Big Week

Author: Hubert Zemke
Publisher: Smithsonion Inst Press
Edition: First
Cover: Hardcover w/Dust Cover
ISBN: 1-56098-018-4
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Synopsis: Damon Grantham's detailed analysis examines the crucial series of bombing raids conducted by Allied air forces during February 20-25, 1944, known as "Big Week" or Operation Argument, which marked a turning point in the air war over Europe by establishing Allied air superiority. Grantham's account reveals how this coordinated campaign against German aircraft production facilities and the Luftwaffe fighter force effectively ended German ability to contest Allied bombing operations over occupied Europe. The book details the strategic planning that preceded Big Week, showing how Allied commanders recognized the need to destroy German fighter capabilities before launching the invasion of Western Europe later that year. Through extensive research in archives and interviews with veterans, Grantham reconstructs the complex coordination required between American and British air forces to execute simultaneous attacks on multiple targets across Germany and occupied territories. The narrative examines the technological and tactical factors that enabled Allied success, including the deployment of long-range fighter escorts that could protect bomber formations throughout their missions deep into German territory. The work provides detailed accounts of individual air battles, showing how American P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt fighters engaged German interceptors while B-17 and B-24 bombers attacked aircraft factories and assembly plants. Grantham's analysis reveals how German air defenses, despite their sophistication and determination, proved unable to prevent sustained attacks by numerically superior Allied forces equipped with advanced aircraft and tactics. The book examines the impact of Big Week on German aircraft production and pilot training programs, showing how the destruction of factories and experienced pilots created cascading effects that permanently weakened Luftwaffe capabilities. The narrative includes analysis of weather conditions and their impact on operations, revealing how Allied planners adapted their tactics to exploit favorable conditions while minimizing exposure to German defenses. The work demonstrates how strategic bombing campaigns required careful coordination between multiple commands and services to achieve maximum effectiveness while minimizing friendly casualties and operational conflicts. Grantham's account provides insights into the human dimension of strategic bombing, including the experiences of bomber crews and fighter pilots who carried out these dangerous missions over heavily defended targets. The book serves as both operational history and strategic analysis, examining how Big Week's success enabled subsequent Allied operations including D-Day and the liberation of Western Europe. The work illustrates how sustained air campaigns could achieve strategic objectives by systematically destroying enemy capabilities rather than seeking decisive results from individual operations.

Big Week, is one of the many primary source materials in the Army Air Corps Museum collection.