A rigorous new analysis of America's legendary 'Big Week' air campaign which enabled the Allies to gain air superiority before D-Day.
The USAAF's mighty World War II bomber forces were designed for unescorted, precision daylight bombing, but no-one foresaw the devastation that German radar-directed interceptors would inflict on them. Following the failures of 1943's Schweinfurt-Regensburg raids, and with D-Day looming, the Allies urgently needed to crush the Luftwaffe's ability to oppose the landings.
In February 1944, the Allies conceived and fought history's first-ever successful offensive counterair (OCA) campaign, Operation Argument or “Big Week.” Attacking German aircraft factories with hundreds of heavy bombers, escorted by the new long-range P-51 Mustang, it aimed both to slash aircraft production and force the Luftwaffe into combat, allowing the new Mustangs to take their toll on the German interceptors. This expertly written, illustration-packed account explains how the Allies finally began to win air superiority over Europe, and how Operation Argument marked the beginning of the Luftwaffe's fall.
| Published | 17 Feb 2022 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 96 |
| ISBN | 9781472824523 |
| Imprint | Osprey Publishing |
| Illustrations | Illustrated throughout with around 60 photos and at least 14pp of colour illustrations |
| Series | Air Campaign |
| Short code | ACM 27 |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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