Book Information

Book ID Asin: B06Y3MTVR7
Book Title: A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940–1945: Tunisia and the End in Africa, November 1942–1943
Book Author: Christopher Shores,Giovanni Massimello,Russell Guest,Frank Olynyk,Winfried Bock
Book Format and Price:
Book Format Name: Kindle
Book Format Price: $12.92
Book Format Name: Hardcover
Book Format Price: $79.95
Book Price: $12.92
Book Category: Kindle Store, Kindle eBooks, History and unknown
Book Rating: 49 ratings

Book Product Detail

• Best Sellers Rank: #682,277 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • #250 in North Africa History
  • #465 in Military Aviation History (Kindle Store)
  • #1,042 in 20th Century World History

• Customer Reviews:
  4.7 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

unknown

Book Review

Name: Writing Historian
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Exceptionally Fine Effort to Document A Complex Period of Wartime Aviation History
Date: Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 2, 2016
Review: The publication of this volume represents potentially one of the most ambitious attempts ever to chronicle day-to-day air operations in WW2. Complexity is not always driven solely by geographical scale, as in this case no less than four air forces actively sought to to defeat their multinational opponents in a relatively small area. The approach therefore produces exceptionally detailed coverage while clearly showing that small numbers of planes can have a significant impact, but the risks of using material from all four air forces creates the occasional risk of relying on the wrong sources for a certain incident if careful vetting is not performed. While German scholarship is unsurprisingly exploited to the utmost, one should take care when using a secondary account by a German author describing American armor operations. For example, Jochen Prien’s Jagdgeschwader 53 volume 2 notes that U.S. light tanks overran Djedeida airfield where a number of Stukas and Bf-109s were operating from. Prien writes on page 508 of his book that the attack took place on 26 November, while also footnoting that Luftwaffe High Command reported that same event as taking place on the day before. The High Command, in this instance, is correct while Prien is in error. As a result, using Prien as a source led Shores et al to list the Stuka and Bf-109 losses that resulted from that attack on 26 November, a date where the British made few claims, thus sparking my initial curiosity to determine what actually happened when. In fact, those losses took place on 25 November, which matches up nicely with defending Spitfire units making numerous claims while suffering comparable casualties to well-flown Luftwaffe fighters in return. Regardless of the above miscalculation, I think the writing and research effort that went into this book were without parallel.

I would be very remiss if I failed to specifically point out that the detail in this volume on Italian Air Force operations is unmatched by any other English language source.

The concerns that I raised about the accuracy of USAAF operations in my Volume 2 review persist. On page 323, for example, the authors state that during a raid by the 310th Bombardment Group on Decimomannu on 17 February 1943 “One [of the escorting] P-38 of the 97th Squadron was hit by flak and Lt Renner bailed out.” Rather than accept the possibility of USAAF losses when none occur, the authors should have dug a little further to find a 12th Air Force daily periodic intelligence report stating: “Three of four 82d Fighter Group P-38s [led by Lt Earnest K. Osher] last seen coming off target at Decimomannu on 17 February are safe. Only one P-38 last seen off the coast of Sardinia is missing.” That P-38 also turned up as the “missing” pilot, Lt Hollis W. Roofner, landed his twin-boom fighter safely on a remote road in the countryside according to 82d Fighter Group records. Lt Lawrence R. Scholtzhauer (of Long Beach, CA) is listed as being shot down on 30 March 1943 when in reality he crashed at sea five miles from Los Angeles precisely one year earlier. At times, it almost seems as if the authors are going out of their way to document USAAF combat losses. That said, the good thing about Volume 3 is that the tendency to not dig too deeply happens far less frequently.

How is Volume 3 organized? It features a preamble, three main chapters, organized in chronological fashion, which vary greatly in size and detail. The "Setting the Scene" in Chapter 1 provides detailed background on all FIVE major air forces discussed in the book (the fifth organization is the Vichy French Air Force, which played a brief part during TORCH).

Chapter 2 examines Operation TORCH, which pitted the British and Americans against the Vichy French, Italians, and Germans - with the latter organizations suffering a bloody nose when they sent unescorted bombers in daylight against the invasion fleet beginning on 8 November. I found Chapter 2 to be exceptionally useful because it contains order of battle information on all air forces deployed in theater at the beginning of TORCH. In addition, the book presents the first ever comprehensive english language account of the air battles between US, British and Vichy French planes in Algeria and Morocco during TORCH.

Chapter 3 - which runs an incredible 506 out of 736 pages - covers the day to day action beginning with the end of TORCH and running through the Axis surrender on 12 May 1943. Each day begins with a narrative description of important events and concludes with a list of US, RAF, German and Italian victory claims and losses. You can see that EVERY air force made dramatically exaggerated claims following a number of aerial engagements, though the inexperienced Americans did that on a regular basis more frequently than their allies or opponents. Chapter three ends with a very interesting section containing first hand accounts of pilots who participated in the campaign. The book also contains a brief appendix covering RAF Heavy Bomber operations during the Nov 42 - May 1943 time frame, acknowledgments by most but not all contributors, Bibliography (not including primary sources which I would have commented on adversely except that I have also located them in the US and British archives) and a thankfully well detailed index organized by units AND personalities (in essence two separate indexes).

Highly recommended with a caveat that a topic of such complexity can defeat even the most honest attempts to capture everything accurately. There is almost too much information to deal with to avoid making any errors. All I can say is to keep an open mind and remember that no other English language account comes close to matching the third volume in this superlative series.

An addendum: I have recently contacted a surviving P-38 pilot of the 1st Fighter Group. He is an incredibly lucid individual with an amazing ability to recall events from the most exciting and dangerous time of his life. Prior to conducting my first telephonic interview with him, I bought him a copy of this book to peruse in the hopes it can explain many of the things he witnessed or heard about during his tour of operations in Tunisia. I could not think of any other volume capable of conveying that information as well as this unparalleled and exhaustive tome. That said, I would suggest using the other sellers to obtain it at a less expensive price.

Name: BN
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Thoroughly documented book
Date: Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 26, 2022
Review: The best part of the book was it’s covering of the intensity of the air war during oft overlooked period. The negative was this daily recap was a bit overwhelming and dry. Minor point if you’re looking for something that captures the story from all sides with a healthy amount of cross checking claims to actual losses and oft identifying the pilots on both sides of the fight - that was most impressive.
A must read for any aviation history buff.

Name: N. S. Hancock
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Another great book from Shores et al
Date: Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2022
Review: I bought and read the eBook of Vol 3 just a few weeks ago, I paid 11.99 for it. Vol 4 is now listed as 36.49??!! And now Vol 3 is 2.99??

Name: Frederick Goman
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Best out there!
Date: Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 7, 2021
Review: Love it, but it weighs a ton!! Unfortunately I learned there are two more volumes gives me something to do for the next year.

Name: Gregory J Boeser
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent photos throughout illustrate the mounts of the airmen and ...
Date: Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 20, 2018
Review: Two words: information overload. As with all Shores' books, he covers the day to day action of the campaign, relying heavily on the daily operations reports of the combatants, with a sprinkling of diary entries of the pilots and crew who did the fighting. Excellent photos throughout illustrate the mounts of the airmen and sometimes their demise.

Name: Isadore Olinde Jr.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Four Stars
Date: Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 9, 2017
Review: comprehensive

Name: S. Douglas
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Volume Three Is Excellent
Date: Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 25, 2016
Review: The third volume is just as good as the first two volumes.

Name: RAYMOND C. CLAY
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Five Stars
Date: Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 27, 2017
Review: thank you

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