David McGrory

Coventry's Blitz

'I was happy that Coventry was selected as a target, as it was an important military objective... The night was clear and flying was easy. Missing the target was practically impossible.' Field-Marshal Kesselring, describing the air raid of 14 November 1940. Between 1940 and 1942 the people of Coventry were subjected to continued and devastating attacks by the Luftwaffe, leaving 1,252 dead, 1,859 injured and a city in ruins. Written by local historian David McGrory, Coventry’s Blitz is the first full account of the blitz that blighted Coventry during the Second World War, commemorating its seventy-fifth anniversary. The book tells the story of the city and its residents throughout the war, starting with the digging of the shelters in 1938 to the last bombs in 1942 and Goering and Kesselring’s comments on the November raid at the Nuremberg Trials. Coventry’s Blitz uses new sources, material and memories from people all over the world to bring the events between 1938 and 1945 to life, events that changed the face of the city and made it what it is today. Richly illustrated with previously unseen archive photography, the book is a must-read for the people of Coventry and its visitors, offering a unique insight into the defining moments of the city’s past.