Masters Of The Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air war Against Nazi Germany, Miller - B

                  "The Eighth Air Force had been sent to England to join the ever accelerating bombing campaign, which would be the longest battle of World War II." Casualties would be shockingly high. The 8th had 26,000 fatalities, more than the entire U.S. Marine Corps. 

                   The U.S. Air Force came to the war as believers of strategic bombing, the destruction of the enemy's means of production, and the breaking of its morale. It was aided by the Norden bombsight, which American pilots bragged allowed them to drop a bomb into a pickle barrel. The Boeing-made B-17 was a majestic machine that was amazingly fast, heavily armed, and believed to be invincible. Consequently, the planners did not foresee the need for fighter escorts. Between February 1942 and the end of 1943, the 8th grew from seven men and no planes, to 185,000 and 4,000. However, their start was inauspicious. Throughout the second half of 1942, the U.S. put planes over the continent, but the inexperienced crews could not compete with the Luftwaffe's veterans, and their bombing was totally inaccurate. That first year, they were "flying and fighting without proper equipment, armor, warmth, or rest." Their losses were so high and unrelenting that there was a near total collapse of morale and well-being in the 8th. By the time the 8th began to receive reinforcements in the late spring of 1943, they had seen only a fourth of their crews live long enough to complete their 25 mission objective.

           Over that first winter, the Yanks began the construction of over 200 airfields in England to hold the eventual thousands of planes and hundreds of thousands of men set to arrive. The objective of the RAF and USAF was to destroy the Luftwaffe, its bases, and manufacturing facilities prior to the cross-channel invasion of 1944. The first major attempt the 8th made was against two plants in Bavaria, one the Reich's leading manufacturer of ball bearings, the other, a large Messerschmitt plant. On August 17, three hundred and seventy-six B-17's took off, sixty-one were lost and another 100 were so badly damaged that they were pulled from the line. The damage inflicted on the Germans was negligible. At this point, it was evident that long range fighter escorts had to be used or the US bombing campaign would fail. In Germany, the air war now became the Reich's primary concern. Albert Speer and the Luftwaffe's leaders begged for more fighter planes. Hitler opted for flak guns and revenge rockets. A second run at the ball bearing plant in Schweinfurt again led to massive U.S. casualties. Late in 1943, the 8th added a new strategic asset to its planes, air to ground radar. The American could now fly and bomb in northern Europe's perpetually cloudy skies.

           The air war over Germany finally turned conclusively in America's favor on January 11, 1944. On a mission deep into Germany, the B-17's were escorted by a new fighter, the P-51 Mustang. A single plane protected an entire group from the Luftwaffe only a few minutes west of Berlin. The Mustang changed everything. It could fly as far east as Poland, was faster and lighter than the Me-109, and was produced in massive quantities. Additionally, the Americans were told to not fly with the B-17's, but rather to push forward and aggressively attack the German fighters. On February 20, the 8th unleashed a massive bombing operation in which they lost a handful of planes and the escorts knocked out a third of their attackers. It was a clear cut victory, and the beginning of the end for the Luftwaffe. They carried their massive raids to Berlin next and dealt the capital  blow after blow. Finally in May, American casualties dropped precipitously, and morale skyrocketed. Gen. Eisenhower diverted both the RAF and USAF to ground support throughout the summer of 1944. When the 8th was released, it attacked the synthetic oil industry and finally hit a strategic target that substantially impeded the German war effort. In the fall, a resupplied Luftwaffe made their final effort, but were overwhelmed as the US was flying missions with 500-1000 bombers constantly. Over the winter, the 8th slowed down its strategic ambitions and began to aggressively bomb German population centers.  After the war, the Allies learned that their bombing of the cities throughout the Fatherland severely depressed front line Wehrmacht troops. When there wasn't much left to bomb, they provided ground support to advancing troops. And by the first week in May, it was at last over.

             History has not been kind to 'Bomber' Harris and the RAF's indiscriminate slaughter of German citizens for the entire length of the campaign. The record of the USAF is held in higher regard, but is still considered somewhat mixed. The only truly successful 'strategic'  bombing was of the synthetic fuel infrastructure in 1944. Almost everything else was area bombing. Their greatest and most important contribution was the defeat of the Luftwaffe. By clearing the skies, they made the Normandy landings and the ensuing successes possible. In many ways, this has been a frustrating read. It tells a story of magnificent bravery, steadfastness, and strength by very young Americans called to war. But at no point does it flow smoothly, and it is very long, almost wearying at times. That said, God bless the Greatest Generation.