February 20th was on a Sunday. This was the 1st day of Operation Argument, Big Week, the Allies' week-long offensive against the enemy aircraft industry. For the first time, the 8th Air Force sent more than 1,000 bombers deep into Germany....
(2006) Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany by Donald L. Miller. This excellent resource is a remarkable history of the Eighth Air Force....
Favorite (1949) A classic film, based on true events, about 8th Air Force flight crews. Gregory Peck as General Frank Savage commands the “918th” bomber squadron....
While Herman was out of commission with the ruptured eardrum, his crew flew seven missions. At the end of each flight day those not flying would wait in anticipation for the B-17's to return, counting each one as they appeared in the sky....
The assigned target was I G Farben Industrie plant at Ludwigshafen deep into Germany. This was an important chemical factory, critical to supplying Germany's war effort. An interesting aside is the fact that IG Farben also had a plant near Auschwitz which used slave laborers...
