Book Description

As Allied and German armies fought on the ground in the Battle of the Bulge, an equally desperate battle raged in the skies overhead, as enemy air forces fought the weather and each other for supremacy.Acclaimed author Danny Parker completes the narrative begun in his highly successful Battle of the Bulge. He covers the important and previously unexplored air aspect of a famous land battle. Those who thought they were thoroughly familiar with Hitler's last offensive will find a wealth of new information here, including exclusive interviews with war-time airmen, over 100 rare photos, the unknown story of German MIAs, Luftwaffe jets and other secret weapons, losses in men and aircraft for both sides from government archives, aircraft performance comparisons, and the innovations in tactics and technology that made victory for one side possible and defeat for the other side inevitable.Through all the facts and figures, Danny Parker weaves a compelling narrative about the airmen on both sides in the last desperate days of World War II, about their conflicts with the enemy and among themselves as they stood on the brink of victory--and defeat. As the end of the war drew near, Allied leaders were divided between British and Americans, air and ground commanders, and advocates of strategic and tactical air operations. On the German side, Luftwaffe leaders Hermann Göring and Dietrich Peltz sought to obey every order to the bitter end, while Luftwaffe fighter commander Adolf Galland struggled to save his last reserves of young pilots from a final and futile slaughter.Danny S. Parker is a former research consultant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the Battle of the Bulge, and is the author of "Ten Percent Chance of Victory: The Last Operation of the German Airborne," and The Battle of the Bulge. He is highly regarded by veterans, historians, and active-duty military personnel.