Clean Sweep: VIII Fighter Command against the Luftwaffe, 1942-45

by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, Clarence E. "Bud" Anderson (Foreword by)

Overview

A vivid narrative history, packed with first-hand accounts, of the US Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command from its foundation in 1942 through to its victory in the skies over Nazi Germany.

On August 7, 1942, two events of major military importance occurred on separate sides of the planet. In the South Pacific, the United States went on the offensive, landing the First Marine Division at Guadalcanal. In England, 12 B-17 bombers of the new Eighth Air Force's 97th Bombardment Group bombed the Rouen–Sotteville railroad marshalling yards in France. While the mission was small, the aerial struggle that began that day would ultimately cost the United States more men killed and wounded by the end of the war in Europe than the Marines would lose in the Pacific War.

Clean Sweep is the story of the creation, development and operation of the Eighth Air Force Fighter Command and the battle to establish daylight air superiority over the Luftwaffe so that the invasion of Europe could be successful.

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has had a lifelong interest in the history of the fighter force that defeated the Luftwaffe over Germany. He has collected many first-hand accounts from participants over the past 50 years, getting to know pilots such as the legendary “Hub” Zemke, Don Blakeslee and Chuck Yeager, as well as meeting and interviewing leading Luftwaffe pilots Adolf Galland, Gunther Rall and Walter “Count Punski” Krupinski. This story is told through accounts gathered from both sides.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472855480
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	05/23/2023
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	371,561
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has been a published writer for the past 40 years, with his most recent work being the best-selling Osprey titles The Frozen Chosen (2016), Pacific Thunder (2017), Tidal Wave (2018), Holding the Line (2019), MiG Alley (2019), and I Will Run Wild (2020). He is also the author of Aces of the 78th Fighter Group and F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat Aces of VF-2, as well as Fabled Fifteen: The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15 and The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Group. During his 30 years as a screenwriter in Hollywood, he wrote the cult classic The Terror Within and worked as a supervising producer on a number of TV and cable series. He served in the US Navy in Vietnam and currently lives in Encino, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Brigadier General USAF (Ret.) Clarence "Bud" Anderson

Author Preface

Chapter One: The Most Important Day

Chapter Two: War on the Horizon

Chapter Three: Fledgling Fighters

Chapter Four: Yanks in the RAF

Chapter Five: Starting Over

Chapter Six: Opponents

Chapter Seven: VIII Fighter Command Struggles to Survive

Chapter Eight: The Battle Gets Serious

Chapter Nine: Against the Odds

Chapter Ten: Carrying On

Chapter Eleven: Mission 115 – The Day the Luftwaffe Won

Chapter Twelve: Reinforcement

Chapter Thirteen: End of the Beginning

Chapter Fourteen: Jimmy Doolittle Arrives

Chapter Fifteen: Blakeslee Takes Command

Chapter Sixteen: One-Man Air Force

Chapter Seventeen: Big Week

Chapter Eighteen: “I Knew the Jig Was Up”

Chapter Nineteen: The Battle of Germany

Chapter Twenty: Liberating Europe

Chapter Twenty-One: The Battle of Normandy

Chapter Twenty-Two: Oil: The Knockout Punch

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Road To Bodenplatte

Chapter Twenty-Four: Death of the Luftwaffe

Chapter Twenty-Five: A Clean Sweep

Bibliography

Glossary

Index

Editorial Reviews

The European air war from 1942 to 1945 is a daunting subject, but Tom Cleaver's study of VIII Fighter Command contributes to our broader knowledge of 'The Mighty Eighth' with detailed coverage of personalities and events, plus insightful analysis.” —Barrett Tillman, author of 'When the Shooting Stopped: August 1945'

“Drawing from USAAF and Luftwaffe post-combat reports, technical manuals, and personal accounts, Cleaver's work has a crackling immediacy, giving the reader a genuine sense of what these pilots and ground crews experienced, along with providing historical context to the decisions and actions taken by the combatants throughout the air war.” —Lynn Ritger, author of 'The Messerschmitt BF 109'

“The brilliance of Tom Cleaver's latest effort – Clean Sweep – rests on the back of his grub-around-in-every-corner-and-under-every-rock research. He brings shiny gems to us – accounts, recollections, facts and perspectives that are fresh, and that complete a story that is too often told with soulless numbers and numbing narratives. Heartily recommended.” —LtCol Jay A. Stout, USMC (Ret.), author of 'Fighter Group: The 352nd "Blue-Nosed Bastards" in World War II'

“This is a first class history of the campaign that was instrumental to Allied victory during the Second World War.” —History of War

“A well-focused history of the costly U.S. Air Force campaign over Europe that fatally degraded the Nazi war machine.” —Library Journal

“[A] fascinating tale with lots of detail.” —The Armourer

“While there have been many books on the US Army Air Forces' fighter and bomber operations from Britain during the Second World War, few, surely, have been as well written as this... A very worthwhile and highly readable tome.” —Aeroplane

“[This] is a first-rate single volume study that is highly recommended.” —Aviation News

“The book ably succeeds at being exactly what it is supposed to be: a very objective baseline study of the air war over Europe… It's history in its purest form…This book doesn't just educate; it inspires…So, in short, buy this book. You won't regret it.” —Aeroscale

From the Publisher

04/01/2023

During the latter part of World War II, the U.S. Eighth Air Force Fighter Command had huge tasks to accomplish over Europe. The pilots and aircraft needed to protect their bombers from aerial attacks and to destroy the Luftwaffe forces in the region. Allied air superiority was essential for precision bombing of military targets and invasion of the continent. U.S. Navy Vietnam War veteran Cleaver (Going Downtown) relates the evolution of American fighter aircraft and strategies that eventually succeeded against a formidable foe. He also outlines Luftwaffe gambits against U.S. aerial armadas, with recollections from participants on both sides. Eighth fighter pilots arriving in the UK were thoroughly trained but lacked combat experience. Their Thunderbolts, Lightnings, and Mustangs needed modifications to carry out high-altitude operations ranging across occupied Europe. The Eighth had to overcome those initial disadvantages and eliminate German aircraft whenever possible. Cleaver, a prolific author and screenwriter, doesn't skimp on details, even describing internal politics and tensions with other Allied forces. Illustrated with black-and-white photos. VERDICT A well-focused history of the costly U.S. Air Force campaign over Europe that fatally degraded the Nazi war machine.—David R. Conn

Library Journal