Why read Inferno?

Book cover of Inferno: The Fiery Destruction of Hamburg, 1943

Book description

In the summer of 1943, British and American bombers launched an attack on the German city of Hamburg that was unlike anything the world had ever seen. For ten days they pounded the city with over 9,000 tons of bombs, with the intention of erasing it entirely from the map.…

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Topics

Germany

Genres

History
War

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Why read it?

1 author picked Inferno as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Richard Vaughan Davies

Author

Bombed day and night for thirty days, the city became the epicentre of a firestorm. Nonfiction about the bombing of Hamburg, told from both points of view, it reads like the best fiction and never just as dull history.

This book made me aware of the terrible destruction the Allies wrought on nearly every city and town in Germany, though at great cost also to the courageous airmen who wreaked the havoc. Full of facts and strong writing, it was the inspiration for my writing.

From Richard's list on The best books from a pre-internet era, full of action, humour and social comment.