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Air-Ground Teamwork on the Western Front: The Role of the XIX Tactical Air Command During August 1944: An Interim Report [Wings at War No. 5]

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Price: $5.00

Item Number: L0184

Air-Ground Teamwork on the Western Front: The Role of the XIX Tactical Air Command During August 1944: An Interim Report [Wings at War No. 5]

This work describes close air support and battlefield interdiction in action. A single, month-long campaign—the famous thrust across northern France in August 1944 of Gen. George S. Patton's Third Army and Maj. Gen. O. P. Weyland's XIX Tactical Air Command—became a model for close cooperation between army and aviation forces in future conflicts. This day-by-day, blow-by-blow account shows how the ground forces raced forward, frequently 20 miles per day, because friendly air power protected their flanks, shielded them from the Luftwaffe, and devastated the opposition in front of them.

Originally published shortly after key air campaigns, the Wings at War series captured the spirit and tone of America's World War II experience. Eyewitness accounts of Army Air Forces' aviators and details from the official histories enlivened the story behind each of six important AAF operations.

Originally published in 1945 by Headquarters, Army Air Forces, Office of Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Washington, D.C., as a soft cover booklet measuring 6 × 9.25 inches.

This is the edition reprinted in 1992 by the Center for Air Force History, Washington, D.C., as part of the 50th Anniversary of World War II commemorations. Other than a slightly redesigned front cover and title page, this was a facsimile reprint of the original booklet.

Military Reference Library #L184

Available as a PDF file (28 MB) from Merriam Press
High quality scan of every page of the original work
Not available for downloading
Will be shipped by mail on a CDR disc
- Shipment by first class mail to U.S. customers and airmail to foreign customers
- PDF files on CDR discs are sent separately from printed books
- No extra charge for shipping CDRs but the regular small order/shipping charges apply

Contents

Foreword
Air-Ground Teamwork on the Western Front
- Background of the XIX Tactical Air Command
- Background of the Third Army
- First Phase of the Operation
  - The Front on 1 August
  - Five Days—for Brittany
  - Protecting the Corridor
- Second Phase
  - The Trap Begins to Close, 6-12 August
  - Loire Flank
  - Enemy Air Defeats—Prelude to Destruction
  - Armed Reconnaissance, 6-12 August
  - Close Cooperation—Closing the Jaws
  - Brest, Lorient, St. Malo, and the Ile de Cézembre
- Third Phase
  - The Pocket, the Run-Out
- Fourth Phase
  - The Luftwaffe Goes Home
- Fifth Phase
  - The End in France
Highlights of Day by Day Air Operations
- 1 August
- 2 August
- 3 August
- 4 August
- 5 August
- 6 August
- 7 August
- 8 August
- 9 August
- 10 August
- 11 August
- 12 August
- 13 August
- 14 August
- 15 August
- 16 August
- 17 August
- 18 August
- 19 August
- 20 August
- 21 August
- 22 August
- 23 August
- 24 August
- 25 August
- 26 August
- 27 August
- 28 August
- 29 August
- 30 August
- 31 August
  - Recapitulation
Notes on Organization, Tactics, and Technique
- Air Liaison Officers
- Communications
- Tactical Air Control
- Supply and Transportation
- Airdrome Squadrons
- P-47 Aircraft and API Ammunition
- Rockets
- Armored-Column Cover
- Air-Ground Communications
- Altitude of Operations
- Minimum Weather
- Frequency of Operation
- Bomb-Loading
- Radius of Action
- Airfield Surface
- Flank Protection
- Operations on Fronts 350 Miles Apart
- Situation Map
- Reconnaissance and Intelligence