Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler's War Machine

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by Richard T. Eger

Dénes, I assume that you are saying that you couldn't find "Wasserburg" in Tillman's book. Do you have Mahoney's and, if so, does it appear in its index?

The index is so crucial to being able to maximize the research value of an author's labor.

Richard, your assumption is correct, I was referring to Tillman's recent book (sorry for not being clear).

Mahoney's also has a fairly detailed index, which includes a comprehensive list of targets bombed by the 15th AAF, broken down by countries (caveat: pre-war borders were considered!). Wasserburg is listed, with an attack on 9/12, which is 12 Sept.

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear All,

So, if I have absorbed what you all are saying correctly, Mahoney's book gives the basics as a war diary, whereas Tillman's book gives more of an overview, including the strategies involved. It sounds like they are complementary.

Regards,
Richard

[Dénes Bernád]

Richard, your assumption is correct, again.

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Originally Posted by Richard T. Eger

Dear Csaba,

Does Tillman write in narative style or does he provide more like a daily this is what we did today, what we hit, why, and the results? A couple of days ago an acquaintance asked me about Wasserburg. Did it have anything to do with Me 262 production and, if so, what did it produce? My memory said that it was wiped out in an early, for the Me 262, bombing raid, but I was left scrambling to dig up the facts. Eventually, I uncovered that it was hit by the 15th AF in Sept. 1944, no thanks to the diary type books I have on the 8th AF, but not on the 15th. Once I had a lead, I could provide the needed information.

Regards,
Richard

Dear Richard,

The dimensions of Tillman's book (size and number of pages) already suggests, that it is a narrative style book (the author is a master of such works). I guess, the author, his agent and the publisher noticed the truly visible gap at 15th AAF's history books, so they have produced this work, but not as a day-by-day account, of course. Incidentally it was Kenn C. Rust, who published the first 15th AAF history book back in 1976, but it is a pretty short material, it covers the history of the 15th AAF just in around 40 pages. Rust gives bombing mission lists as well, but it is somewhat inaccurate (for example it contains planned, but not executed raids as well).
I'm sure that there will be much more books about 15th AAF in the more or less close future.

Regards,

Csaba