{"product_id":"big-week-the-biggest-air-battle-of-world-war-ii-9780802128393","title":"Big Week: The Biggest Air Battle of World War II","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe vivid and largely untold story of the dramatic Allied air campaign against Germany that was a turning point in World War II and ultimately crucial to the success of D-Day and the Allied invasion of Europe During the third week of February 1944  the combined Allied air forces based in Britain and Italy launched their first round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. Their goal: to smash the main factories and production centers of the Luftwaffe while also drawing German planes into an aerial battle of attrition to neutralize the Luftwaffe as a fighting force prior to the cross-channel invasion  planned for a few months later. Officially called Operation ARGUMENT  this aerial offensive quickly became known as Big Week  and it was one of the turning-point engagements of World War II. In Big Week  acclaimed World War II historian James Holland chronicles the massive air battle through the experiences of those who lived and died during it. Prior to Big Week  the air forces on both sides were in crisis. Allied raids into Germany were being decimated  but German resourcesfuel and pilotswere strained to the breaking point. Ultimately new Allied aircraftespecially the American long-range P-51 Mustangand superior tactics won out during Big Week. Through interviews  oral histories  diaries  and official records  Holland follows the fortunes of pilots  crew  and civilians on both sides  taking readers from command headquarters to fighter cockpits to anti-aircraft positions and civilian chaos on the ground  vividly recreating the campaign as it was conceived and unfolded. In the end  the six days of intense air battles largely cleared the skies of enemy aircraft when the invasion took place on June 6  1944D-Day. Big Week is both an original contribution to WWII literature and a brilliant piece of narrative history  recapturing a largely forgotten campaign that was one of the most critically important periods of the entire war.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67622364151861,"sku":"ByrdShop_0802128394","price":37.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780802128393.jpg?v=1791556243","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/big-week-the-biggest-air-battle-of-world-war-ii-9780802128393","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}