This book offers a searingly realistic portrayal of the youthful RAF crews, many of whom were teenagers, facing immense danger nightly. It also describes the harrowing experiences of the German populace during the raids. 

This book lays bare the reality of the area bombing policy, which deliberately targeted entire cities to destroy both factories and the morale of industrial workers, leading to extensive civilian casualties. Hastings emphasizes the controversial nature of this strategy, questioning whether the results justified the moral and human costs. He notes that the public and political unease surrounding the campaign has persisted long after the war. 

 This book directly addresses the controversial nature of the RAF's policy of area bombing, which involved deliberately targeting German cities to destroy both industrial centers and civilian morale. This approach resulted in an estimated 600,000 German civilian deaths, and Hastings does not shy away from the ethical complexities and heavy moral cost.