Will Jacobs presents 'R.A.F. Bomber Command and the Origins of 'Precision' Air Attack at Night' on Nov. 9

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 5-7 p.m.

UAA Campus Bookstore

Professor Emeritus Will Jacobs gives a talk on 'R.A.F. Bomber Command and the Origins of 'Precision' Air Attack at Night' on Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 5-7 p.m. at the UAA Campus Bookstore.

Here are details of his talk provided by Prof. Jacobs:

The Allied strategic bombing offensives remain a controversial subject in the history of the Second World War. R.A.F. Bomber Command's attacks on German cities form an important part of those controversies. Less well known is Bomber Command's development of a capability for "precision" air attack at night in the spring and summer of 1944 to support Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France. This talk is a survey of what happened, an examination of how it was accomplished and an assessment of its significance.

Will Jacobs is professor emeritus of history and political science at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He was educated at Wisconsin State University-Eau Claire (B.S.-1966) and the University of Oregon (M.A.-1968 and Ph.D.-1972). First appointed to the Anchorage Senior College of UAA in 1973, he served in the departments of history and political science for 29 years. At his retirement in 2002, he was associate provost for Academic Affairs. He serves as an assistant to the provost on a part-time basis.

A historian of modern Europe, he has specialized in the history of international relations with an emphasis on warfare, particularly the history of the second world war. His research and publications cover a range of subjects including tactical air support, allied air command, the history of British civil-military relations, and the British strategic bombing campaign against Germany.

For more information, see http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/bookstore or contact Rachel Epstein at (907) 786-4782 or anre@uaa.alaska.edu.