins and me"... And, in general, the book would benefit from a "tightening up". Four stars for the personal memoirs, one star for the writing and one star for the somewhat rambling examination of strategic bombing, for an average of two stars.


Rating:
Summary: Faustian Search for the Truth
Review: Driven by a Faustian search for the truth Knell has written a passionate, intelligent and honest book. He has done excellent
research. A good book to have if you are interested in this subject. In his honest approach he comes to the conclusion that many issues still need to be addressed as too much has been misrepresented (e.g.for an excellent misrepresentaion of facts See book by Taylor on Dresden)

Rating:
Summary: Are there moral limits to mass killing in wartime?
Review: This is a tough book to review, and I hope you will be patient in reading my input. I'll start with what I perceive to be the book's problems, and then move on to what I admire most about it.

First of all, Hermann Knell is not a very talented crafter of prose. His style is frequently clunky, and the book is far from eloquent. Unwisely, Knell decides to synopsize the entire history of aerial bombardment, and this is a mistake. Others have done it better and more thoroughly.

But when Knell finally gets to discussing the RAF bombardment of the city of Wuerzburg, Germany, in 1945, this text comes into its own in a very touching way. You will not find a nonfiction book with a bigger heart. Knell survived the bombing of his hometown of Wuerzburg, and then nobly devoted years and years of his life as an amateur historian trying to understand why, militarily, the attack took place. (At the time of the bombing, leaders on all sides already knew that the German state was doomed, collapsing, and on the verge of surrender.) I won't tell you the outcome of that quest, but it might well bring tears to your eyes. Knell's levelheadedness and openmindedness are to be commended.

"To Destroy a City" is the heartfelt rumination of a young German man who lived through the entire experience (pre-bombing; the attack; the immediate post-attack period; and the rebuilding of the city). In this soulful journey that probes the guilt and innocence of both the attackers and the attacked, Knell's personal experience and anguish bring a feeling and a voice that no dispassionate professional historian could match. And this voice makes the book a must-read for those interested in military history and ethics.

Anyone who asks himself/herself questions about the proper use of military power against unarmed civilians in times of war will find food for thought here. Given the current U. S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, "To Destroy a City" is mightily relevant book.

Rating:
Summary: Are there moral limits to mass killing in wartime?
Review: This is a tough book to review, and I hope you will be patient in reading my input. I'll start with what I perceive to be the book's problems, and then move on to what I admire most about it.

First of all, Hermann Knell is not a very talented crafter of prose. His style is frequently clunky, and the book is far from eloquent. Unwisely, Knell decides to synopsize the entire history of aerial bombardment, and this is a mistake. Others have done it better and more thoroughly.

But when Knell finally gets to discussing the RAF bombardment of the city of Wuerzburg, Germany, in 1945, this text comes into its own in a very touching way. You will not find a nonfiction book with a bigger heart. Knell survived the bombing of his hometown of Wuerzburg, and then nobly devoted years and years of his life as an amateur historian trying to understand why, militarily, the attack took place. (At the time of the bombing, leaders on all sides already knew that the German state was doomed, collapsing, and on the verge of surrender.) I won't tell you the outcome of that quest, but it might well bring tears to your eyes. Knell's levelheadedness and openmindedness are to be commended.

"To Destroy a City" is the heartfelt rumination of a young German man who lived through the entire experience (pre-bombing; the attack; the immediate post-attack period; and the rebuilding of the city). In this soulful journey that probes the guilt and innocence of both the attackers and the attacked, Knell's personal experience and anguish bring a feeling and a voice that no dispassionate professional historian could match. And this voice makes the book a must-read for those interested in military history and ethics.

Anyone who asks himself/herself questions about the proper use of military power against unarmed civilians in times of war will find food for thought here. Given the current U. S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, "To Destroy a City" is mightily relevant book.

Rating:
Summary: A logically reasoned yet personally passionate account
Review: To Destroy A City is a fluently written account by Hermann Knell -- a German survivor who was nineteen and living in Wurzburg when, in March of 1945, hundreds of Allied planes bombed that city and killed six thousand people in a single night. Personal experience fueled the Knell's research into the warfare practice of area bombing, which was fiercely practiced in the combat skies of World War II. To Destroy A City: Strategic Bombing And Its Human Consequences In World War II carefully studies strategic bombing in general, and examines its history with particular reference to the twentieth century during the two world wars, and its use and relative effectiveness or ineffectiveness in warfare. A meticulously and logically reasoned yet personally passionate account, To Destroy A City is very highly recommended reading and an impressive contribution to 20th Century Military Studies reading lists.