The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe: The U.S. Army Air Forces Against Germany in World War II

by Jay A Stout Lt.

Overview

San Diego Book Award Winner: “An excellent overview of the U.S. Army Air Forces’ war against Nazi Germany.” —Barrett Tillman, author of Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan 1942–1945
 
Bronze medalist, Military Writers Society of America
 
When World War II began, the U.S. Army Air Corps numbered only forty-five thousand men and a few thousand aircraft—hardly enough to defend the United States, let alone defeat Germany’s Luftwaffe, whose state-of-the-art aircraft and battle-seasoned pilots stood ready to batter any attackers. Yet by the war’s end, the Luftwaffe had been crushed, and the U.S. Army Air Forces, successor to the Air Corps, had delivered the decisive blows. This book tells the story of that striking transformation—one of the marvels of modern warfare—while simultaneously thrusting readers into whirling, heart-pounding accounts of aerial combat.
 
Britain’s Royal Air Force had been just barely holding the line, and the might of the United States was needed to turn the tide. Almost from scratch, the US built an air force of more than two million men. Thanks to the visionary leadership of Henry “Hap” Arnold, Carl “Tooey” Spaatz, Ira Eaker, James Doolittle, and others, the USAAF assembled a well-trained and superbly equipped force unlike any ever fielded. And thanks to the brave Americans who crewed, maintained, and supported the aircraft, the USAAF annihilated the Luftwaffe, pounding targets deep inside Germany and elsewhere.
A stirring tribute to these men as well as an engaging work of history, The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe vividly describes World War II in the skies above Europe—and captures the personalities of the men who won it, whether on the ground or in the air.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811742405
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	06/14/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	477
Sales rank:	400,126
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Jay A. Stout, a retired U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot, is a senior aviation consultant for a leading defense corporation and has appeared on Fox News as a combat aviation expert. His previous books include Fortress Ploesti (978-1-932033-18-2) and Hammer from Above (978-0-89141-871-9). He lives near San Diego, California.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 Building an Air Force 1

Chapter 2 The Nazis and Eaker 23

Chapter 3 Spaatz and Baker Go to England 43

Chapter 4 First Mission and the Move to North Africa 53

Chapter 5 Casablanca and Fighters in North Africa 69

Chapter 6 Romance, Submarines, and Sicily 91

Chapter 7 Tidalwave 111

Chapter 8 The Gunners 131

Chapter 9 Black Thursday and Long-Range Fighters 143

Chapter 10 Doolittle, Phased Escort, and Freedom for the Fighters 169

Chapter 11 Big Week, Interns, and Flak 187

Chapter 12 Pilot Training 205

Chapter 13 Ground Attack and Bomber Bailouts 223

Chapter 14 The Oil Plan 241

Chapter 15 D-Day 251

Chapter 16 Fighter-on-Fighter Combat 259

Chapter 17 The Men Who Made It Possible 277

Chapter 18 Frantic 287

Chapter 19 Mishaps, Miscues, and Near Things 303

Chapter 20 Jets, Rockets, and Tante Ju 319

Chapter 21 More Fighters and G's 337

Chapter 22 The Big Blow That Wasn't 351

Chapter 23 The General Falls 359

Chapter 24 Bodenplatte 369

Chapter 25 Deadly to the End 383

Conclusion 395

Afterword 398

Notes 402

Bibliography 411

Acknowledgments 416

Index 417

Editorial Reviews

"As spell binding as it is authoritative -- never before has there been such a detailed work on the USAAF."

HyperScale - Mick Evans

Marvelously written.

Walter J. Boyne