Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler's War Machine

by Barrett Tillman

Overview

November 1943—May 1945—The U.S. Army Air Forces waged an unprecedentedly dogged and violent campaign against Hitler’s vital oil production and industrial plants on the Third Reich’s southern flank. Flying from southern Italy, far from the limelight enjoyed by the Eighth Air Force in England, the Fifteenth Air Force engaged in high-risk missions spanning most of the European continent. The story of the Fifteenth Air Force deserves a prideful place in the annals of American gallantry.

In his new book, The Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler’s War Machine, Tillman brings into focus a seldom-seen multinational cast of characters, including pilots from Axis nations Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria and many more remarkable individuals. They were the first generation of fliers—few of them professionals—to conduct a strategic bombing campaign against a major industrial nation. They suffered steady attrition and occasionally spectacular losses. In so doing, they contributed to the end of the most destructive war in history.

The Forgotten Fifteenth is the first-ever detailed account of the Fifteenth Air Force in World War II and the brave men that history has abandoned. This book is a must-read for military history enthusiasts, veterans, current servicemen and their families. Includes glossy photo signature of historic pictures and documents

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621574040
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	08/10/2015
Series:	World War II Collection
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	799,725
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Barrett Tillman grew up flying and has spent hundreds of hours in historic aircraft. His cockpit perspective gives his
writing about aerial warfare an unmatched immediacy. The author of more than forty books, including Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler’s War Machine and Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, he is a familiar television commentator, with credits on the History Channel and National Geographic Channel. His work has been cited in dozens of history books and integrated into coursework by the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Tillman lives in Mesa, Arizona, with his wife, Sally.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Prologue xi

Chapter 1 Up from the Desert 1

November 1943-January 1944

Chapter 2 The Winter War 27

January-March 1944

Chapter 3 Italian Spring 55

March-June 1944

Chapter 4 East to Ploesti 81

April-June 1944

Chapter 5 Mediterranean Summer 115

July-September 1944

Chapter 6 Other Players 149

1944-1945

Chapter 7 Air Supremacy 183

September-December 1944

Chapter 8 Mission Accomplished 215

January-May 1945

Chapter 9 Legacy 247

May 1945 and beyond

Acknowledgments 273

Appendix 277

Notes 287

Bibliography 311

Index 315

Editorial Reviews

02/03/2014
Noted aviation historian Tillman (Whirlwind) has written the long-overdue first history of the little-known U.S. Fifteenth Air Force, whose mission focus during WWII was southern and eastern Europe. It is a solid chronological history of the unit, from its formation through war’s end, as it flew strategic bombing missions from bases in Italy. Tillman covers all of the major events in the unit’s history, including the famous raids on Ploesti, Romania—the heart of Axis petroleum refining—as well as the first bombing of Germany from the south. He also addresses many lesser known aspects of these operations such as the prisoner rescue of 1944, aerial reconnaissance actions, and the work done in cooperation with Yugoslavian partisans. The sections of the book dedicated to personal experiences in aerial combat bring the challenges and bravery of the aircrews to life. Tillman’s style is engaging and his history is an enjoyable and informative read for serious historians as well as for more general readers with an interest in aviation and military history. (June)

Publishers Weekly