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After combat with Luftwaffe
fighters over southern Germany, a pair of 82nd FG
P-38s return to their bases south of the Alps using the mountain
passes for a low level route into Italy.
In the winter of 1944/45 the 15th U.S. Air Force fought its way
further north into Germany from its bases in Italy over the Alps,
a massive mountain range which separates the northern and the
southern parts of Europe like a giant barrier, thus making an
impressive natural wall of defense.
It was across these mountains
that the pilots of the 82nd Fighter Group flew on a day-to-day
basis in a succcessful effort to establish air superiority over
the southern parts of the Reich, thus preparing the way for the
Allied ground forces. These missions were extremely dangerous
due to the alpine terrain. Often, when bad weather blocked the
escape routes back to Italy, or particularly when the planes
had been exposed to hostile fire resulting in a further reduction
of the fighters´ performance at altitude, the only way
for the pilot to survive was to bail out over enemy territory.
Therefore it was considered crucial for the fighter pilots to
familiarize themselves as best as they could with the geographical
features of this mountain range in order to find their way back
to base through the mountain passes should that situation arise.
Signed by the artist. |