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'. Based in Parham, England, the 390th Bombardment Group (H) flew 301 combat missions against German military targets. The Eighth's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. 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. Official homepage of the 385th bomb group association. Redesignated Ninth AF in Apr 1942. Join the Society to help preserve the legacy of the veterans of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. }); } Throughout the first six months of Enduring Freedom, the Mighty Eighth's bombers were instrumental in the eradication of many targets and opposing combatants in Afghanistan. Even so, the "pathfinder" bombers of the RAF Alconbury-based 482d Bomb Group proved very capable of finding the targets and guiding the bombers to them. Components: 1st Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943. 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 8th Army Air Force, 96th Bomb Group (H) Association. 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. In order to quickly assemble these formations, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers. $(".fancybox-content").css("width", newImgWth + "px"); else { 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. $(".af3-caption-body").removeClass(detailSize); It dispersed its planes to a large number of bases across the United States so as not to have too many concentrated at a single location. getDetailsURL($(this).parent()) + function showFBShare() { The end came on 25 April 1945 when Eighth Air Force flew its last full-scale mission of the European War. (photo: American Cemetery,Cambridge, England). '">DETAILS'; By comparison, the U.S. Navy suffered 37,000 deaths out of the 4.1 million in WW II. Since 1994, the Eighth has participated in a string of contingency operations, such as the 1996 Operation "Desert Strike" against Iraq] the 1998 Operation "Desert Fox" (similarly named but in no way associated with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel) against Iraq, which featured the B-1 Lancer in its combat debut, and 1999 Operation "Allied Force" against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which involved the B-2A Spirit. showFBShare(); 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. function captionToggle() { Under Air Force Global Strike Command since 1 Feb 2010, Eighth Air Force controls strategic bomber (e.g., B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress, and B-1 Lancer) forces throughout the United States and overseas locations. Eighth Air Force Historical Society 8th Air Force Bases in England Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB Air Force Personnel Center Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (Current 8th AF headquarters) Department of Veterans Affairs Fold 3 by Ancestry.com MacArthur Memorial Kassel Mission National Archives and Records . getDownloadURL($(this).parent()) + '

' + 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. Some 230 B-24s hit the Messerschmitt Bf 110 assembly plant at Gotha with a loss of 24 aircraft. Personnel and group records to digital. var origImgWth = $(".fancybox-image").prop("naturalWidth"); function getDetailsURL(fbObj) { The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, and the German Army continued to be exposed to air attack. Commanding Officers Connections if (isMobile()) function isMobile() { } A handful remained in service performing non-combat duties through the mid-1950s as air-sea rescue aircraft (SB-17, SB-24); photo-reconnaissance aircraft (RB-17, RB-24), and as unmanned target drones (QB-17) and their controllers (DB-17). It could fly as far on its internal fuel tanks as the P-47 could with drop tanks. For information on any of the names listed below, . The 398th was part of the 8th Air Force 1st Air Division during WWII and was one of many B-17 Bomb Groups stationed in England. Altogether, the Eighth's bombers flew 325 sorties to drop over 7 million pounds of ordnance on a nation slightly smaller than the state of Colorado. Researching World War II Bombing Aerial Photography. 41-24577) of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, RAF Molesworth. It was created from a. ROSTER OF AIRMEN. The 398th was formed in the United States in 1943 and was stationed in Nuthampstead, England from April 1944 until June 1945. Then in April 1970, SAC moved the Eighth without personnel or equipment to Andersen AFB Guam, absorbing resources of the 3d Air Division. The 8th AF was primarily engaged in the bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. On 1 January, the entire German fighter force in the West, comprising combat aircraft from some eleven Jagdgeschwader day fighter wings, took off and attacked 27 Allied airfields in northern France, Belgium and the southern part of the Netherlands in an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries of Europe. We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Performance and Statistics Charts, 1943-1945 for the Eighth Air Force in the Records of the Army Air Forces (Record Group 18) that may contain some relevant information. Major General Jimmy Doolittle relinquished command of the Fifteenth Air Force to Major General Nathan F. Twining and on January 6, 1944, took over command of the Eighth Air Force from Lieutenant General Ira C. Eaker at RAF Daws Hill. Kegelman's aircraft lost altitude and even bounced off the ground, but he was able to bring the damaged bomber home and received the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) from General Spaatz on 11 July. . Fighters from both Eighth and Ninth Air Forces made wide sweeps over the area, mounting strafing missions at airfields and rail networks. Notably, the 1 June 1992 change inactivated SAC and the Tactical Air Command (TAC), and reassigned the Mighty Eighth to the new Air Combat Command (ACC). However, the Luftwaffe jets were simply too few and too late to have any serious effect on the Allied air armadas now sweeping over the Reich with near-impunity. 8th Air Force, 1st Wing, 1st Division The Ragged Irregulars. Roster, J. T. 3rd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron 914 . The Eighth's weapons inventory also changed to include KC-135 air refuelers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (the Atlas, Titan I and Titan II, and all Minuteman models.) A strategic air force was that with a mission to attack an enemy's war effort beyond his front-line forces, predominantly production and supply facilities, whereas a tactical air force supported ground campaigns, usually with objectives selected through co-operation with the armies. let isDesktopInit = false; 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. }, 1000); 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. var newImgWth = (origImgWth * ratio); Eighth Air Force carried out strategic daytime bombing operations in Western Europe from airfields in eastern England as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive. , founded in 1975 by an original 8th Air Force pilot, Lt. Col. John Woolnough, serv as a central organization for its individual State Chapters and Wings. After the Southeast Asian war, Eighth Air Force moved on 1 January 1975 to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. 301st Fighter Wing: 1945- 1946. Writing about our entire adventure would take a great deal more space than this article . On 7 April 1945, the Luftwaffe flew its most desperate and deadliest mission, with the dedicated aerial ramming unit Sonderkommando Elbe. This was the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions in the 8th Air Force, on 13 May 1943. We welcome members of the 388 FBW (Korea) the 388 TFW (VietNam) and the 388 FW (today). Moved to England in Oct 1943 to become the tactical air force for the invasion of the Continent. afterClose: function () { Place. Eighth Air Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946. In 1965, Eighth Air Force entered combat again, this time in Southeast Asia. have served in the 8th Air Force since World War II. Personnel and equipment from the inactivated 40th and 444th Bomb Groups were reassigned to the 43d Bomb Group. This ongoing project documents a basic service history of participating individuals. Fifteen Allied bombers were attacked, eight were successfully destroyed. if (detailSize === "half") { The USAAF was finally fully sold on the Mustang, and a letter contract for 2200 P-51Bs was issued. The 8th AF was primarily engaged in the bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. The Eighth's weapons inventory also changed to include KC-135 air refuelers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (the Atlas, Titan I and Titan II, and all Minuteman models.). Get detailed instructios o how to register for the Reunion. After Korean War, on 13 June 1955 SAC moved the unit to Westover AFB, Massachusetts, where it transitioned to the jet age. $(".af3-caption-body").stop(true, false).animate({ height: "0vh" }, 800, function () { debounceTimer = null; 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. One of the main benefits of membership in the Society is our Magazine, the 8th AF News. How I am shooting the records. At the close of 1946, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, all B-29 Superfortresses. It became operational on 7 November 1942 (along with the 44th, 91st and 303rd . var isMobile = false; //initiate as false The 131st Bomb Wing is operationally-gained by AFGSC and 8 AF from the Air National Guard, while the 307th Bomb Wing is operationally-gained from Air Force Reserve Command and 10th Air Force.[4][5]. 5 months ago. Units assigned to Eighth Air Force in the Pacific were: The atomic bombings of Japan led to the Japanese surrender before Eighth Air Force saw action in the Pacific theater. This air force lost most of its men and equipment in the defense of the Philippines after 7 Dec 1941. var $currentSlide = $(".fancybox-slide.fancybox-slide--current.fancybox-slide--image").parent().parent(); Both Davis-Monthan and Fort Worth Army Airfields were B-29 training bases during World War II, and the Eighth Air Force Bomb Groups were simply activated at the same field and on the same day as the original Army Air Force Continental Air Forces training bomb groups were inactivated. buttons: ['share'], The Me 262 was also less maneuverable than the P-51 and so trained Allied pilots could turn tighter than an Me 262A. Eighth Air Force Bomb Group Tail Markings Prior to 13 September 1943 -- Several Groups were not yet assigned. United States 8th Air Force, WWII Welcome to the 96th Bombardment Group(H) Station 138 - Snetterton, England. Vast fleets of B-24s and B-17s escorted by P-51Ds and long-range P-38Ls hit refineries in Germany and Czechoslovakia in late 1944 and early 1945. return '' It was the largest of the deployed combat Army Air Forces in numbers of personnel, aircraft, and equipment. else { Of the. In 1965, Eighth Air Force entered combat again, this time in Southeast Asia. An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. The reorganization transformed the Eighth into the only information operations and bomber NAF in the Air Force. As the nuclear weapons carried by the bombers were so powerful that only one plane was assigned to a target that might have previously needed a whole bomb group of aircraft. As a result, Eighth Air Force was incorporated into the new SAC. Less than a week after "Big Week", Eighth Air Force made its first attack on the Reich's capital, Berlin. $(".fancybox-content").css("transform", 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. General Carl Spaatz returned to England to command the USSTAF. 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. } 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. The Mighty Eighth's modern history is equally impressive. During World War II, under the leadership of such generals as Ira Eaker and Jimmy Doolittle, the VIII BC (then Eighth Air Force) formed the greatest air armada in history. (browser|link)|vodafone|wap|windows (ce|phone)|xda|xiino/i.test(navigator.userAgent) (left) took the Eighth Air Force Bomber Command Headquarters to England the next month and located at High Wycombe, about 40 miles west of London and on the road to Oxford. This air power includes the heart of America's heavy bomber force, deploying the Rockwell B-1 Lancer, Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Were proud to be able to present archival issues below: INSTRUCTIONSStart here! var dstLeft = Math.floor((winWth - newImgWth)) / 2; 8th and 15th AF flight, ground crew and crash photos: B-24, B-17, P-51, B-26, P-47, P-38. fbObj.find(".actions .details").attr("href") + Eighth Air Force also supports STRATCOM's Joint Force Headquarters Information Operations and serves as the command element for Air Force wide computer network operations. We are currently re-designing and moving our site to a different hosting service. Click here to view more information on the tours, American Ex-Prisoners of War Service Foundation. if (isMobile()) ' '; -Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle, Commanding General, 8th Air Force. Having almost total air superiority throughout the collapsing German Reich, Eighth Air Force hit targets as far east as Hungary, while Fifteenth Air Force hit oil industry facilities in Yugoslavia, Romania, and northeastern Italy. Description Ask questions about records of the U.S. Army, Air Force, . Although some personnel and combat units were assigned before V-J Day, the Eighth did not participate in combat against Japan. Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force in February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. fbObj.find(".actions .download").attr("href") + 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. Men and women continue the fight for liberty and peace serving in the 8th Air Force now headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport, Louisiana. From 1946 through 1949, what little money became available was used to buy new planes (Boeing B-50 Superfortress, Convair B-36 Peacemaker) for SAC, and as the newer aircraft became available, the older B-29s were sent to storage depots or sent to Air Force Reserve units for training missions. "[citation needed]. In its early days, SAC had fighter wings for the escorting its aircraft equipped with the new F-82E Twin Mustang along with long range F-51H Mustangs and F-47N Thunderbolts, all of which were designed late in World War II for use in the planned invasion of Japan. 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. His administration chose to invest in the Air Force, especially Strategic Air Command. / Also after the deployment of forces to Far East Air Force to engage in combat over Korea, the history of Eighth Air Force becomes indistinguishable from that of SAC. var ratio = Math.min(winWth / origImgWth, 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. 1st Air Division: 1943-1945. The integration process started on 1 February 2001, when the Air Force realigned the Air Intelligence Agency (AIA) under ACC and assigned the 67th Information Operations Wing and the 70th Intelligence Wing to the Eighth. Importantly, the Eighth's bombing effectiveness influenced the North Vietnamese to end hostilities. 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