{"title":"Books by Marshall Michel III","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781472838674","title":"Schweinfurt–Regensburg 1943","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is an up-to-date history of the US Army Air Force's pioneering but costly raids on Germany's Messerschmitt and ball-bearing factories in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1943, the USAAF and RAF launched the Combined Bomber Offensive, designed to systematically destroy the industries that the German war machine relied on. At the top of the hit list were aircraft factories and plants making ball-bearings – a component thought to be a critical vulnerability. Schweinfurt in southern Germany was home to much of the ball-bearing industry and, together with the Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg, which built Bf 109 fighters, it was targeted in a huge and innovative strike.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrecision required that the targets were hit in daylight, but the raid was beyond the range of any existing escort fighter, so the B-17s would go in unprotected. The solution was to hit the two targets in a coordinated 'double-strike', with the Regensburg strike hitting first, drawing off the defending Luftwaffe fighters, and leaving the way clear for the Schweinfurt bombers. The Regensburg force would carry on over the Alps to North Africa, the first example of US 'shuttle bombing'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough the attack on Regensburg was successful, the damage to Schweinfurt only temporarily stalled production, and the Eighth Air Force had suffered heavy losses. It would take a sustained campaign, not just a single raid, to cripple the Schweinfurt works. However, when a follow-up raid was finally launched two months later, the losses sustained were even greater.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book explains how the USAAF launched its daylight bombing campaign in 1943, the technology and tactics available for the Schweinfurt-Regensburg missions, and how these costly failures forced a change of tack.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301189824885,"sku":"9781472838674","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472838674_5777dc87-c3b7-42fa-bafe-e3261b37057c.jpg?v=1786020712"},{"product_id":"9781472827531","title":"Operation Linebacker I 1972","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eArguably the first 'modern' air campaign, this is the story of \u003ci\u003eLinebacker\u003c\/i\u003e I which brought laser-guided bombs, electronic warfare and anti-radar missiles to bear on North Vietnam's invading army.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt Easter 1972, North Vietnam invaded the South, and   there were almost no US ground troops left to stop it. But air power   reinforcements could be rushed to the theater. Operation \u003ci\u003eLinebacker\u003c\/i\u003e’s objective was to destroy the invading forces from   the air and cut North Vietnam’s supply routes – and luckily in 1972, American   air power was beginning a revolution in both technology and tactics. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMost   crucial was the introduction of the first effective laser-guided bombs, but   the campaign also involved the fearsome AC-130 gunship and saw the debut of   helicopter-mounted TOW missiles. Thanks to the new \u003ci\u003eTop Gun\u003c\/i\u003e fighter school, US naval aviators now also had a real   advantage over the MiGs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  This is the fascinating story of arguably the world’s first “modern” air campaign. It explains how this complex operation – involving tactical aircraft, strategic bombers, close air support and airlift – defeated the invasion. It also explains the shortcomings of the campaign, the contrasting approaches of the USAF and Navy, and the impact that \u003ci\u003eLinebacker\u003c\/i\u003e had on modern air warfare.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301190349173,"sku":"9781472827531","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472827531_d4f0b1d6-2de7-4fc1-95b7-49ed5b40f1f1.jpg?v=1786020579"},{"product_id":"9781472827609","title":"Operation Linebacker II 1972","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eLinebacker II\u003c\/i\u003e campaign of 1972 saw America's fearsome but irreplaceable B-52s finally sent into action above the Vietnamese capital Hanoi in an attempt to bomb the Vietnamese to the negotiating table.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the failed April 1972 invasion of South Vietnam and the heavy US tactical bombing raids in the Hanoi area, the North Vietnamese agreed to return to the Paris peace talks, yet very quickly these negotiations stalled. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn an attempt to end the war quickly and 'persuade' the North Vietnamese to return to the negotiating table, President Nixon ordered the Air Force to send the US’ ultimate conventional weapon, the B-52 bomber, against their capital, Hanoi. Bristling with the latest Soviet air defence missiles, it was the most heavily defended target in Vietnam. Taking place in late December, this campaign was soon dubbed the ‘Christmas Bombings’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Using specially commissioned artwork and maps, ex-USAF fighter colonel Marshall Michel describes \u003ci\u003eLinebacker II\u003c\/i\u003e, the climax of the air war over Vietnam, and history's only example of how America's best Cold War bombers performed against contemporary Soviet air defences.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312438686069,"sku":"9781472827609","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472827609_c8de93d8-5251-41a1-b96e-8a90acd3baf5.jpg?v=1786020580"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-marshall-michel-iii.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}