Patton's Eyes in the Sky

Patton's Eyes in the Sky
Author: Tom Ivie
Publisher: Specialty Press (MN)
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2003
Genre: Aerial reconnaissance, American
ISBN: 9781903223260

9 x 12 208 pgs 5 color & 250 b&w photos 30 color artworks index bibliographyThey were the first on D-Day and the last on VE-Day, flying essential, dare-devil, low-level photographic missions over the invasion beaches of Normandy and then in support of the Allied armies as they fought their way through the Ardennes, across the Rhine and into the Reich itself. The 10th Photo Recon Group flew the F-6 Mustang and the F-5 Lightning and for nocturnal missions, the F-3 Havoc. In its ranks were more Aces than any other such group.The extremely low-level missions flown by the 10th PRG over the Normandy beaches in May 1944 and later over the Seine and Moselle rivers areas became known as "Dicing Missions," from the British expression, dicing with death. Over Normandy's beaches they flew at an average altitude of 25 feet, and always during low tide when the broadest area of the beaches could be seen and the maximum number of German obstacles would be exposed to the camera's eye.

Fighting Patton

Fighting Patton
Author: Harry Yeide
Publisher: Zenith Press
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2014-03-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1627881530

What was it like to fight against one of the most hard-driving generals in history? He is remembered as an officer with few equals, a leader who attained legendary status while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. Nicknamed 'Old Blood and Guts,' he was also well known for his hard attitude, eccentricities, and controversial outspokenness. But no matter the image or label attached to his name, few will dispute General George S. Patton Jr.'s place as a truly timeless figure in the annals of military history. In Fighting Patton, U.S. international affairs analyst Harry Yeide is the first to examine this legendary leader through the eyes of his enemies: the opposing German commanders of WWII. Featuring hundreds of unpublished unit reports, officer accounts, and telephone transcripts all uncovered during Yeide's extensive exploration of German wartime records - Fighting Patton exposes the German perspective on how and why they lost their battles with Patton's forces. This truly unique narrative follows Patton's rise through the ranks in the Mexican Expedition and World War I as well as his many campaigns throughout World War II, from Tunisia, Sicily, and Normandy to Lorraine, the Bulge, and the heart of Germany. The result is a fresh, fascinating, and beautifully illustrated take on one of the most storied figures of twentieth-century warfare.

Patton Versus the Panzers

Patton Versus the Panzers
Author: Steven Zaloga
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2023-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1493083023

In September 1944 Hitler ordered an attack on Gen. George Patton's Third Army, which was deep inside France making for the Rhine and threatening the German industrial heartland beyond. The ensuing battle near Arracourt--the U.S. Army's largest tank-versus-tank clash until the Bulge--went badly for the Germans, who committed their armor piecemeal and whose offensive was shattered in a series of intense, close-range tank duels with the Americans. Armor expert Steven Zaloga deftly reconstructs the battle and shows how American Sherman tanks bested superior German Panthers.

Air Power for Patton's Army

Air Power for Patton's Army
Author: David N. Spires
Publisher:
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN:

Presents a case study of one air-ground team's experience with the theory and practice of tactical air power employed during the climactic World War 2 campaigns against the forces of Nazi Germany.

Patton's Air Force

Patton's Air Force
Author: David N. Spires
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
Total Pages: 569
Release: 2014-06-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 1935623508

From the time the Third Army became operational on August 1, 1944, until the guns fell silent on May 8, 1945, Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's troops covered more ground and took more enemy prisoners than any other Allied army in northwest Europe. Brig. Gen. Otto P. Weyland's XIX Tactical Air Command (TAC) provided air support every step of the way. Their combined success is something of an anomaly; air-ground relationships are notoriously confrontational and plagued with inter-service competition. How did Patton and Weyland work together to achieve such astounding success? Drawing on exclusive access to official records, David N. Spires finds that this success was due to four key developments: the maturation of tactical aviation doctrine, effective organizational procedures, a technical revolution in equipment, and, above all, the presence of pragmatic men of goodwill who made the system work. He focuses on the highly effective personal relationship between Patton and Weyland -- men who respected, trusted, and fully relied on each other and their respective subordinates. This collaboration extended all the way down the chain of command: Patton's ground troops and Weyland's airmen trained together in England, and so by the time they entered combat, they operated together as a single unit. Contrary to conventional wisdom, air-ground relationships in the field can be cooperative rather than confrontational. Today's air and ground officers can continue to benefit from the amazing success of the Third Army and the XIX TAC.

Air Power For Patton’s Army: The XIX Tactical Air Command In The Second World War [Illustrated Edition]

Air Power For Patton’s Army: The XIX Tactical Air Command In The Second World War [Illustrated Edition]
Author: David N. Spires
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Total Pages: 577
Release: 2014-08-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782895000

Illustrated with 3 charts, 28 maps and 88 photos. This insightful work by David N. Spires holds many lessons in tactical air-ground operations. Despite peacetime rivalries in the drafting of service doctrine, in World War II the immense pressures of wartime drove army and air commanders to cooperate in the effective prosecution of battlefield operations. In northwest Europe during the war, the combination of the U.S. Third Army commanded by Lt. Gen. George S. Patton and the XIX Tactical Air Command led by Brig. Gen. Otto P. Weyland proved to be the most effective allied air-ground team of World War II. The great success of Patton’s drive across France, ultimately crossing the Rhine, and then racing across southern Germany, owed a great deal to Weyland’s airmen of the XIX Tactical Air Command. This deft cooperation paved the way for allied victory in Western Europe and today remains a classic example of air-ground effectiveness. It forever highlighted the importance of air-ground commanders working closely together on the battlefield.

The US Eighth Air Force in World War II

The US Eighth Air Force in World War II
Author: William J. Daugherty
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2024-04-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1574419366

When America entered World War II in 1941, it was first left to the Army Air Forces to take the fight to Germany. In January 1942 the US Eighth Air Force was created and ordered to England, even though it was without men, equipment, or airplanes. This is the story of Brigadier General Ira C. Eaker’s two years with VIII Bomber Command and later as commander of the Eighth, as he worked to grow it into a force capable of striking German targets from above twenty thousand feet. Initially promised one hundred airplanes and the men to fly them, he soon discovered “his” bombers were often diverted to the North Africa and Pacific theaters. Along the way Eaker faced other critical issues, including atrocious weather, heavy casualties, and the absence of escort fighters. Meanwhile, the head of the Army Air Forces, General “Hap” Arnold, clashed with and criticized Eaker for not flying more missions with more airplanes. Ultimately, as the air war unfolded, the war of words behind the scenes continued until the generals reached a point of irreconcilable differences and Arnold relieved Eaker of command. In spite of this, the “Mighty Eighth Air Force” continued to pummel the Germans. Not once, not even in the two absolute worst air battles of the war—the Schweinfurt missions of 1943, each of which cost one of every four bombers and six hundred–plus men for each mission—did the Eighth ever turn back before reaching their target. Not until after the first two years was there a fighter that could escort the heavy bombers, the B-17s and B-24s, even partway into Germany, much less to targets near the Vienna border, and return. The story of the first two years of the “Mighty Eighth Air Force” in many senses presents an even stronger case for heroism, dedication, and simple self-sacrifice than that depicting events in the final seventeen months.

Patton's Spaceship

Patton's Spaceship
Author: John Barnes
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2014-07-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1453262598

First in the series blending alternate history, time travel, and detective thriller, from a Nebula and Hugo Award nominee. There are a million different Earths across an infinite number of timelines—and every one of them is in peril. Mark Strang became a bodyguard and private investigator when terrorists killed his family; now he spends his days protecting Pittsburgh’s helpless and abused. But while on a mission to save the life of a ten-year-old girl, Strang is inexplicably cast into an alternate reality, transported to a different time on another Earth, where America was defeated in the Second World War and now suffers under the brutal yoke of Nazi oppression. Joining up with the remnants of the Resistance in the Free Zone—and allied with such notable commanders as George Patton and John F. Kennedy—Strang is suddenly a marked man and the last hope in a desperate fight for freedom, not only on this world but on countless others. For a war unlike any other is raging across time and dimensions, threatening every possible Earth, including Strang’s own. And the enemy will not rest until the entire multiverse is in chains. In his epic and action-packed science fiction saga the Timeline Wars, John Barnes takes alternate-history SF to new heights, ingeniously reinventing and reinvigorating a genre popularized by such acclaimed authors as Harry Turtledove while joining the stellar ranks of Robert Heinlein and Joe Haldeman.

The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II

The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II
Author: Donal Sexton
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 583
Release: 2011-10-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 1135906874

The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II is a concise, comprehensive guide for students, teachers, and history buffs of the Second World War. With an emphasis on the American forces in these theaters, each entry is accompanied by a brief annotation that will allow researchers to navigate through the vast amount of literature on the campaigns fought in these regions with ease. Focusing on all aspects surrounding the U.S. involvement in the Western European and Mediterranean theaters, including politics, religion, biography, strategy, intelligence, and operations, this bibliography will be a welcome addition to the collection of any academic or research library. Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies provide concise, annotated bibliographies to the major areas and events in American military history. With the inclusion of brief critical annotations after each entry, the student and researcher can easily assess the utility of each bibliographic source and evaluate the abundance of resources available with ease and efficiency. Comprehensive, concise, and current—Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies are an essential research tool for any historian.