{"product_id":"turning-the-tide-the-usaaf-in-north-africa-and-sicily-hardcover","title":"Turning the Tide: The Usaaf in North Africa and Sicily - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eThomas McKelvey Cleaver\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePacked with personal accounts of the action, this is a vivid narrative history of the often-overlooked USAAF campaign in North Africa and Sicily in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 1942, the Western Allies needed to take the offensive against the Axis to relieve pressure on the Soviet Union. With planning for a cross-Channel invasion beset by logistical and operational difficulties, in May 1942 President Roosevelt ordered his military leaders to prepare to support the British in the Mediterranean. This led to the first USAAF units arriving in the Middle East in July, firstly as reinforcements for the British and later as part of the Operation \u003ci\u003eTorch \u003c\/i\u003elandings in French Morocco and Algeria in November. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In little over ten months from the summer of 1942, the USAAF in North Africa grew from nothing to a senior partner, providing aircraft and crews the other Allies were unable to match. The Axis forces that had controlled almost the entire southern shore of the Mediterranean had been swept from the African continent - thanks in no small part to the efforts of the USAAF. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUsing first-hand accounts from pilots and other aircrew, Tom Cleaver describes how the USAAF units that landed in Morocco were forced to learn their own lessons in combat with veteran Luftwaffe units, and how the experience gained in the skies over North Africa and Sicily was invaluable in developing the air forces that would dominate the skies over Europe in the latter years of the war.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThomas McKelvey Cleaver \u003c\/b\u003ehas been a published writer for the past 40 years, with his work including the best-selling Osprey titles \u003ci\u003eThe Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club \u003c\/i\u003e(2021), \u003ci\u003eGoing Downtown\u003c\/i\u003e (2022), \u003ci\u003eThe Cactus Air Force\u003c\/i\u003e (2022) alongside the late Eric Hammel, and most recently \u003ci\u003eClean Sweep\u003c\/i\u003e (2023).\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eTom served in the US Navy in Vietnam and currently lives in Encino, California.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9.3 x 6.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 13, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51763384680736,"sku":"9781472860255","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/5e9ff962431f105e36367f378d93aae8.webp?v=1780234001","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/turning-the-tide-the-usaaf-in-north-africa-and-sicily-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}