A vivid narrative history, packed with first-hand accounts, of the US
Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command from its foundation in 1942
through to its victory in the skies over Nazi Germany.
On August 7, 1942, two events of major military importance occurred on
separate sides of the planet. In the South Pacific, the United States
went on the offensive, landing the First Marine Division at Guadalcanal.
In England, 12 B-17 bombers of the new Eighth Air Force's 97th
Bombardment Group bombed the Rouen-Sotteville railroad marshalling yards
in France. While the mission was small, the aerial struggle that began
that day would ultimately cost the United States more men killed and
wounded by the end of the war in Europe than the Marines would lose in
the Pacific War.
Clean Sweep is the story of the creation, development and operation of
the Eighth Air Force Fighter Command and the battle to establish
daylight air superiority over the Luftwaffe so that the invasion of
Europe could be successful.
Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has had a lifelong interest in the history of
the fighter force that defeated the Luftwaffe over Germany. He has
collected many first-hand accounts from participants over the past 50
years, getting to know pilots such as the legendary "Hub" Zemke, Don
Blakeslee and Chuck Yeager, as well as meeting and interviewing leading
Luftwaffe pilots Adolf Galland, Gunther Rall and Walter "Count Punski"
Krupinski. This story is told through accounts gathered from both sides.
