Looking for a good read? Here is a recommendation. I have an unusual approach to reviewing books. I review books I feel merit a review. Each review is an opportunity to recommend a book. If I do not think a book is worth reading, I find another book to review. You do not have to agree with everything every author has written (I do not), but the fiction I review is entertaining (and often thought-provoking) and the non-fiction contain ideas worth reading.
Book Review
Air Action In Italy
Reviewed by Mark Lardas
March 16, 2025
Mediterranean Sweep: The USAAF in the Italian Campaign,” by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, Osprey Books, March 2025, 320 pages, $32.00 (Hardcover), $22.40 (E-book)
As the Sicilian Campaign ended in August 1943, the Allies had to decide where to go next. Landings in France would not take place until 1944. No one wanted to sit around for a year. Italy was on the point of surrender. For lack of a better objective, Allied Supreme Command decided to move into Italy and see what happened.
“Mediterranean Sweep: The USAAF in the Italian Campaign,” by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver shows what followed. It examines the air campaign in Italy from 1943 through 1945.
The ground campaign in Italy was a disappointment, largely due to failings of commanders like Generals Mark Clark and John Lucas, Cleaver shows the air campaign was a successful application of tactical air power. In many ways it was a clinic on how to do tactical air right.
Cleaver takes is story through the campaign, showing how it developed, and the stumbles along the way, including mismanaging the Italian surrender. He provides this strategic overview to permit understanding of the air campaign supporting troops on the ground.
Action in the air is the centerpiece of this book. Cleaver brings readers into the squadrons flying the aircraft that fought in the skies over Italy and the central Mediterranean from Southern France to Greece. He uses accounts of the participants to tell the story, relating the war from the cockpit view. He keeps a firm grip on the big picture throughout.
He also shows how the Army Air Force kept the campaign moving. They worked on a tactical level, providing direct air support to front-line troops. Cleaver show how the AAF used A-36, P-40 and P-47 as dive bomber. He also shows how the AAF used air power to cut German supply lines. This includes an examination of Operation Bingo. It targeted Northern Italian railroads, and cut the supplies German troops on the Gothic Line received by 80 percent between November 1944 and February 1945.
Cleaver manages to cover a complex topic both comprehensively and briefly. He touches on the relevant points in sufficient detail without getting bogged down. This includes discussions of foreign air forces participating including those of Brazil and Italy. He spends a chapter examining both the Axis and Allied Italian air forces.
“Mediterranean Sweep” is a good introduction to the Italian campaign. Cleaver show what air power can and cannot do. He delivers this in a book that keeps the reader engaged.
Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City. His website is marklardas.com.