{"product_id":"gothic-line-1944-45-the-usaaf-starves-out-the-german-army-paperback","title":"Gothic Line 1944-45: The Usaaf Starves Out the German Army - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eThomas McKelvey Cleaver\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eAnastasios Polychronis\u003c\/b\u003e (Illustrator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is the history of how the mighty Gothic Line was defeated by American air power, in one of the most pivotal but least-known air campaigns of World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy late 1944, the Italian Campaign was secondary to the campaigns in France, and Allied forces were not strong enough to break the Germans' mighty Gothic Line. These fortifications were supplied by rail through the Alps, with trains arriving hourly and delivering 600,000 tons of supplies a month, enough to keep the German Army going forever. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut in the bitter winter of 1944-45, the mighty Gothic Line would be defeated by American air power in one of the most pivotal but least-known air campaigns of World War II. It would not be a direct assault; instead Operation \u003ci\u003eBingo \u003c\/i\u003ewould ruthlessly cut the Germans' supply lines and leave them starved. However, it would not be easy. The rail routes were defended by a formidable array of heavy flak, and every raid was expected. Conditions were freezing, and even in electric flying suits, men suffered both hypoxia and frostbite. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy the end of February, the previous eight-hour rail journey took the Germans 3-4 days on the wrecked railroad, and soon supplies were barely enough to keep the army alive. On April 12, the Allied ground attack began, and within ten days the German command in Northern Italy sued for surrender, the first German force in Europe to do so. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePacked with first-hand accounts and rare photos from the 57th Bomb Wing Archives, this book is a fascinating history of the most successful US battlefield interdiction campaign in history, immortalized in the writing of bombardier Joseph Heller, in his novel \u003ci\u003eCatch 22\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThomas McKelvey Cleaver\u003c\/b\u003e has been a published writer for the past 40 years. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eAces of the 78th Fighter Group\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eF4F and F6F Aces of VF-2\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as \u003ci\u003eFabled Fifteen: The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15 \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Group\u003c\/i\u003e. During his 30 years as a screenwriter in Hollywood, he wrote the cult classic \u003ci\u003eThe Terror Within\u003c\/i\u003e and worked as a supervising producer on a number of TV and cable series. He served in the US Navy in Vietnam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 96\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.3 x 9.6 x 7.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 16, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53736333246828,"sku":"9781472853417","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0989\/3019\/6844\/files\/c2ebf0e310bfb243a7d096b1c7aa2c1c.webp?v=1778407559","url":"https:\/\/pattansenterprise.com\/products\/gothic-line-1944-45-the-usaaf-starves-out-the-german-army-paperback","provider":"Pattansenterprise","version":"1.0","type":"link"}