{"id":25039150,"date":"2026-09-27T10:42:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T08:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T10:42:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T08:42:30","slug":"big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument and the Battle to Break the Luftwaffe"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p>By February 1944 the Allies had a deadline. The invasion of France was coming in the summer, and it could not succeed with the Luftwaffe still able to contest the skies over the beaches. The German fighter force had to be broken first. The weather over Germany finally cleared on 20 February, and the Allied air forces launched the most concentrated bombing offensive they had yet attempted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was officially Operation Argument. The crews called it Big Week. Over six days, American and British bombers struck aircraft factories across Germany by day and by night. The targets were the factories. The real prize, as several historians have argued since, was the German fighter pilots who rose to defend them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f5f7;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:8px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;line-height:1.7\"><li><strong>Name:<\/strong> Operation Argument, known as Big Week<\/li><li><strong>Dates:<\/strong> 20 to 25 February 1944<\/li><li><strong>Forces:<\/strong> US Eighth Air Force (England), US Fifteenth Air Force (Italy), RAF Bomber Command by night<\/li><li><strong>Commanders:<\/strong> Carl Spaatz (USSTAF), Jimmy Doolittle (Eighth Air Force), Arthur Harris (RAF Bomber Command)<\/li><li><strong>Effort:<\/strong> Over 3,000 Eighth Air Force and over 500 Fifteenth Air Force sorties; about 10,000 tons of bombs<\/li><li><strong>Targets:<\/strong> Aircraft industry at Leipzig, Brunswick, Gotha, Regensburg, Schweinfurt, Augsburg, Stuttgart and Steyr<\/li><li><strong>US bomber losses:<\/strong> Eighth Air Force 97 B-17s and 40 B-24s; Fifteenth Air Force 90 bombers<\/li><li><strong>German losses:<\/strong> 262 fighters destroyed; about 250 aircrew killed or injured, including nearly 100 pilots killed<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Bait for the Luftwaffe<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The plan targeted the German aircraft industry in central and southern Germany. Planners expected daily losses of between 7 and 18 per cent. Major General Frederick Anderson was prepared to lose a large share of the bomber force if that was the price. The attacks began with an RAF night raid on Leipzig, followed on 20 February by American raids on factories and airfields at Leipzig, Tutow and Brunswick.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Some historians argue that the factories were never the main point. The Luftwaffe had to defend them, and every German fighter that came up to meet the bombers could be shot down.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Big Week was not primarily a bombing campaign, but a campaign designed to kill Luftwaffe fighters.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Stephen McFarland and Wesley Newton<\/strong> &mdash; historians (1991), as quoted on Wikipedia<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Doolittle Unleashes the Fighters<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>A crucial change had come a few weeks earlier. When Jimmy Doolittle took command of the Eighth Air Force in January 1944, he ended the rule that escort fighters must stay tied to the bombers at all times. Instead, fighters could sweep ahead of the formations and hunt German fighters wherever they found them. Many bomber crews disliked losing their close escort, but the change worked. With long-range P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts on the attack, the German interceptors were now the hunted as well as the hunters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/b-17g-381st-bomb-group-1944-escorted.jpg\" alt=\"B-17G Flying Fortresses of the 381st Bomb Group in 1944\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">B-17G Flying Fortresses of the 381st Bomb Group in 1944. Big Week pitted formations like this against the Luftwaffe&#39;s day fighters. US Army Air Forces photo \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H-aQjUvMaW8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">The Operations Room animates the first day of Big Week, when the USAAF and RAF hit Leipzig. Video: The Operations Room<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Ten Horsepower<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The first day produced one of the most moving stories of the air war. The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/b-17-flying-fortress\/\">B-17<\/a>G nicknamed Ten Horsepower was attacked by German fighters. The co-pilot, Flight Officer Ronald Bartley, was killed, and the pilot, 1st Lt. Clarence Nelson, was badly wounded. The crew brought the bomber back to its base at RAF Polebrook. Ordered to bail out, most of the crew did. The navigator, 2nd Lt. Walter Truemper, and the flight engineer, Staff Sergeant Archibald Mathies, refused to leave their wounded pilot and tried to land the aircraft themselves. On the third attempt it crashed, killing all three. Truemper and Mathies were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/staff-sergeant-archibald-mathies-medal-of-honor.jpg\" alt=\"Staff Sergeant Archibald Mathies\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Staff Sergeant Archibald Mathies, the flight engineer of Ten Horsepower, awarded the Medal of Honor for refusing to abandon his wounded pilot on 20 February 1944. US Army Air Forces photo \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Nijmegen Tragedy<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Big Week had a dark side too. On 22 February, cloud forced a recall of 333 B-17s, and 177 B-24s went looking for targets of opportunity. In error they bombed the Dutch cities of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede and Deventer. Between about 880 and 900 Dutch civilians were killed, most of them in Nijmegen. An investigation followed, and all missions on 23 February were cancelled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Tragic failures of the 22 February bombings of Dutch cities... were initially brushed off as an &#39;incident&#39;, and Operation Argument would be glorified as &#39;Big Week&#39; in Allied historiography.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Brinkhuis<\/strong> &mdash; historian, 1984, as quoted on Wikipedia<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Big Week Achieved<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The raids resumed on 24 and 25 February, with Schweinfurt, Augsburg and Regensburg among the targets. The RAF night attack on Augsburg on 25\/26 February destroyed roughly 60 per cent of the city&#39;s industrial area. Elsewhere, results were patchy: the Schweinfurt raid caused little damage because of inaccurate bombing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>As a blow to production, Big Week largely failed. German fighter output actually rose during 1944 as factories were dispersed and other aircraft types were cut. As a battle of attrition, it succeeded. The Luftwaffe lost 262 fighters and nearly 100 fighter pilots killed in six days, and experienced pilots were the one thing Germany could not replace, with the Eastern Front demanding its share. Claims by US gunners and fighter pilots exceeded actual German losses by around 40 per cent, but the real losses were heavy enough.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cMa-9dlEq2c\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Big Week seen from the German fighter pilots&#39; side. Video: The Operations Room<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>By June 1944, when Allied troops landed in Normandy, the Allies held air superiority over the beaches. Big Week did not win it alone, but it was the week the Luftwaffe&#39;s day fighter force began to bleed out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vR4_dyNPynQ\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">A CBS World News Today broadcast from February 1944, as Big Week began. Video: Old Broadcast<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Big Week, Jimmy Doolittle), This Day in Aviation, McFarland and Newton (via Wikipedia)<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was Big Week in World War II?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Big Week, officially Operation Argument, was a six-day Allied bombing offensive from 20 to 25 February 1944 against the German aircraft industry. The US Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces attacked by day and RAF Bomber Command by night, aiming to cripple the Luftwaffe before the invasion of France.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many aircraft were lost during Big Week?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">During Big Week the Eighth Air Force lost 97 B-17s and 40 B-24s, the Fifteenth Air Force lost 90 bombers and RAF Bomber Command 131. The Luftwaffe lost 262 fighters and around 250 aircrew killed or injured, including nearly 100 fighter pilots killed.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did Big Week destroy German aircraft production?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. Big Week damaged many factories, but German fighter production actually increased in 1944 through dispersal and by cutting other aircraft types. Its real success was attrition: the Luftwaffe lost experienced fighter pilots it could not replace, helping the Allies gain air superiority before D-Day.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What did Jimmy Doolittle change about fighter escort in 1944?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">When Jimmy Doolittle took command of the Eighth Air Force in January 1944, he ended the requirement for escort fighters to stay close to the bombers. Fighters could sweep ahead and hunt German fighters freely, a change that proved highly effective during Big Week and after.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who received the Medal of Honor on the first day of Big Week?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 20 February 1944, navigator 2nd Lt. Walter Truemper and flight engineer Staff Sgt. Archibald Mathies of the B-17G Ten Horsepower refused to bail out and leave their badly wounded pilot. They tried to land the bomber at RAF Polebrook and were killed on the third attempt. Both received the Medal of Honor.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What happened at Nijmegen during Big Week?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 22 February 1944, after cloud forced B-17s to turn back, American B-24s seeking targets of opportunity mistakenly bombed the Dutch cities of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede and Deventer. Around 880 to 900 Dutch civilians were killed, most of them in Nijmegen.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was Big Week in World War II?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Big Week, officially Operation Argument, was a six-day Allied bombing offensive from 20 to 25 February 1944 against the German aircraft industry. The US Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces attacked by day and RAF Bomber Command by night, aiming to cripple the Luftwaffe before the invasion of France.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many aircraft were lost during Big Week?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"During Big Week the Eighth Air Force lost 97 B-17s and 40 B-24s, the Fifteenth Air Force lost 90 bombers and RAF Bomber Command 131. The Luftwaffe lost 262 fighters and around 250 aircrew killed or injured, including nearly 100 fighter pilots killed.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did Big Week destroy German aircraft production?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. Big Week damaged many factories, but German fighter production actually increased in 1944 through dispersal and by cutting other aircraft types. Its real success was attrition: the Luftwaffe lost experienced fighter pilots it could not replace, helping the Allies gain air superiority before D-Day.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What did Jimmy Doolittle change about fighter escort in 1944?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"When Jimmy Doolittle took command of the Eighth Air Force in January 1944, he ended the requirement for escort fighters to stay close to the bombers. Fighters could sweep ahead and hunt German fighters freely, a change that proved highly effective during Big Week and after.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who received the Medal of Honor on the first day of Big Week?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 20 February 1944, navigator 2nd Lt. Walter Truemper and flight engineer Staff Sgt. Archibald Mathies of the B-17G Ten Horsepower refused to bail out and leave their badly wounded pilot. They tried to land the bomber at RAF Polebrook and were killed on the third attempt. Both received the Medal of Honor.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What happened at Nijmegen during Big Week?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 22 February 1944, after cloud forced B-17s to turn back, American B-24s seeking targets of opportunity mistakenly bombed the Dutch cities of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede and Deventer. Around 880 to 900 Dutch civilians were killed, most of them in Nijmegen.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/black-thursday-over-schweinfurt-the-b-17-raid-that-nearly-broke-the-eighth-air-force\/\">Black Thursday Over Schweinfurt: The B-17 Raid That Nearly Broke the Eighth Air Force<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/p-51b-shillelagh-mustang-flies-again-oshkosh-2026\/\">A Rare P-51 Mustang Flies Again<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/kurt-tank-focke-wulf-ta-152-high-altitude-fighter\/\">The Designer Who Outran Mustangs in His Own Fighter<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For six days in February 1944, Allied bombers hit Germany&#39;s aircraft factories. The factories recovered. The Luftwaffe&#39;s fighter pilots did not.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":25038606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25039150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Big Week 1944: Operation Argument Against the Luftwaffe | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Big Week 1944, Operation Argument: six days of Allied raids on German aircraft factories that cost the Luftwaffe 262 fighters and pilots it could not replace.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument Against the Luftwaffe | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Big Week 1944, Operation Argument: six days of Allied raids on German aircraft factories that cost the Luftwaffe 262 fighters and pilots it could not replace.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-27T08:42:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-27T08:42:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1025\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85\"},\"headline\":\"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument and the Battle to Break the Luftwaffe\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-27T08:42:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-27T08:42:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1309,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/\",\"name\":\"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument Against the Luftwaffe | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-27T08:42:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-27T08:42:30+00:00\",\"description\":\"Big Week 1944, Operation Argument: six days of Allied raids on German aircraft factories that cost the Luftwaffe 262 fighters and pilots it could not replace.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":1025,\"caption\":\"Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses in formation trailing contrails\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument and the Battle to Break the Luftwaffe\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85\",\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Joseph Duncan\"},\"description\":\"Joseph Duncan covers breaking defence news \u2014 fast, sharp dispatches on the Pentagon, procurement and the world\u2019s air forces.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/fr\\\/author\\\/josephduncan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument Against the Luftwaffe | MiGFlug","description":"Big Week 1944, Operation Argument: six days of Allied raids on German aircraft factories that cost the Luftwaffe 262 fighters and pilots it could not replace.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument Against the Luftwaffe | MiGFlug","og_description":"Big Week 1944, Operation Argument: six days of Allied raids on German aircraft factories that cost the Luftwaffe 262 fighters and pilots it could not replace.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-09-27T08:42:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-27T08:42:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":1025,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Joseph Duncan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joseph Duncan","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/"},"author":{"name":"Joseph Duncan","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85"},"headline":"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument and the Battle to Break the Luftwaffe","datePublished":"2026-09-27T08:42:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-27T08:42:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/"},"wordCount":1309,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/","name":"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument Against the Luftwaffe | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg","datePublished":"2026-09-27T08:42:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-27T08:42:30+00:00","description":"Big Week 1944, Operation Argument: six days of Allied raids on German aircraft factories that cost the Luftwaffe 262 fighters and pilots it could not replace.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/b-17-flying-fortress-formation-contrails-eighth-air-force.jpg","width":1280,"height":1025,"caption":"Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses in formation trailing contrails"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/big-week-1944-operation-argument-luftwaffe-eighth-air-force\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Big Week 1944: Operation Argument and the Battle to Break the Luftwaffe"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - Le magazine de MiGFlug","description":"pour ceux qui s&#039;int\u00e9ressent au pilotage d&#039;avions militaires et aux sujets li\u00e9s \u00e0 l&#039;aviation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85","name":"Joseph Duncan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Joseph Duncan"},"description":"Joseph Duncan couvre l&#039;actualit\u00e9 de la d\u00e9fense en temps r\u00e9el \u2014 des d\u00e9p\u00eaches rapides et pr\u00e9cises sur le Pentagone, les acquisitions et les forces a\u00e9riennes du monde entier.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/author\/josephduncan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25039150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25039150"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25039150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25039308,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25039150\/revisions\/25039308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25038606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25039150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25039150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25039150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}