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Clean Sweep: VIII Fighter Command against the Luftwaffe, 1942–45
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.
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.
464 pages, Hardcover
Published May 23, 2023
54 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
25 books36 followersMost of my non-fiction writing is in the field of aviation, primarily the history of people, units and events, though I am also interested in technological developments and their influence on events.
I first ran across "serious" aviation writing when I was 10 and found William Green's "All The World's Aircraft, 1954" - the first book I read that seriously dealt with aircraft development beyond picture books. Over the years I read many books by Bill (as I came eventually to know him), and 25 years later he was the first editor to professionally publish an article by me about an aviation topic (a feature about people in California who restored, owned and operated antique airplanes). Not only did he publish the article, he used my photograph for the cover of that issue of Air Enthusiast Quarterly! In the years that followed, Bill became a friend through the mail, a source of valuable insight about writing, and an enthusiastic supporter of my efforts. I've had a lot of success that way with fellow authors.
My interest in the field of aviation must be genetic. My mother's favorite tale about me was that my first word, spoken around age 1, was "o-pane!" when we were in a park in Denver, and I pointed up at a P-38 as it flew overhead.
My father was involved in aviation in the 1930s, and knew most of the Major Names of the era, like Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner, and even Ernst Udet. (As an aside, I met General Doolittle myself in 1976. Upon hearing my name, he looked me up and down, then shook his head and said "Nope, too young and too tall." Taken aback for a moment, I realized he was thinking of my father, also a Tom Cleaver. Once I identified myself, he told me a story about my father I had never heard before. I later discovered he had near-perfect recall of names and events.) I grew up looking at my father's photo albums of the old airplanes he had been around, which is probably why I most enjoy airplanes from those years.
In addition to writing about airplanes, I take pictures of them in flight. As a result of both activities, I have flown in everything from a Curtiss Jenny to an Air Force F-4E Phantom (definitely the best rollercoaster ride ever), and have additionally been up in World War II airplanes - the P-51 Mustang, P-40 Warhawk, SBD Dauntless, B-25 Mitchell, and many many many times in a T-6. As a pilot myself, I have about 200 hours in a Stearman biplane trainer as a member of a club back in the 1970s. I am certain my personal knowledge of flying as a pilot has helped me put a reader "in the cockpit" in my writing.
While I have advanced college and university degrees, I consider myself an autodidact, and I see the involvement with airplanes as my key to the world of self-education, as I would ask myself "what was that airplane used for?" which led to such questions as "how did that war happen?" I was also fortunate to grow up in a home with lots of books and a father who enjoyed history; between that and forays to the Denver Public Library (a Saturday spent in the stacks at the Main Library was a day in heaven), my education was very eclectic in subject matter.
My "film school" education came on Saturday afternoons spent at the old Park Theater on South Gaylord Street in Denver, where I went every Saturday from age 7 to age 15 when the theater closed, and watched everything that played on-screen. Somewhere along there, I learned the meaning of "good movie."
I first ran across "serious" aviation writing when I was 10 and found William Green's "All The World's Aircraft, 1954" - the first book I read that seriously dealt with aircraft development beyond picture books. Over the years I read many books by Bill (as I came eventually to know him), and 25 years later he was the first editor to professionally publish an article by me about an aviation topic (a feature about people in California who restored, owned and operated antique airplanes). Not only did he publish the article, he used my photograph for the cover of that issue of Air Enthusiast Quarterly! In the years that followed, Bill became a friend through the mail, a source of valuable insight about writing, and an enthusiastic supporter of my efforts. I've had a lot of success that way with fellow authors.
My interest in the field of aviation must be genetic. My mother's favorite tale about me was that my first word, spoken around age 1, was "o-pane!" when we were in a park in Denver, and I pointed up at a P-38 as it flew overhead.
My father was involved in aviation in the 1930s, and knew most of the Major Names of the era, like Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner, and even Ernst Udet. (As an aside, I met General Doolittle myself in 1976. Upon hearing my name, he looked me up and down, then shook his head and said "Nope, too young and too tall." Taken aback for a moment, I realized he was thinking of my father, also a Tom Cleaver. Once I identified myself, he told me a story about my father I had never heard before. I later discovered he had near-perfect recall of names and events.) I grew up looking at my father's photo albums of the old airplanes he had been around, which is probably why I most enjoy airplanes from those years.
In addition to writing about airplanes, I take pictures of them in flight. As a result of both activities, I have flown in everything from a Curtiss Jenny to an Air Force F-4E Phantom (definitely the best rollercoaster ride ever), and have additionally been up in World War II airplanes - the P-51 Mustang, P-40 Warhawk, SBD Dauntless, B-25 Mitchell, and many many many times in a T-6. As a pilot myself, I have about 200 hours in a Stearman biplane trainer as a member of a club back in the 1970s. I am certain my personal knowledge of flying as a pilot has helped me put a reader "in the cockpit" in my writing.
While I have advanced college and university degrees, I consider myself an autodidact, and I see the involvement with airplanes as my key to the world of self-education, as I would ask myself "what was that airplane used for?" which led to such questions as "how did that war happen?" I was also fortunate to grow up in a home with lots of books and a father who enjoyed history; between that and forays to the Denver Public Library (a Saturday spent in the stacks at the Main Library was a day in heaven), my education was very eclectic in subject matter.
My "film school" education came on Saturday afternoons spent at the old Park Theater on South Gaylord Street in Denver, where I went every Saturday from age 7 to age 15 when the theater closed, and watched everything that played on-screen. Somewhere along there, I learned the meaning of "good movie."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 10, 2023
I recently completed my read of Thomas McKelvey Cleaver's "Clean Sweep: VIII Fighter Command Against the Luftwaffe 1942-1945" (the ARC was graciously provided by Osprey Publishing). This is a narrative history of the VIII Fighter Command, which was closely linked with the Eighth Air Force, the primary bomber command associated with the effort to defeat Nazi Germany through strategic airpower. That, in and of itself, makes it a worthwhile read for those wishing to familiarize themselves with The Battle of Germany as it was fought, almost daily, in the skies of Europe. Just to put this all in the context of the greater struggle known as World War II, the author begins by noting that more U.S. airman died in this titanic struggle than the number of marines who perished in the island hopping campaign against Imperial Japan. That is a startling revelation which captures some of the horror of this struggle. Every student of the war is familiar with Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Saipan and Tarawa, but who remembers "Big Week" or the Ploesti raids on Germany's Romanian ally? The narrative history which is the author's primary technique is clear and revealing of the author's long-time interest in his subject matter (many of his sources are first person in that he knew and spoke to them personally although they are largely a resource only available on the printed page for younger historians.). The text is of most interest to those not already familiar with the air war over Europe and its role in the war. I found that it refreshed much of what I knew and, most usefully, revealed, almost casually, the tension between the bomber campaign as a war winning strategy ala Mitchell or Douhet, and the more pragmatic view of the bombers as bait to bring the Luftwaffe to battle thereby stripping the Reich and the Wehrmacht of critical air support In a way, this formula turns things on their head by illustrating vividly that war cannot be won in the air alone but it can be lost. At any rate, there is much food for thought here. The author is very careful to let the sources speak for themselves, and while I prefer a more analytical view, there is merit in this approach. The subject is so large and complex that it is difficult to capture all of the strategic, tactical and technological factors in play, not to speak of the sociological implications for all concerned, but the author does a good job of focusing tightly on his central theme without either ignoring its context or getting lost in the weeds, no easy accomplishment.
May 3, 2023
This is a wonderful reference book for those interested in WW2 fighter aircraft design and performance. It is packed full of detail on aircraft design and performance used by both the US Eighth Airforce and the German Luftwaffe. There is a chronology of aircraft used by the US Fighter force and comparisons with performance of the enemy aircraft and interesting stories of how improvements were rapidly introduced based on feedback from engagements. There are many interviews with pilots from both sides and it is fascinating to hear their personal accounts of how strategies developed based on the relative performance of the aircraft involved, each trying to expose the weaknesses in their opponents equipment and tactics.
I would strongly recommend this book for both WW2 scholars and those with an interest in the US role in conquering the Luftwaffe in the European theatre.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to this book.
I would strongly recommend this book for both WW2 scholars and those with an interest in the US role in conquering the Luftwaffe in the European theatre.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to this book.
January 30, 2024
A comprehensive account of the heroic efforts made by the VIII Fighter Command during World War II. Cleaver’s meticulous research and engaging storytelling make this book a must-read for both history enthusiasts and aviation aficionados alike. The author delves deep into the strategic importance of the VIII Fighter Command's mission - to gain air superiority over the Luftwaffe in order to pave the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Cleaver expertly paints the picture of the daunting task faced by the American airmen as they battled not only skilled German pilots but also the harsh realities of war. Through vivid descriptions and personal anecdotes, he brings to life the daring dogfights and heart-pounding air battles that took place in the skies over Europe. One of the most captivating aspects of Cleaver’s writing is his ability to humanize the pilots. He introduces us to the brave men who risked their lives day in and day out, highlighting their individual personalities, fears, and triumphs. From the legendary “ace of aces” Gabby Gabreski to the courageous African-American pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen, Cleaver pays homage to their unwavering determination and skill. Moreover, Cleaver goes beyond the battlefield, providing readers with a glimpse into the logistical challenges faced by the VIII Fighter Command. He explores the development of new aircraft technologies and the constant struggle to maintain and repair planes amidst the chaos of war. This attention to detail adds depth to the narrative and offers a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in aerial combat. While “Clean Sweep” is undoubtedly a tribute to the bravery and skill of the American pilots, Cleaver does not shy away from acknowledging the sacrifices made by the Luftwaffe. He offers a balanced perspective, acknowledging the formidable opposition faced by the VIII Fighter Command and the toll it took on both sides. With its engaging storytelling and attention to detail, this book is a testament to the heroism and sacrifices made by the American airmen. Whether you are a history enthusiast or simply seeking an exciting and informative read, this book is a must-have for your collection.
February 24, 2024
The “Bloody Hundredth,” the 100th Bomb Group, lived up to their name; a gap in fighter coverage gave the defenders three uninterrupted minutes to attack the B-17s, with 15 falling out of the sky when Thunderbolts dived to the rescue too late.
Clean Sweep is primarily a campaign diary where detailed kill/loss accounts are interspersed with pilot recollections. The subject is the daylight bombing campaign over Western Europe, which peaked in the years 1943 and 1944. The source material comes from the selected actions (and they are numerous) of the units making up VIII Fighter Command in the Eighth Air Force.
Go Broad
In fact, the Mustang was so easy to fly that little thought was given to extensive conversion training before entering combat.
I can imagine there is a lot of tension as to how to structure a book, even one that is a straightforward recounting. Spending time on context is important, but so is keeping a strong thread within the confines of page length.
While a campaign diary is not a thrilling presentation style, it does provide a useful way to get a sense of scale as the campaign ramped up, and how the Eighth Air Force gained (sort of) air superiority. The air superiority was “sort of” because the combat results show that, even late in the campaign, if you were in the wrong Bomber Group at the wrong time, the losses could be savage.
What I rate about McKelvey Cleaver’s writing is his ability to take the broader perspective in careful doses. He also manages to bring attention to the weird and wonderful of American pre-war aircraft design, featuring forgotten but influential craft such as the P-43 Lancer. He also provides explanations as to why particular aircraft were adopted, for example, setting out the P-51 Mustang’s impact as a strategic level fighter, notwithstanding the beloved P-47 Thunderbolt of Quora forums. Clean Sweep fits the analysis of the relevant aircraft with the timing of their appearances in the Theatre in a way that complements and explains the pace of the campaign, rather than the aircraft being portrayed as dominating explanations for American success. It is still the men going up there each day.
A similar approach applies to the commanding officers such as Arnold, Spaatz, Eaker and Doolittle, or the strategic conferences. All of these are important and dictate how the campaign proceeded, but Clean Sweep tends to be careful and favours potted biographies (being more generous with the pilots). The biographies are well-placed pauses rather than long-winded psychological analyses that can be common in more popular style histories. There is some consideration of their backgrounds (such as Dolittle having time in private business inter-war), but it is a light touch.
One minor shortfall is the lack of pilot tactics other than at the broad group/squadron level – quotes of pilots flying the Lufbery circle/Split S without explaining why the pilot might rely on them does leave me feeling the book was shorthanded in that respect. There is however plenty of tactical detail about how the bombing groups were to be escorted or attacked as appropriate.
Go Deep
Getting out of Germany, they had to fly at 18,000 feet because of the weather. McKennon passed out from lack of oxygen; Green revived him and they shared his oxygen mask. When they finally landed at Debden, McKennon had to be pulled out of the cockpit since he had lost circulation in his legs with Green atop him.
It’s pretty common to intersperse most combat stories with direct quotes from pilots. McKelvey Cleaver’s writing benefits from a dozen or so direct interviews he has had with combatants over the years, along with a strong personal attachment to pilot recollections such as that of Bert Stiles.
McKelvey Cleaver also hits the right mark of using pilots such as Blacksee, Zemke, Godfrey etc as the narrative spine for his campaign diary. In this case, the campaign diary style of the book benefits from this, because there are repeated opportunities to cite their recollections of a particular day. None of this is original in approach, more that it works here because McKelvey Cleaver combines a depth of resources with skillful structuring, including picking quotations that carry an informational or emotional impact as appropriate.
McKelvey Cleaver is a good writer, though not an amazing one (and I would emphasise that being a good writer is a rare enough skill). It’s a testament to him/his editors that he/they understand what makes a campaign diary style book interesting enough to want to read, and to understand how the air war was won.
Heinz Knoke also mentioned increased wild drinking among the pilots of his Staffel and others, with the young Germans also resorting to “the cure” the next morning, flying and fighting with hangovers. Both Knoke and Wehrman remembered pilots they knew flying drunk.
This is a very focused book on how the fighters of the Eighth Air Force escorted the bombers of the Eighth Air Force, so I would hesitate to recommend except to those specifically interested in that element. However, it is certainly a great gathering up of the recollections of those that fought that campaign, and how they fought it the way they did.
Clean Sweep is primarily a campaign diary where detailed kill/loss accounts are interspersed with pilot recollections. The subject is the daylight bombing campaign over Western Europe, which peaked in the years 1943 and 1944. The source material comes from the selected actions (and they are numerous) of the units making up VIII Fighter Command in the Eighth Air Force.
Go Broad
In fact, the Mustang was so easy to fly that little thought was given to extensive conversion training before entering combat.
I can imagine there is a lot of tension as to how to structure a book, even one that is a straightforward recounting. Spending time on context is important, but so is keeping a strong thread within the confines of page length.
While a campaign diary is not a thrilling presentation style, it does provide a useful way to get a sense of scale as the campaign ramped up, and how the Eighth Air Force gained (sort of) air superiority. The air superiority was “sort of” because the combat results show that, even late in the campaign, if you were in the wrong Bomber Group at the wrong time, the losses could be savage.
What I rate about McKelvey Cleaver’s writing is his ability to take the broader perspective in careful doses. He also manages to bring attention to the weird and wonderful of American pre-war aircraft design, featuring forgotten but influential craft such as the P-43 Lancer. He also provides explanations as to why particular aircraft were adopted, for example, setting out the P-51 Mustang’s impact as a strategic level fighter, notwithstanding the beloved P-47 Thunderbolt of Quora forums. Clean Sweep fits the analysis of the relevant aircraft with the timing of their appearances in the Theatre in a way that complements and explains the pace of the campaign, rather than the aircraft being portrayed as dominating explanations for American success. It is still the men going up there each day.
A similar approach applies to the commanding officers such as Arnold, Spaatz, Eaker and Doolittle, or the strategic conferences. All of these are important and dictate how the campaign proceeded, but Clean Sweep tends to be careful and favours potted biographies (being more generous with the pilots). The biographies are well-placed pauses rather than long-winded psychological analyses that can be common in more popular style histories. There is some consideration of their backgrounds (such as Dolittle having time in private business inter-war), but it is a light touch.
One minor shortfall is the lack of pilot tactics other than at the broad group/squadron level – quotes of pilots flying the Lufbery circle/Split S without explaining why the pilot might rely on them does leave me feeling the book was shorthanded in that respect. There is however plenty of tactical detail about how the bombing groups were to be escorted or attacked as appropriate.
Go Deep
Getting out of Germany, they had to fly at 18,000 feet because of the weather. McKennon passed out from lack of oxygen; Green revived him and they shared his oxygen mask. When they finally landed at Debden, McKennon had to be pulled out of the cockpit since he had lost circulation in his legs with Green atop him.
It’s pretty common to intersperse most combat stories with direct quotes from pilots. McKelvey Cleaver’s writing benefits from a dozen or so direct interviews he has had with combatants over the years, along with a strong personal attachment to pilot recollections such as that of Bert Stiles.
McKelvey Cleaver also hits the right mark of using pilots such as Blacksee, Zemke, Godfrey etc as the narrative spine for his campaign diary. In this case, the campaign diary style of the book benefits from this, because there are repeated opportunities to cite their recollections of a particular day. None of this is original in approach, more that it works here because McKelvey Cleaver combines a depth of resources with skillful structuring, including picking quotations that carry an informational or emotional impact as appropriate.
McKelvey Cleaver is a good writer, though not an amazing one (and I would emphasise that being a good writer is a rare enough skill). It’s a testament to him/his editors that he/they understand what makes a campaign diary style book interesting enough to want to read, and to understand how the air war was won.
Heinz Knoke also mentioned increased wild drinking among the pilots of his Staffel and others, with the young Germans also resorting to “the cure” the next morning, flying and fighting with hangovers. Both Knoke and Wehrman remembered pilots they knew flying drunk.
This is a very focused book on how the fighters of the Eighth Air Force escorted the bombers of the Eighth Air Force, so I would hesitate to recommend except to those specifically interested in that element. However, it is certainly a great gathering up of the recollections of those that fought that campaign, and how they fought it the way they did.
April 25, 2023
The Seventh Army fought during WWII from the first landings in North Africa until they captured Hitler's mountain top retreat in Southern Bavaria and then into Austria. But they always seemed to be fighting on a secondary front. In North Africa they backed up Paton, and in Italy they backed up Bradley. They landed in southern France which again was a secondary front.
They were in the Voges Mountains when the Battle of the Bulge was being waged, but because they were fighting a couple of hundred miles south of Bastogne (though they faced as dangerous an enemy) little was written about them, though in percentages, they suffered from a heavier loss of life among their troops.
In many ways the Seventh Army was always the bridesmaid but never the bride.
They were in the Voges Mountains when the Battle of the Bulge was being waged, but because they were fighting a couple of hundred miles south of Bastogne (though they faced as dangerous an enemy) little was written about them, though in percentages, they suffered from a heavier loss of life among their troops.
In many ways the Seventh Army was always the bridesmaid but never the bride.
April 6, 2024
“Clean Sweep” is an excellent account of 8th Fighter Command and their war for aerial supremacy over the ETO.
While there are many accounts detailing the missions flow by Bomber Command, this is the first book I’ve read detailing the work of ALL of Fighter Command from a strategic perspective.
Cleaver’s interviews with many of the 8th’s aces helps to personalize this narrative. I thought his addition of Luftwaffe experiences helped to encapsulate the frantic fighting over Germany and the Low Countries during those critical months of late 1943 and early to mid 1944.
This is the first of Cleaver’s books that I would completely recommend. I think he brings some great work to the table and this volume is a standalone account.
While there are many accounts detailing the missions flow by Bomber Command, this is the first book I’ve read detailing the work of ALL of Fighter Command from a strategic perspective.
Cleaver’s interviews with many of the 8th’s aces helps to personalize this narrative. I thought his addition of Luftwaffe experiences helped to encapsulate the frantic fighting over Germany and the Low Countries during those critical months of late 1943 and early to mid 1944.
This is the first of Cleaver’s books that I would completely recommend. I think he brings some great work to the table and this volume is a standalone account.
March 2, 2023
A well done and informative novel of the US airwar against Germany in WW2. The book provides great details regarding the aircraft and air crews. Great use of first hand accounts enhanced the story and allows the reader to get a sense of being there. A great read!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 8, 2023
Might be great for a veteran of the Air Force, but it's far too cloaked in military language and procedures for me to get into it.
October 18, 2023
Solid book with interesting anecdotes of the air war over Europe.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews