Draws from letters, diaries, and interviews to recount the air campaigns of 1943, a period of unprecedented bombing against Germany by Allied bomber planes."A gripping account of the heroism of bomber planes in 1943--the year the "Dambusters" embarked on a campaign to try to win World War II in one swift stroke. The year 1943 saw the beginning of an unprecedented bombing campaign against Germany. Over the next twelve months, tens of thousands of aircrews flew across the North Sea to drop bombs on German cities. They were opposed not only by the full force of the Luftwaffe, but by a nightmare of flak, treacherously icy conditions, and constant mechanical malfunction. Most of these courageous crews were either shot down and killed or taken prisoner by an increasingly hostile enemy. This is the story of the everyday heroism of these crews in the days when it was widely believed that the Allies could win the Second World War by air alone. American pilots had a special role in the "Dambusters" campaign in particular. Even before the attacks on Pearl Harbor, scores of eager pilots traveled across the Canadian border to train with other future "Dambusters," all eager to take part. Authoritative and gripping, Airborne in 1943 brings these remarkable men and women to vivid life"--Dust jacket.