"Although the major turning point of the Second World War had taken place by 1943, the enormous engine of destruction that had been set in motion in 1939 roared on until 1945. The Allies had faced the possibility of sound defeat early in the war, but they polled their resources and energies until the Axis was powerless before them. In 1944 the air war over Europe turned into a battle to the death between Germany and the Allied powers, spearheaded by the United States and Britain; the USAAF alone brought the 8th and 9th Air Forces to bear from England and the 12th and 15th Air Forces from Italy. The Luftwaffe was hammered down continually, but its pilots rose to do battle against a massive aerial armada, which suffered up until the last days of the war. With the introduction of the ultimate in piston-engine aircraft and the new jet-powered machines, and as thousands of aircraft clashed in the skies, Germany became an aerial battleground the like of which will never be witnessed again. This book is a glmpse of that time, from D-Day to the fall of Berlin, when men died for the countries they served in spite of overwhelming odds."--Introduction, page 5.