"Big Week" 1944: Operation Argument and the breaking of the Jagdwaffe

by Douglas C. Dildy, Graham Turner (Illustrator)

Overview

A rigorous new analysis of America's legendary “Big Week" air campaign which enabled the Allies to gain air superiority before D-Day.

In the years before the outbreak of World War II, there was a general consensus among military strategists that strategic bombing had the ability to win wars. However, no-one could foresee the devastation that German radar-directed interceptors would inflict on large bomber formations.

With the increasingly urgent need to eliminate these German fighter-aircraft prior to D-Day, a concerted two-phase effort, code-named “Operation Argument,” was launched by USSAF. Targeting aircraft factories with hundreds of heavy bombers escorted by the new long-range P-51 Mustang, the operation, now known as the “Big Week” campaign, was designed to destroy aircraft production on the ground and force the Luftwaffe into combat to defend these vital facilities, allowing the new escort fighters to take their toll on the German interceptors. Packed with specially commissioned artwork and maps, this title is a detailed and fascinating analysis of “Big Week”—history's first ever successful offensive counterair (OCA) campaign.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472824516
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Series:	Air Campaign , #27
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Douglas C. Dildy is a retired US Air Force colonel who retired with approximately 3,200 hours of fast jet time. As commander of the 32d Fighter Squadron, he enforced the No-Fly-Zone over Iraq, making him an expert on F-15 employment. He is a USAF Academy graduate with a Masters Degree in Political Science and has authored numerous books, including To Defeat the Few for Osprey. He contributes regularly to the modelling magazine Small Air Forces Observer and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Graham Turner is a leading historical artist, specializing in the medieval period. He has illustrated numerous titles for Osprey, covering a wide variety of subjects from the dress of the 10th-century armies of the Caliphates, through the action of bloody medieval battles, to the daily life of the British Redcoat of the late 18th century. The son of the illustrator Michael Turner, Graham lives and works in Buckinghamshire, UK.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHRONOLOGY

ATTACKER'S CAPABILITIES

-The Pointblank Directive

-Aircraft: their capabilities, roles, and missions

-Commanders

ORDERS OF BATTLE, February 1944

DEFENDER'S CAPABILITIES

-The Luftwaffe's air defence system

-Aircraft: their capabilities, roles, and missions

-Commanders

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES

-“Black Week” – the crisis of American daylight strategic bombing

-The Luftwaffe's response

-Operation Argument planning

THE CAMPAIGN

-Eighth AF Mission 226, February 20

-Eighth AF Mission 228, February 21

-Eighth AF Mission 230, February 22

-Fifteenth AF Missions, February 22, 23, and 24

-Eighth AF Mission No.233, February 24

-Eighth and Fifteenth AF Missions, February 25

AFTERMATH AND ASSESSMENT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Editorial Reviews

The book is wonderfully supplemented by the usual stunning artwork known in many of the Osprey series. There are excellent maps, orders of battle, and a good selection of photographs. I found few if any editing errors in this book. It is a fantastic look at a very focused and short campaign in February 1944 that was deemed crucial to the success of the impending Allied invasion. In fact by April 1944, the USAAF switched priorities and focus by being subordinated to Eisenhower for invasion support. If you are looking for a compact yet comprehensive and affordable look at Operation Argument, then this is the book for you.” —Todd Shughart, Aviation News Magazine

From the Publisher