[Keith Enge]

I'm puzzled about the lack of documentation on squadron sized air battles in the ETO either online or in books. What I'm looking for is the exact composition of fairly balanced battles. For example, A planes of type B escorted C model D bombers in an attack on troop concentrations at place E. They were intercepted by F model G fighters that, by ignoring losses to the escort, were able to get among the bombers and caused enough losses that the mission was aborted. I'm somewhat unconcerned about losses; kill numbers are always inflated unless scrupulously edited post-war after reconciliation with enemy reports.

I have been able to find documentation for many such actions in the Pacific theater but few in Europe. Pacific accounts have certain advantages. The actions that involved carriers are well reported; the composition of strikes is usually noted as well as the number of them that didn't make it back to the carriers. Therefore, to get the complete picture, researchers just need to find information about the other side. However, even many actions without carriers have the sort of documentation that I seek. For example, the Darwin and Henderson Field raids have good info. Other actions in the Solomons and New Guinea are equally well documented.

I realize that, in all theaters in 1944-1945, Allied air superiority was so great that I will be able to find few balanced actions in that time frame. However, that still leaves a considerable time period left. Interestingly, I have been able to find good documentation in some fringe campaigns. For example, Finland's Winter War and Continuation War has some well documented balanced actions. Similarly, some early actions in North Africa, especially involving biplanes, are well reported. Vichy air battles in defending Syria and later Morocco/Algeria against Torch have some useful battles.

Some large daylight raids over continental Europe such as the Schweinfurt and Ploesti raids have usable info but these are the exception. Most other large raids have few details about the Luftwaffe interceptors other than a guess at raw numbers.

This still leaves the Battle of Britain, the "circuses" over France, and the North African air battles between the RAF and Italians, later adding the Luftwaffe and USAAF. The massive German-Russian battles in 1942-1943 were well-known as land battles but ground support resulted in innumerable air battles too. There are lots of histories of the battles listed above but all deal mainly with big picture issues, few actions between small elements of the larger units are discussed.

One would think that memoirs of aces would be of use. However, they tend to include only the memorable actions, particularly those in which they bested the enemy while severely out-numbered. These battles are exceptional but, by definition, aren't typical. After action reports by individual squadrons would seem to have useful info too. However, these provide only a list of the participants on their side; the enemy participants are nebulous both in numbers and model. Post-war, you would think that enemy records could be used to flesh out accurate squadron histories but this doesn't seem to have been done.

What am I missing? What online sources have I overlooked? Books?