While World War One saw the first aerial combat in the history of mankind, the Second World War saw the clash of mighty air forces on a scale that would have seemed impossible twenty years before. Chaz Bowyer, arguably the most authoritative air historian of his generation, tackles the broad sweep of air operations in the European theater in this book. Initially the Luftwaffe attempted to dominate the skies, and very nearly succeeded. The valiant defense of the UK by the RAF in the Battle of Britain ranks among the greatest feats of arms in British history. Both sides then embarked on major bombing campaigns which caused terrible devastation and human suffering and which remain controversial to this day. Then came the involvement of the US Air Force with its daylight raids over an increasingly defenseless Germany. The development of aircraft types and the descriptions of the actions that they and their pilots and crew fought make for great reading when told by a master of his craft like Chaz Bowyer.