
Big Week
The Biggest Air Battle of World War II
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Narrated by:
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Grover Gardner
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By:
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James Holland
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 resources - fuel and pilots - were strained to the breaking point. Ultimately new Allied aircraft - especially the American long-range P-51 Mustang - and 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, 1944 - D-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.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2018 James Holland. Recorded by arrangement with Atlantic Monthly Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2018 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"The story swings from technical details about how much fuel a bomber can carry to the tactics of a dogfight. [Narrator Grover] Gardner lives up to the challenge, smoothly moving between a cool and steady delivery of narrative and tense portrayals of those in the thick of the action. Listeners hear the joy of victory and the anguish of losing a brother, literally and figuratively, through Gardner's soulful narration. Both history buffs and reluctant historians will enjoy this audio adventure." (AudioFile Magazine)
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The book is quite good, although there is not much here that is not covered in other books. It is well written and generally enjoyable. Definitely worth a listen, particularly if you have not already read other books about the air war in Europe.
Not Just About "Big Week"
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and aerial battles this is the book for you.
an excellent overview of aircraft a models used
by the allies and Germany. also provides
excellent information about famous pilots
World War II HEROS AND AIRCRAFY
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the most detail of the allied air war I've read
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Helpful in understanding much diminished German airpower during D-Day landings
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Marvelous!
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