By Christopher Miskimon
The Italian Campaign had to be fought, though no one on the Allied side wished to fight it. Everyone knew Italy would not be the critical point in the war for Europe, but Germany could not be given respite to rebuild its forces until the Invasion of Europe. So, the Allies invaded Italy, diverting Axis forces and draining their resources. To this end, the US Army Air Forces flew the length of Italy, adding their firepower to the weight of Allied forces fighting their way up the Italian Peninsula. The Luftwaffe replied in kind, attacking Allied forces wherever they could, such as at Anzio. The mass the Allies could bring eventually told, however, and the Allies attained superiority in the air, launching bomber raids and fighter strikes that punished Axis forces over time.
The author is an established authority on U.S. air power of World War II and the Cold War. He has numerous books to his credit and this one continues his record of good research, readable narratives, and detailed coverage of wide-sweeping campaigns. This book provides excellent coverage of the air war in the Mediterranean.
Mediterranean Sweep: The USAAF in the Italian Campaign (Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, Osprey Books, Oxford UK, 2025, 320 pp., maps, photographs, bibliography, index, $32, HC)
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