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Coventry
- Author
- Frederick Taylor
- Narrator
- Leighton Pugh
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 14 May 2026
- Run Time
- 10 hours 57 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
On 14 November 1940 the historic city of Coventry was subjected to the longest and most devastating air raid Britain had yet witnessed. After eleven hours of relentless bombardment by the German Luftwaffe, residents emerged from shelters to find their city obliterated and unrecognisable.
Yet the impact of the attack amounted to far more than physical ruin and loss of life. The Coventry raid marked a crucial moment in the Second World War, providing America with the final incentive needed to join forces and Britain with a ‘blueprint for obliteration’ to be altered and turned against Germany. Seventy-six years on, acclaimed historian Frederick Taylor exposes the real impact of the Coventry bombings, drawing on extensive archive material and a mass of previously unreleased BBC eye witness recordings. He exposes the truth behind the conspiracy theories and lays out in chilling detail how this momentous night of destruction changed the face of modern aerial warfare.
Critics Review
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Frederick Taylor is one of the brightest historians writing today
Philip Kerr, Newsweek
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Taylor is a great storyteller
Richard Evans, New Statesman
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Taylor has a fine eye for a telling detail
Richard Overy, Literary Review
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In narrative power and persuasion, he has paralleled in Dresden what Antony Beevor achieved in Stalingrad
Independent on Sunday, on Dresden
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Frederick Taylor
- Narrator
- Leighton Pugh
- Duration
- 10 hours 57 minutes
- Release Date
- 14 May 2026
- ISBN
- 9798260200995
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Second World War, Modern warfare, European history, Military history, History, Air forces and warfare
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Coventry by Frederick Taylor, read by Leighton PughOn 14 November 1940 the historic city of Coventry was subjected to the longest and most devastating air raid Britain had yet witnessed. After eleven hours of relentless bombardment by the German Luftwaffe, residents emerged from shelters to find their city obliterated and unrecognisable.Yet the impact of the attack amounted to far more than physical ruin and loss of life. The Coventry raid marked a crucial moment in the Second World War, providing America with the final incentive needed to join forces and Britain with a ‘blueprint for obliteration’ to be altered and turned against Germany. Seventy-six years on, acclaimed historian Frederick Taylor exposes the real impact of the Coventry bombings, drawing on extensive archive material and a mass of previously unreleased BBC eye witness recordings. He exposes the truth behind the conspiracy theories and lays out in chilling detail how this momentous night of destruction changed the face of modern aerial warfare.
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