''Air Raid'' () is a text by the German writer

Alexander Kluge Alexander Kluge (born 14 February 1932) is a German author, philosopher, academic and film director.(editor) Early life, education and early career Kluge was born in Halberstadt, Province of Saxony (now Saxony-Anhalt), Germany. After growing ...

about an episode from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Published in 1977 in the book ''Neue Geschichten'', it is a mixture of report and memoir that includes photographs, drawings and diagrams to give an account of the destruction of Kluge's hometown of

Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...

, which he observed at the age of 13. The town had no military function or strategic importance, but due to unexpected clouds, a squadron of American bomb planes aborted its original mission and dropped the bombs on a civilian target. The text has been compared to

Hans Erich Nossack Hans Erich Nossack (30 January 1901 – 2 November 1977) was a German writer. Among his works are ''Spätestens im November'' (1955), ''Der jüngere Bruder'' (1958) and ''Ein glücklicher Mensch'' (1975). In 1961 Nossack was awarded the Geo ...

's ' (1943), which gives an account of the bombing of Hamburg. These texts address the destruction of German cities during World War II, which became a national trauma and a taboo subject in the post-war period.

References

External links

Seagull Books

Suhrkamp Verlag
1977 essays Works by Alexander Kluge Suhrkamp Verlag books Works about World War II crimes World War II memoirs Halberstadt German memoirs {{WWII-book-stub