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The Greatest Force Talk: by Marcus Gibson

  • The National Museum of Computing Block H, Bletchley Park Bletchley, England, MK3 6GX United Kingdom (map)

Don't Miss The Greatest Force!

Marcus Gibson, ex-FT columnist, has written The Greatest Force, a book which analyses for the first time the full crippling impact of RAF Bomber Command against the Third Reich. In this, the most controversial war book of recent years, he overturns all previous histories – and reveals why the campaign shortened the Second World War.

Summary on the in person event:

A new book on RAF Bomber Command overturns the accepted, conventional view about RAF Bomber Command – that it was ‘ineffective and too costly’. It's titled: 'The Greatest Force'. This is the first book to probe deeply into the effects of the bombing campaign, and not only the direct damage but also the multitude of indirect effects that crippled both German military and industry.Overall, it proves Air Marshal Harris was right to bomb city centres and, above all, it was he who inflicted more damage on Germany than any other Allied commander including the Soviets.

Marcus's research shows the Dams Raid was also considerably more destructive than previously thought: it silted rivers, ruined dozens of vital canal lockgates and flooded cities as far as Kassel, the central hub for Tiger tank production.

Lastly, the book finally overturns the myth there was many thousands of refugees in Dresden when the RAF and USAAF raided – in fact there were very few and, in addition, the total of slave workers who survived the war in the post-raid chaos outnumbered the Germans killed in the raid.

you can either book the in person talk only or book to explore the working museum

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