A detailed and elaborately researched investigation into the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission; the first large US Air Force bombing-raid. This was the first test of the American theory that bomber formations could fly deep into Germany and adequately defend themselves.
#6413928 in Books 1995-04Original language:English 7.80 x .67 x 5.04l; #File Name: 014017947X384 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Best Book On SubjectBy Tony Marquise Jr.Mr. Middlebrook(now retired) is a historian who wrote many books on RAF bomber Command poerations in World War II; a few books on World War One; one book on the Flaklands war; and a few other books on World War II. This is his only book on the U.S Army Air Force in World War II. It is; like all his books; the best book on a given subject. It covers not only the topic in the title but; also; the entire war waged by the American heavy bombers over Germany in a general way. I know of no other book that describes this raid or this entire day in the air war as well as this book does. If you want to know about the U.S. heavy bomber attack on Germany; this book is a must have.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Book About Costly Eighth Air Force Schweinfurt-Regensburg Air RaidBy Merton E. MunsonThis book is a complete account of the very costly double raid on Schweinfurt and Regensburg in the early days of the Eighth Air Force operations against Germany. It explains what went wrong. It settled the question whether unescorted bombers could bomb deep in Germany without unacceptable losses. The book is technical and detailed. It covers such details as bomber formations.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An outstanding; epiphanic; well-written and researched account of a terrible day over the skies of GermanyBy KiwiwriterMartin Middlebrook is a formidable historian and writer; a researcher of the first order; with a great empathy for his subjects. Most of his works have been about British defeats of two World Wars; so it is unusual that he took up his pen to describe and dissect one of the most horrific defeats suffered by the US Army Air Force in its history; the attacks on Schweinfurt and Regensburg on August 17; 1943.Briefly; the "Mighty Eighth" set out to destroy the ball-bearing plants in these two cities; hurling vast numbers of unescorted B-17 Flying Fortress bombers against the cities and its defenses of flak and fighters. The American theory of strategic air warfare was that the B-17s; with their vast array of .50-caliber machine-guns; could defend themselves against enemy attack;without requiring fighter escort; particularly as American fighters could not reach Schweinfurt and perform effectively.That theory failed in the face of German fighter realities; and the Americans lost just over 100 bombers in the attack; doing little damage. As a result of the disaster; the Americans withheld their bombers until they had long-range P-51 fighters for cover. That led to "Big Week" over Berlin; where the American fighters flattened the Luftwaffe.Mr. Middlebrook is a Lincolnshire farmer who became interested in World War I and World War II from visiting battlefields and wrote his books; interviewing the last surviving veterans of the Great War; and moved on to the 1939-1945 war. His interest in the bomber offensive was piqued by the fact that so many of the bases were in Lincoln.In this book; he has done a tremendous job of interviewing people on both sides -- airmen and civilians; plunging into the strategy; operations; tactics; and human experiences of both sides; in almost minute-by-minute detail. It is an outstanding achievement for any historian; and more so when you realize that Mr. Middlebrook is British -- he is dealing with two foreign psyches.This book is most highly recommended for anyone studying the air war over Europe in World War II. It's a pity that he's retired from writing.
