Martin Caidin&#39;s&nbsp;<i>Black Thursday</i>&nbsp;tells the exciting&nbsp;story of the United States Air Force&#39;s massive bombing raid into Nazi Germany&#39;s industrial heartland on Thursday, October 14, 1943. On that fateful day two hundred and ninety-one hulking B-17 Flying Fortresses - escorted by squadrons of nimble P-47 Thunderbolts &ndash; miraculously fought their way through swarms of Messerschmitt Me-109&#39;s, Focke-Wulf FW-190&#39;s, Heinkel He-113&#39;s and more on their way to cripple the enemy&#39;s vital ball-bearings plant at Schweinfurt.<br /><br />Sixty of the B-17&#39;s never returned, and six hundred and fifty men died. It was the highest casualty toll that the United States Air Force had ever suffered and the day became known as &#39;Black Thursday.&#39;<br /><br />*Page notes and annotations.<br />*Curated, hand-picked images.&nbsp;<br />*Revised text with typos corrected and modern American spelling and punctuation.