Forgotten Fifteenth
The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler's War Machine
-
- $16.99
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
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, 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.
Forgotten Fifteenth is the first-ever detailed account of the Fifteenth Air Force in World War II and the brave men that the history books have abandoned until now. Tillman proves this book is a must-read for military history enthusiasts, veterans, and current servicemen.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
