Book Review: ‘The Blitz Companion: Aerial warfare, civilians and the city since 1911’

Abstract

The publisher describes this book as ‘An introductory international reader for students, teachers and members of the public interested in the impact of air raids on civilians and cities since the birth of air warfare’ and it does this job well. Building on Clapson’s undergraduate modules at the University of Westminster on the Blitz (i.e. the Luftwaffe’s attacks on the UK in World War Two), as the title indicates, it expands on this in both chronology and geography, starting with the first Italian air raid in Libya in 1911 right up to comments (albeit brief) on Russian bombing in Syria following their involvement from 2015.