20 March 2013

'Allied bombing 1940-1945: Why did German 'morale' not crack?'

Allied bombing in World War II strengthened rather than weakened German resolve, according to the award-winning historian who will deliver the next Arts & Humanities Research Institute (AHRI) Evening Lecture at the University of Dundee.

Professor Richard Overy, from the University of Exeter, has published extensively on the history of the conflict, the Third Reich and Stalin's Russia. His 1980 book, 'The Air War: 1939-1945' is regarded as one of the finest texts on the battle for supremecy of the skies during WWII, and it is this subject he will return to during his talk in Dundee next Tuesday.

According to Professor Overy, the prolonged campaign of Allied aerial bombardment raises a very interesting question - if the British did not crack during the Blitz, why did the RAF think the Germans would?

"The British view was coloured by many prejudices about the Germans, which persuaded them that the Germans lacked the moral fibre of the British when subjected to bombing," he said.

"I will argue that, in fact, German civilians, like the British, created a vast civil defence effort in which ordinary Germans also played a heroic part in trying to save their neighbourhoods, and their neighbours.

"They kept going not, as many people thought at the time, because of the Gestapo terror, but because the state and the National Socialist Party made strenuous efforts to provide sufficient welfare, compensation and shelter to keep civilian support.

"As the bombing went on the German people did not become disillusioned with the regime, but more dependent on it. In this sense the whole idea of creating a social and political crisis in Germany as a result of the bombing was a fantasy."

The AHRI is based within the School of Humanities at Dundee, and serves as a forum for research across the School's principal disciplines of English literature and creative writing, history, philosophy and aesthetics. Academics from Dundee deliver the lecture programme, alongside colleagues from institutions across the UK and other countries.

Professor David Finkelstein, Dean of the School of Humanities at Dundee, said, "This programme of lectures and seminars sees invited speakers, staff and students discuss some of the biggest issues arising from contemporary humanities research.

"It is vital that the School of Humanities shares its research with the communities that support us. These exciting events, demonstrate the breadth, vibrancy and relevance of the Humanities and show why they play an essential role in our cultural, social and economic life."

'Allied bombing 1940-1945: Why did German 'morale' not crack?', will take place at 6pm in the D'Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre, Tower Building, on Tuesday, 26th March. The event is free and open to all. A wine reception will follow the event.

More information about the AHRI Lecture and Seminar Series is available at www.dundee.ac.uk/humanities/artsandhumanitiesresearchinstitute.

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