Warriors and Wizards: The Development and Defeat of Radio-Controlled Glide Bombs of the Third Reich
In August 1943 the Luftwaffe began using radio-controlled anti-ship
glide bombs, and within weeks they had sunk one battleship,
crippled another, wrecked two cruisers, and destroyed numerous
merchant ships. Yet a year later the Germans abandoned their use,
defeated in part by electronic systems to jam the radio links that
guided the bombs. Drawing on a wealth of new sources, Martin
Bollinger examines what happened from both a historical and
technological perspective and lays out a mission-by-mission
analysis of effectiveness. Based on interviews with participants,
intelligence documents, and archival records in four countries, his
book chronicles the yearlong battle between Allied seamen and
Luftwaffe airmen (the warriors) and German and Allied scientists
(the wizards) for a story of courage, technical achievement, and
sacrifice.
