On August 17, 1942, twelve Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the
United States Eighth Air Force carried out the first American raid
over occupied Europe, striking the rail yards at Rouen, France.
Soon after, hundreds of American B-17s and Consolidated B-24
Liberators filled the skies above Europe. Despite frequent attacks
against Germany and its allies by four different air forces,
American commanders failed to stage a successful air offensive
against Germany in the summer and fall of 1943. When victory in the
air war against the Axis powers appeared bleak at the threshold of
1944, a change in command accompanied by top-down organizational
restructuring allowed the American leaders to snatch victory from
the jaws of defeat for the first time. Uniting against the Reich:
The American Air War in Europe addresses how the United States
swiftly reversed its air war against the Axis powers by
reevaluating both individual agency and the structural elements
that impeded the US from taking the lead in the European Theater.
Luke W. Truxal argues that the appointment of General Dwight D.
Eisenhower as the Supreme Allied Commander incorporated various air
commands under a single authority, which allowed them to unify
their efforts against a specific strategic objective. In this
narrative, victory in Europe hinged on restructuring the air force
under one command system in order to wage a series of sustained and
targeted bombings against German infrastructure and industry.
Truxal's provocative reinterpretation of personality, material, and
command organization helps to explain the success of the American
war effort in Europe leading up to and after February 1944, when
Germany lost 355 fighters during an operation that lasted only five
days. This comprehensive and well-written account offers a
compelling new assessment of the development of the American war in
Europe and emphasizes the importance of developing an
"air-mindedness" when evaluating and strategizing large-scale
operations.
General
Imprint: |
The University Press of Kentucky
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Aviation & Air Power |
Release date: |
October 2023 |
Authors: |
Luke W Truxal
• Robert M. Citino
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
278 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8131-9928-3 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8131-9928-X |
Barcode: |
9780813199283 |
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