A vivid account of the US Eighth Air Force’s raids on Schweinfurt and Regensburg in August and October 1943, their most difficult and costliest missions of World War II.

Based on the first-hand accounts of those who survived, renowned aviation historian Tom Cleaver tells the story of the Eighth Air Force’s darkest days during the bombing campaign against Germany in the Summer and Fall of 1943. These were the raids carried out to destroy the vital ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt and Regensburg on which the German Army depended – Mission 84 on August 17 and Mission 115 on October 14.

In the face of an unrelenting German anti-aircraft defence, these missions became bitter fights as the B-17 crews of VIII Bomber Command found themselves under attack from nearly every Luftwaffe fighter unit in Western Europe. During Mission 115 alone, 60 B-17s were lost and 600 men died or became prisoners of war. October 14, 1943, was known forever after as “Black Thursday,” the day the Luftwaffe won.

This dramatic narrative takes us through the build-up to the missions before focussing on the desperate struggle for survival in the skies above Germany. The raids were to have profound implications as the Luftwaffe regained air superiority over Germany and the US Air Force conducted no more missions until long-range fighter escorts were available. A new air war had begun.