Big Week 1944

Author : Douglas C. Dildy
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472824539
Total Pages : 97 pages
Book Rating : 4.30/5 ( download)

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Download or read book “Big Week” 1944 written by Douglas C. Dildy and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-02-17 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Author : James Holland
Publisher : Corgi
ISBN 13 : 9780552173506
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Big Week written by James Holland and published by Corgi. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Officially known as Operation Argument, the third week of February 1944 was soon referred to simply as Big Week. It was the week that the Allied Forces implemented a cunning plan to attack the Luftwaffe - to smash the main factories and production centres and at the same time draw the German fighter force up into the air and into battle. 'Big Week' is the story of one of the biggest air battles ever witnessed - of bomber against flak gun, and of fighter against fighter, and in which tens of thousands of young men were pitted against each other in a brutal clash of arms.

Author : Douglas C. Dildy
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472824520
Total Pages : 97 pages
Book Rating : 4.23/5 ( download)

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Download or read book “Big Week” 1944 written by Douglas C. Dildy and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-02-17 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Author : Alfred Price
Publisher : Frontline Books
ISBN 13 : 1848328672
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.79/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Last Year of the Luftwaffe written by Alfred Price and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2015-11-30 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A historian analyzes Nazi Germany’s air force during its final year before Allied forces brought an end to World War II in Europe. The Last Year of the Luftwaffe is the story of a once all-conquering force struggling to stave off an inevitable and total defeat. This book gives a complete account of Luftwaffe operations during the last twelve months of the fighting in Europe—including the dramatic Bodenplatte (or “Baseplate”) offensive over the Ardennes in December, 1944. In this comprehensive examination of Hitler’s air force, Dr. Alfred Price examines its state from May, 1944, to May, 1945, analyzing not only the forces available to it, but also the likely potential, and impact, of new aircraft and weapons systems. He also assesses the Luftwaffe’s High Command’s performance and the effect of Allied attacks and operations. In doing so he rejects several long-standing myths, clarifies the impact of the jet and rocket fighters, and demonstrates that the Luftwaffe performed as well as could be expected under the harsh circumstances of fighting a losing war.

Author : Bill Yenne
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101618965
Total Pages : 447 pages
Book Rating : 4.67/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Big Week written by Bill Yenne and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-12-31 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In just six days, the United States Strategic Air Forces changed the course of military offense in World War II. During those six days, they launched the largest bombing campaign of the war, dropping roughly ten thousand tons of bombs in a rain of destruction that would take the skies back from the Nazis . . . The Allies knew that if they were to invade Hitler’s Fortress Europe, they would have to wrest air superiority from the mighty Luftwaffe. The plan of the Unites States Strategic Air Forces was extremely risky. During the week of February 20, 1944—and joined by the RAF Bomber Command—the USAAF Eighth and Fifteenth Air Force bombers took on this vital mission. They ran the gauntlet of the most heavily defended air space in the world to deal a death blow to Germany’s aircraft industry and made them pay with the planes already in the air. In the coming months, this Big Week would prove a deciding factor in the war. Both sides were dealt losses, but whereas the Allies could recover, damage to the Luftwaffe was irreparable. Thus, Big Week became one of the most important episodes of World War II and, coincidentally, one of the most overlooked—until now.

Author : Maurer Maurer
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1428915850
Total Pages : 520 pages
Book Rating : 4.55/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Air Force Combat Units of World War II written by Maurer Maurer and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1961 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 184908386X
Total Pages : 97 pages
Book Rating : 4.67/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Operation Pointblank 1944 written by Steven J. Zaloga and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-07-20 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thorough examination of one of the most controversial operations in World War 2 Operation Pointblank was the code name for the United States Army Air Force's attempt to destroy German fighter capability through the use of daylight strategic bombing in advance of the D-Day landings. Launched in 1943, the operation immediately met with severe problems, most notably the horrible attrition experienced by the US bomber forces. However, with the arrival of the P-51 Mustang, the United States was able to equip the fighters to fly on long-range-bomber escort missions and take the fight to the Luftwaffe in the skies over Germany. Complete with maps, illustrations and photographs, this book examines the entire operation from both the Allied and the German perspectives, covering all the main decisions and technological innovations made by both sides in this epic struggle.

Author : Stephen L. McFarland
Publisher : University of Alabama Press
ISBN 13 : 0817353461
Total Pages : 375 pages
Book Rating : 4.69/5 ( download)

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Download or read book To Command the Sky written by Stephen L. McFarland and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 2006-03-06 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This widely praised study draws from both American and German sources to show how the U.S. Army Air Forces cleared the way for the successful Allied invasion of France. In 1944 a revitalized American leadership abandoned the unsuccessful approach of strategic bombing and instead focused on air superiority, practically chasing the enemy out of the sky and eliminating Germany's supply of trained pilots. Examining the people, technologies, command decisions, and key events of the war over Germany, the authors prove conclusively that the winning of air superiority -- not the success of strategic bombing -- played a more essential part in the Allied victory in Europe

Author : Joachim Ludewig
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
ISBN 13 : 0813140803
Total Pages : 317 pages
Book Rating : 4.03/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Rückzug written by Joachim Ludewig and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2012-10-05 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A German historian’s account of the Nazi retreat from France in the summer of 1944: “An important book [about] a surprisingly under-examined phase of WWII” (Anthony Beevor, Wall Street Journal). The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, marked a critical turning point in the European theater of World War II. The massive landing on France's coast had been meticulously planned for three years, and the Allies anticipated a quick and decisive defeat of the German forces. Many of the planners were surprised, however, by the length of time it ultimately took to defeat the Germans. While much has been written about D-Day, very little has been written about the crucial period from August to September, immediately after the invasion. In Rückzug, Joachim Ludewig draws on military records from both sides to show that a quick defeat of the Germans was hindered by excessive caution and a lack of strategic boldness on the part of the Allies, as well as by the Germans' tactical skill and energy. This intriguing study, translated from German, not only examines a significant and often overlooked phase of the war, but also offers a valuable account of the conflict from the perspective of the German forces.

Author : Chris Goss
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1526726521
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.20/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Knights of the Battle of Britain written by Chris Goss and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2018-06-30 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knights Cross of the Iron Cross), known simply as the Ritterkreuz (Knights Cross), was the highest German military award of the Second World War. Instituted on 1 September 1939, to coincide with the German invasion of Poland, it was awarded for leadership, valor or skill. As the war progressed, higher variants were instituted, namely the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, and the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves Swords and Diamonds. Similar in design, but larger, than the Eiserne Kreuz (Iron Cross), and worn around the neck as opposed to on the breast, the border and hanging loop on the Knights Cross were made of pure silver which was marked ‘800. The award was made by a number of German manufacturers. On 3 June 1940, the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuz mit Eichenlaub (Knights Cross with Oak Leaves) was instituted, by which time 124 Rittterkreuz had been awarded to all arms of the German military, of which forty-nine had been awarded to Luftwaffe personnel. The first recipient was Generalfeldmarschal Hermann Göring on 30 September 1939; the first Luftwaffe operational Luftwaffe aircrew member recipient, and the fifth overall, was Oberst Robert Fuchs, Kommodore of Kampfgeschwader 26. His award was made on 6 April 1940. The first fighter pilot to receive the Ritterkreuz was Hauptmann Werner Mölders of III Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 53 (III./JG 53) on 29 May 1940. Only three Luftwaffe officers would receive the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub in 1940, and all of them were fighter pilots – Mölders on 21 September 1940 (he was then Geschwader Kommodore of JG 51), Major Adolf Galland (Kommodore of JG 26) on 24 September 1940, and Hauptmann Helmut Wick (Kommandeur of I Gruppe/JG 2) on 6 October 1940. Throughout the summer of 1940, many more Luftwaffe members, be they serving on fighter, bomber, dive bomber or reconnaissance units, would receive the Ritterkreuz. Some of these awards were made posthumously, whilst others would learn of their awards whilst a prisoner of war in Britain or, later, in Canada. In this book, the renowned aviation historian Chris Goss provides biographical details of all operational members of the Luftwaffe who received the Ritterkreuz during 1940 or were awarded it as a result of their actions in what became known as the Battle of Britain.