If you are interested in aviation, world war two or the USAAF then this book is a must read.
The book details the involvement of the VIII Fighter Command of the USAAF during world war two over Europe. Giving first hand accounts of dogfights over Europe by the pilots themselves, giving a true insight as to what it was like to live, fly and fight as a pilot in combat.
Fantastic read, definitely one for the bookshelf!

I am delighted to be able to add my congratulations to the author for his scholarship, enthusiasm and deep respect for the men who served in the United States VIII Fighter Command that are so evident to the reader of this impressive work. As always, given the array of books already published on the air war and the developments leading up to the fighting in the skies over Germany and occupied Europe, a prospective reader is likely to wonder whether there is room for yet another. In this case, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.

It’s not perfect; few books are, and the book would have benefited from tighter editing to eliminate the occasional duplication. Without doubt, ‘Clean Sweep’ does read like a labour of love for the author - no bad thing in many ways, but it can sometimes lead to a reluctance to keep the balance in the narrative as tight as would be ideal. But these are very minor quibbles. The weaving together of first hand accounts (including relevant contributions from Luftwaffe personnel), details from the development of the aircraft involved - both fighters and bombers - and a necessary background of the broad sweep of the aerial conflict in Europe make for a rewarding read. As the heroes of this aerial combat fade into history, this book provides a timely reminder of the heroism, sacrifice and endurance of those who served in the Allied Air Forces.

Strongly recommended.

I found this book fascinating in its detail of the Xlll Fighter Command of the USAAF 8th Airforce during the years 1942-1945. My father was a founder member of the 4th Fighter Group having flown with 133(Eagle) Sqn in the RAF and as I have several books on the Eagles many of the names in this book are familiar to me.
The details of the numerous combats and the evolution of aircraft development as lessons were learnt and technology advanced, show what conflict and adversity can do to push technology ahead as it has and will do in the future. This period is the last of the pure ‘dogfighting’ era as towards the end of the war, the Luftwaffe was employing the use of rockets in air-to-air battles against the daylight bomber offensive that would lead to the present era of guided missiles as the primary weapon.
The personal accounts of the airborne conflict showed how pilots from peacetime backgrounds developed the instinctive skills required of a fighter pilot and working as a team ensured the gaining of air supremacy albeit combined with poor strategic decision making by the Nazi regime.
A superb book that completes my collection of the US fighter air war in Europe

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.

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.

This is an excellent book, a complete and accurate historical chronicle that reads like a novel.
I appreciated in particular the pre-war historical notes (the US point of view of the European war (duly documented), and the technical detail of the early American aircraft). Images are needed there, so I believe the pictures and maps (not provided in my ARC copy) will be included in the commercial version.
I enjoyed the personal anecdotes, some of which provide unexpected insight into the airmen’s life (Schallnoser) and soul (Godfrey). The bibliography and interviewees list make this book also a perfect reference for the writer of historical fiction or even of academic papers (I am both…)
Minor typos (but I guess the publisher wants to fix them), easy to find: ‘alters’ instead of ‘alerts’; P-15 instead of P-51 (twice).
I want to thank the publisher for this ARC and wish him and the author good luck with this very good book.

I downloaded this book because I'm an admirer of Tom Cleaver's work, and it proved very useful when I was reviewing another book! I wanted to know when the long-distance P-51 Mustang was introduced into the Eighth Air Force in Britain; sure enough, Mr Cleaver had the exact date. I'm grateful for that, but I haven't actually read the book, which is more of an encyclopedia than a narrative. The next person might have an entirely different view, so I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it.

Clean Sweep is a detailed chronological book about the air war in Europe during WWII. The book details the air war mainly as it pertained to the U.S. Army Air-corps, but additionally includes the RAF and the Luftwaffe. It covers some of the great battles and aerial conflicts of the war. It further provides personal accounts by some of the pilots involved in the life and death struggle of aerial combat.

In his book, Thomas Clever describes the fighter and bomber aircraft as they pertain to both sides of the conflict. He provides the reader with a descriptive evolution of aircraft as they were modified and improved to meet the enemy and the mission requirements. He further discusses air battle techniques, operating procedures, and fighter concepts employed by all sides.

No book about WWII would be complete without a discussion of the toll the war took on the people, countries, and soldiers involved. Thomas does discuss the cost of war as it pertains to manpower, economics, resources, and lives. We also get a glimpse at the decision makers and their policies that effected the outcome of the war.

CONCLUSION
Clean Sweep is an excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning more about this great conflict. I especially enjoyed reading some of the personal notes and stories of the pilots; no matter which side they were on. This book was so well written that I felt bad for the young German pilots towards the end of the war. They were thrown into aircraft with minimal training just to become cannon fodder.

When one reads this book, it discusses the toll mainly in aircraft numbers, but one has to realize that each aircraft had a crew compliment. A fighter might only have 1 pilot, but a B-17 has 10 crewmen. When the air battle aftermath is discussed and the reader is told that 60 B-17’s out of 146 were shot down, the reader has to realize that means 600 men; the author seems to gloss over this important aspect at times.

I must admit, some of the stories are very personal and tragic, while others are hard to believe. An example might be: the pilot that tried to bail out but his parachute got caught on the vertical stabilizer of his aircraft and it drug him down to his death; or the pilot that did bail out only to land in his mother’s back yard and then went in to his home to eat pancakes.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. Clean Sweep is full of great historical characters and stories full of valor and bravery. It also provides the reader a brief glimpse into the lives of the pilots that flew these life-or-death missions.

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.

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.