While posturing itself for that mission change, the Eighth also supported Operation Enduring Freedom in which the Air Force operates against targets in Afghanistan, and Operation Noble Eagle for the defense of North American airspace. isMobile = true;
This air force lost most of its men and equipment in the defense of the Philippines after 7 Dec 1941. At the same time, aerial refueling techniques were improved to the extent that Eighth Air Force bombers could still reach targets in Europe and Asia even if overseas bases were destroyed by an enemy attack. function closeDetails() {
Eighth Air Force's effort was over 1,000 B-17s and B-24s and over 800 fighters and the RAF provided sixteen squadrons of North American P-51 Mustangs and Supermarine Spitfires in addition. The Air Force retired nearly all of its piston-engined B-29/B-50s and they were replaced by new Boeing B-47 Stratojet aircraft. $(".fancybox-caption__body").removeClass("half");
Last Name Beginning With (B) Updated 6/2/12. First Name. Fifteen Allied bombers were attacked, eight were successfully destroyed. }, 1000);
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Fifteen months after Operation Desert Storm, the Air Force reorganized.
(photo: American Cemetery,Cambridge, England). Contact Us, If you have any data on servicemen and their units and would like to submit it to our digital library; please Contact Us, Copyright, Army Air Corps Library and Museum, Inc., All Rights Reserved. '">DETAILS';
By war's end, they had been awarded a number of other medals to include 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. U.S. Military Personnel that Served in WWII. Researching World War II Bombing Aerial Photography. On 25 February, both Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces hit numerous targets at Frth airfield, Augsburg and Regensburg, attacking Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Bf 109 plants. Its flexible, conventional and nuclear deterrence mission provides the capability to deploy forces and engage enemy threats from home station or forward positioned, anywhere, any time. caption: function (instance, item) {
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Support to the latter command included the operation of Task Force 204 (bombers). This website is dedicated to preserving the history of the 445th Bombardment Group (Heavy) that was part of the 8th Air Force during World War II. Men born between about 1877 and . afterLoad: function (instance, current) {
The ALLIED FORCE campaign also marked the Eighth's return to Europe and the participation of U.S. bombers in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) first combat operation. -Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle, Commanding General, 8th Air Force. Eighth Air Force trains, tests, exercises and demonstrates combat-ready forces for rapid employment worldwide. During World War II, under the leadership of such Generals as Eaker and Jimmy Doolittle, the 8th AF became the greatest air armada in history. getDownloadURL($(this).parent()) +
In addition, almost 300 German aircraft of all types were destroyed in strafing attacks. For this reason, Eighth Air Force is commonly known as the "Mighty Eighth." This was the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions in the 8th Air Force, on 13 May 1943. The first combat group of VIII Bomber Command to arrive in the United Kingdom was the ground echelon of the 97th Bombardment Group, which arrived at RAF Polebrook and RAF Grafton Underwood on 9 June 1942. Azure, in the lower lobe of the winged Arabic numeral 8 or a mullet throughout argent charged with a torteaux.
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The reorganization transformed the Eighth into the only information operations and bomber NAF in the Air Force. No.
Donations Page. In a prelude to the invasion of France, American air attacks began in February 1944 against railroad junctions, airfields, ports and bridges in northern France and along the English Channel coastline. The Eighth's units played a key role in the 42-day Gulf War in 1991. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").addClass("photo-detail-gradient");
8th Air Force (ETO) Operational Units. Last Name Beginning With (R) Updated 1/14/12. Further ground fire caused damage to his right wing, and the engine caught fire. The Mighty Eighth's B-52 force consists of 76 bombers assigned to two active duty wings, the 2d Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana and the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, and one reserve wing, the 307th Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
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8 th AirForce.com. United States 8th Air Force, WWII Welcome to the 96th Bombardment Group(H) Station 138 - Snetterton, England. It dispersed its planes to a large number of bases across the United States so as not to have too many concentrated at a single location. var ratio = Math.min(winWth / origImgWth,
However, the P-51B was introduced as a tactical fighter, so the first deliveries of the P-51B in November 1943 were assigned to three groups in the tactical Ninth Air Force at the expense of VIII Bomber Command, whose need for a long range escort fighter was critical. It was a last-ditch effort to keep up the momentum of the German forces during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge (Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein). }
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VIII Bomber Command, re-designated as Eighth Air Force, and Ninth Air Force were assigned to (USSTAF).
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On 24 February, with the weather clearing over central Germany, Eighth Air Force sent over 800 bombers, hitting Schweinfurt and attacks on the Baltic coast, with a total of 11 B-17s being lost. The right propeller of Kegelman's Boston was shot away by flak while over the target at De Kooy Airfield[7][self-published source?]
As the new commander of the Eighth Air Force from January 1944 onwards, Major General Jimmy Doolittle's major influence on the European air war occurred early that year when he made a critical change to the policy requiring escorting fighters to remain with the bombers at all times. Two days later, on 23 January, the 27th FEW participated in the raid on Sinuju Airfield in North Korea and shot down four more MiG-15s. 1st Air Division: 1943-1945. We must have a valid email address!
In 1965, Eighth Air Force entered combat again, this time in Southeast Asia. In late 1943, the P-51B Mustang was introduced to the European Theater by the USAAF. $(".base-caption-info").addClass("full-height");
The 398th was formed in the United States in 1943 and was stationed in Nuthampstead, England from April 1944 until June 1945. Established on 22 February 1944 by the redesignation of VIII Bomber Command at RAF Daws Hill in High Wycombe, England, the Eighth Army Air Force (8 AAF) was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force in the European Theater of World War II (1939/411945), engaging in operations primarily in the Northern Europe area of responsibility; carrying out strategic bombing of enemy targets in France, the Low Countries, and Germany;[3] and engaging in air-to-air fighter combat against enemy aircraft until the German capitulation in May 1945. 4th Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943. Communist victories in the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 meant that the United States would have to expand SAC to address these potential threats both in Europe as well as Asia. $currentSlide.find(".fancy-detail-link").on("touchstart", function() { captionToggle(); });
The Eighth Air Force includes the heart of America's heavy bomber force: the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, the Rockwell B-1 Lancer supersonic bomber, and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber aircraft. For its Korean War service, the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing received the Distinguished Unit Citation, covering the period of 26 January through 21 April 1951, for their actions in Korea. let detailSize = "full";
Stations: Langley Field, Va, 1 Feb 1942; Savannah AB, Ga, c. 10 Feb 1942; Daws Hill, England, 23 Feb 1942; High Wycombe, England, 15 May 1942-16 Jul 1945; Okinawa, 16 Jul 19457 Jun 1946; MacDill Field, Fla, 7 Jun 1946; Ft Worth AAFld, Tex, I Nov 1946; Westover AFB, Mass, Jun 1g55-. Then in April 1970, SAC moved the Eighth to Andersen AFB, Guam, to take over the direction of all bombing and refueling operations in Southeast Asia. By the time of the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, Eighth Air Force consisted of the following units: On 25 June 1950, the armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) invaded South Korea. After the Southeast Asian war, Eighth Air Force moved on 1 January 1975 to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. recalculateImageSize();
This strategy fatally disabled the twin-engined Zerstrergeschwader heavy fighter wings and their replacement, single-engined Sturmgruppen of heavily armed Fw 190As, clearing each force of bomber destroyers in their turn from Germany's skies throughout most of 1944. Then in January 1994, ACC reorganized Eighth Air Force as a general purpose Numbered Air Force (NAF) with a warfighting mission to support the U.S. Joint Forces and U.S. Strategic Commands. $(".fancybox-content").css("width", newImgWth + "px");
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It was the largest of the deployed combat Army Air Forces in numbers of personnel, aircraft, and equipment. Why pay every year? function recalculateImageSize() {
The 388 Bomb Group association was formed to insure the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women of the 388th are remembered. CAMPAIGNS. $(".fancybox-content").css("height", newImgHgt + "px");
Eighth Air Force did not strike at oil industry targets until 13 May 1944 when 749 bombers, escorted by almost 740 fighters, pounded oil targets in the Leipzig area and at Brx in Czechoslovakia. Were proud to be able to present archival issues below: INSTRUCTIONSStart here! var dstTop = Math.floor((winHgt - newImgHgt)) / 2;
An advanced detachment was established in England on 23 Feb and units began arriving from the US during the spring of 1942. On this mission, he sat in the co-pilot's seat of the lead B-17, Butcher Shop[8][self-published source] The pilot in command and leader of this historic mission was Paul Tibbets, who on 6 August 1945, dropped the first Atomic Bomb, Little Boy, on Hiroshima from the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Enola Gay. The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, and the German Army continued to be exposed to air attack. captionToggle();
The 305th was activated in the United States in March 1942 and moved to England in August-October. The P-51 Mustang first entered squadron service in Europe with the British in early 1942; the Allison V-1710-engined P-51A (Mustang I) having much success with the RAF, although it found the aircraft's performance inadequate at higher altitudes. On 22 February 1944, a massive reorganization of American airpower took place in Europe. if (isMobile())
At the close of 1946, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, all B-29 Superfortresses. if (isMobile()) {
This 8th Air Force WWII Decal is die cut - which means it is cut to the exact shape of the image, and made in the USA at our facilities in Chino Valley, Arizona. These data were taken from the Loading Lists of the 385th BG combat missions missions, preserved in the U. S. National Archives in College Park, MD. Although some personnel and combat units were assigned before V-J Day, the Eighth did not participate in combat against Japan. Eighth Air Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946. There were 261 fighter aces in the Eighth Air Force during World War II. The Luftwaffe countered by installing flak alleys along the approach lines in order to protect the Me 262s from the ground and providing top cover with conventional fighters during takeoff and landing.
General Resources and Sites. Personnel and equipment from the inactivated 40th and 444th Bomb Groups were reassigned to the 43d Bomb Group. With each step through 2002, the Eighth continues to add more feats to its growing legacy. if (isMobile())
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The Eighth's combat record also shows 566 aces (261 fighter pilots with 31 having 15 or more victories and 305 enlisted gunners), over 440,000 bomber sorties to drop 697,000 tons of bombs, and over 5,100 aircraft losses and 11,200 aerial victories. Because of the thick clouds and rain over the area the Luftwaffe did not attack the American bomber fleet, as the Germans believed that because of the weather the American bombers would be incapable of attacking their targets. Moved to Egypt and began operations on 12 Nov 1942, participating in the Allied drive across Egypt and Libya, the campaign in Tunisia, and the invasions of Sicily and Italy. }
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Activated in the Philippines on 20 Sep 1941. The Eighth's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. Throughout the first six months of ENDURING FREEDOM, the Mighty Eighth's bombers were instrumental in the destruction of key targets and illusive enemy forces in Afghanistan. var $currentSlide = $(".fancybox-slide.fancybox-slide--current.fancybox-slide--image").parent().parent();
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An Eighth Air Force unit, the 2d Bomb Wing, spearheaded the air campaign by dispatching B-52s from Barksdale to launch conventional air-launched cruise missiles against Iraqi targets. Visit our 8th Air Force Honor Project with rosters of servicemen who served in the groups of the 8th. Redesignated Eighth AF on 22 Feb 1944. The vinyl used is UV and water resistant, and will last many years without . Login; Frequently Asked . The RAF had been making night raids on Berlin since 1940, (with heavy raids in 1943) and nuisance de Havilland Mosquito raids in daylight, but this was the first major daylight bombing raid on the German capital.
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In January 1945, the Luftwaffe attempted one last major air offensive against the Allied Air Forces. 8th Air Force, 1st Wing, 1st Division The Ragged Irregulars. if ($(".fancybox-caption__body").hasClass("af3-caption-body")) {
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Our research database contains information on Bomber, Fighter and Service Groups, their Bases both in England and the United States, Daily Missions and Targets throughout Europe. During World War II, the offensive air forces of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) came to be classified as strategic or tactical. The operation was a pyrrhic success for the Luftwaffe as the losses suffered by the German air arm were irreplaceable and over 300 Luftwaffe aircraft were shot down, mostly by Allied anti-aircraft guns. The Eighth Air Force earned the unofficial nickname 'The Mighty Eighth' in the 1970s following the publication of Roger Freeman's book 'The Mighty Eighth'. '
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While posturing itself for that mission change, the Eighth also supported Operation ENDURING FREEDOM against terrorists in Afghanistan, and NOBLE EAGLE for the homeland defense of America. Notably, the Eighth's units played a key role in the 42-day Gulf War in 1991. isDesktopInit = false;
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The 8th AF was primarily engaged in the bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. Eighth Air Force spent its first decade in the continental U.S. building up its strategic capabilities. The 305th Bombardment Group was a B-17 Flying Fortress group of the Eighth Air Force and took part in the daylight strategic bombing campaign over Europe. Components: 1st Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943. The Mighty Eighth's modern history is equally impressive. let displayhgt = "95vh";
Although Eighth Air Force's strategic bomber force was not committed to combat in Korea, the Eighth deployed the 27th Fighter Escort Wing for combat action in Korea and earned numerous honors and awards for their combat record during the Korean War. var origImgHgt = $(".fancybox-image").prop("naturalHeight");
With Doolittle's permission, American fighter pilots on bomber defense missions would primarily be flying far ahead of the bombers' combat box formations in air supremacy mode, literally "clearing the skies" of any Luftwaffe fighter opposition heading towards the target. }
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This is from where the present-day Eighth Air Force's history, lineage and honors derive. Thirty-one of these aces had 15 or more aircraft kills apiece. It was created from a. ROSTER OF AIRMEN. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As part of this game-changing strategy, especially after the bombers had hit their targets, the USAAF's fighters were then free to strafe German airfields and transport while returning to base, contributing significantly to the achievement of air superiority by Allied air forces over Europe. Based in Parham, England, the 390th Bombardment Group (H) flew 301 combat missions against German military targets. Allied bomber escort fighters would fly high above the bombers diving from this height gave them extra speed, thus reducing the speed difference.