Air Campaign 31 Gothic Line 1944–45 Paperback

Description

This is the history of how the mighty Gothic Line was defeated by American airpower, in one of the most pivotal but least-known air campaigns of World War II.By late 1944, the Italian Campaign was secondary to the campaigns in France, andAllied forces were not strong enough to break the Germans’ mighty Gothic Line. Thesefortifications were supplied by rail through the Alps, with trains arriving hourly anddelivering 600,000 tons of supplies a month, enough to keep the German Army goingforever.But in the bitter winter of 1944–45, the mighty Gothic Line would be defeated byAmerican air power, in one of the most pivotal but least-known air campaigns of WorldWar II. It would not be a direct assault; instead Operation Bingo would ruthlessly cut theGermans’ supply lines and leave them starved. However, it would not be easy. The railroutes were defended by a formidable array of heavy flak, and every raid was expected.Conditions were freezing, and even in electric flying suits, men suffered both hypoxiaand frostbite.By the end of February, the previous eight-hour rail journey took the Germans 3-4 dayson the wrecked railroad, and soon supplies were barely enough to keep the army alive.On April 12, the Allied ground attack began, and within ten days the German commandin Northern Italy sued for surrender, the first German force in Europe to do so.Packed with first-hand accounts and expert analysis, this book is a fascinating history ofthe most successful US battlefield interdiction campaign in history.Sales and Marketing HighlightsBestselling author Thomas McKelvey Cleaver argues that this World War IIcampaign was the most successful air interdiction campaign in history, andyet is barely known today.Researched from the full war diaries of the 57th Bomb Wing and interviewswith several aircrew veterans, and includes many unpublished photos fromthe 57th Bomb Wing Association.Packed with first-hand accounts, this engaging story captures the truth behindthe Italian air interdiction war that was later fictionalised by Catch-22 authorJoseph Heller.