It was to be the battle to end the air war once & for all... During the third week of February 1944, the combined Allied air forces based in Britain & Italy launched their first-ever round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. The aim was to smash the main factories & production centres of the Luftwaffe & at the same time draw the German fighter force up into the air & into battle. Officially called Operation ARGUMENT, this monumental air assault was very quickly became known simply as Big Week. In the six months up to its launch, for the Allies, the bomber war was not turning out as planned. Raids by the US Eighth Air Force & the RAF deep into Germany were being decimated & falling far short of its purpose. With D-Day drawing ever-closer, that was a massive problem. The Allies needed clear skies to invade. The clock was ticking inexorably. Yet the Luftwaffe was also in crisis. Short of resources, of fuel, & on properly trained pilots, the strain on those still...