Pointblank had begun in the spring of 1943 as an offensive planned to reach a zenith just before the invasion of Europe. Its goal was to help make that invasion possible through the destruction of German military, industrial and economic strength, and the demoralization of the German people.

It was conceived as a closely knit operation, with coordinated RAF night raids and USAAF daylight missions. The two comrades-in-arms had different ways of reaching their goals, and 'round the-clock' bombing of specific targets remained a catchy phrase rather than an ongoing program.

The intermediate objective of Pointblank was the defeat, preferably by destruction, of the Luftwaffe, the Reich's shield against the bomber forces. The German domination of the air demanded a serious offensive to break that grip. The plan was codenamed Argument, but the campaign has been known more familiarly as 'Big Week', since its primary need was for about one week of clear weather. In November 1943, when Argument was first detailed, that blue-sky spell was almost three months in the future.

Meantime, two developments were occurring that would upgrade the performance of the existing bomber forces. The first was the availability, at long last, of a long-range escort fighter that could go deep into Germany.

Lockheed's elegant P-38 had arrived in the theater in mid-October 1943, with the 55th Fighter Group. The twin-boomed fighters were able to carry a 75-US gal (284-liter) drop tank under each wing; so equipped, they could escort out to more than 500 miles (805 km), 200 miles (322 km) further than the P-47 escorts could go. That radius covered most of the German strategic targets, but left little fuel for combat at the extreme limit of the escort. And, in a one-to-one dogfight with a Bf 109 or an Fw 190, the P-38 was not the most maneuverable of aircraft.