Fifteen Allied bombers were attacked, eight were successfully destroyed. An advanced detachment of VIII Bomber Command was established at RAF Daws Hill, near RAF Bomber Command Headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, on 23 February in preparation for its units to arrive in the United Kingdom from the United States. 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'. Later in Dec 1941 headquarters and some crews and planes moved to Australia . In the 1980s, the Eighth participated in several key operations such as running the tanker task force for Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 and directing all air refueling operations for Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986 and Operation Just Cause in 1989. These bomb wings were drastically undermanned and under equipped. //initial desktop view
General Carl Spaatz returned to England to command the USSTAF. caption += $(this).find('figcaption').html() +
However, it was believed that a strong strategic air arm equipped with B-29s would deter a possible aggressor from attacking the United States for fear of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons. By the time the group rotated back to the United States, they had flown more than 23,000 combat hours in more than 12,000 sorties. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html($(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html().replace("CLOSE", "SHOW"));
VIII Bomber Command, after redesignation as Eighth Air Force, was assigned VIII Fighter and VIII Air Support Commands under its command. Unit records are useful in piecing together stories about a unit or group, as well as about individuals who served in them. [12], Eighth Air Force's mission in the Pacific was initially to organize and train new bomber groups for combat against Japan. The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, and the German Army continued to be exposed to air attack.
In the year 2000, the Air Force decided to integrate information operations into Eighth Air Force. Donations Page. afterShow: function (instance, current) {
At first, the Eighth deployed its B-52 bomber and KC-135 tanker units from the U.S. to operating bases in Guam, Okinawa and Thailand. Rudder, James E. 2nd Ranger Battalion; 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division 53; 243; 384; 476; 557 . Last Name Beginning With (B) Updated 6/2/12. United States Air Force. After the Southeast Asian war, Eighth Air Force moved on 1 January 1975 to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
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.
[citation needed]. Moved to England in Oct 1943 to become the tactical air force for the invasion of the Continent. In 1965, Eighth Air Force entered combat again, this time in Southeast Asia. Eighth Air Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946. Official homepage of the 385th bomb group association. , 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. },
On 4 January 1944, the Consolidated B-24 Liberators and B-17s based in England flew their last mission as a subordinate part of VIII Bomber Command. Do you have items such as papers, photos, uniforms, gear and other artifacts? 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. var winWth = $(window).innerWidth();
The 8th AF was primarily engaged in the bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. function recalculateImageSize() {
Fifteenth Air Force relocated to March Air Force Base, California. Get detailed instructios o how to register for the Reunion. On 2 March, when Eighth Air Force bombers were dispatched to attack the synthetic oil refineries at Leipzig, Messerschmitt Me 262As attacked the formation near Dresden. $(".fancybox-content").removeAttr("style");
Nick was a life member of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, the 15th Air Force Association and the 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group Association. As a contrast, the Luftwaffe was undertaking the sixth major raid of the "Baby Blitz" the following night (20/21 February), with only some 165 German aircraft sortieing against British targets. This is from where the present-day Eighth Air Force's history, lineage and honors derive. With the end of combat in Southeast Asia, the Eighth Air Force moved without personnel or equipment to Barksdale Air Force Base Louisiana on 1 January 1975, absorbing the resources of Second Air Force. Regular combat operations by the VIII Bomber Command began on 17 August 1942, when the 97th Bombardment Group flew twelve Boeing B-17E Flying Fortresses on the first VIII Bomber Command heavy bomber mission of the war from RAF Grafton Underwood, attacking the Rouen-Sotteville marshalling yards in France. Aircraft and ground crew of Boeing B-17F-25-BO Fortress "Hell's Angels" (AAF Ser. In Europe, Eighth Air Force was the first USAAF strategic air force, with a mission to support an invasion of continental Europe from the British Isles. The 8th Army Air Force, 96th Bomb Group (H) Association. var newImgHgt = (origImgHgt * ratio);
Initially, Eighth Air Force under SAC consisted of the following: Personnel and equipment from the inactivated 449th Bomb Group were reassigned to the 7th Bomb Group (later 7th Bomb Wing). Writing about our entire adventure would take a great deal more space than this article . $(this).find('figcaption').html() +
Also, by using a four-bladed propeller, rather than the three-bladed one used on the P-51A, the performance was greatly improved; the XP-51B achieved a level speed of 441mph at 29,800ft (9,100m), over 100mph (160km/h) faster than the Allison-engined P-51A at that altitude. The other American-flown Boston had been shot down over De Kooy[6]. First Name. }
By 1955 the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress would be entering the inventory in substantial numbers, as prop B-36s were phased out of heavy bombardment units rapidly. $(".fancybox-button").css("display", "none");
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At MacDill, Eighth Air Force headquarters were manned chiefly by personnel from the 58th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, stationed at Fort Worth Army Air Fied, Texas. In January 1945, the Luftwaffe attempted one last major air offensive against the Allied Air Forces. Originally, the U.S. Army Air Forces activated the Eighth at Savannah, Georgia, on 28 January 1942 with three major subordinate units: the VIII Bomber Command (BC), the VIII Fighter Command (FC), and the VIII Ground Air Services Command (GASC). Eighth Air Force was established as VIII Bomber Command on 19 January 1942 and activated at Langley Field, Virginia on 1 February. The following day, on 9 March, H2X radar-equipped B-17s mounted a third attack on the Reich capital through clouds. fbObj.find(".actions .details").attr("href") +
(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.
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Compiled by Bill Varnedoe. During the Cold War (1945-1991), 8 AF was one of three Numbered Air Forces of the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC), with a three-star general headquartered at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts commanding USAF strategic bombers and missiles on a global scale. (photo: American Cemetery,Cambridge, England). 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. As a professional researcher and World War II historian, Bill Beigel provides research services to genealogists, historians, authors, and civilians who are looking for information found in WW2 military unit records. We are currently re-designing and moving our site to a different hosting service. 548 Bomb Squadron. A Tradition Since 1942. The command serves as Air Forces Strategic Global Strike, one of the air components of United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). . '
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Nick was a life member of the Commemorative Air Force, a World War II aircraft heritage society, a charter member of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and a charter member of . On 1 May, over 1,300 Eighth Air Force heavy bombers made an all-out attack on the enemy's rail network, striking at targets in France and Belgium. $(".fancybox-caption").addClass("af3-caption-bg");
The 398th was formed in the United States in 1943 and was stationed in Nuthampstead, England from April 1944 until June 1945. worldwartwoveterans@gmail.com. By mid-1944, the unit had a total strength of more than 200,000 people, and it could send more than 2,000 four-engine bombers and 1,000 fighters on a single mission against enemy targets in Europe. Altogether, the Eighth's bombers flew 325 sorties to drop over 7 million pounds of ordnance on enemy targets in that campaign. }
Eighth Air Force has five Regular Air Force bomb wings, two Air Reserve Total Force Integration bomb wings (one in Air Force Reserve Command and one in the Air National Guard), and one detachment in the continental United States. Personnel and group records to digital.
have served in the 8th Air Force since World War II. Activated in the US on I Feb 1942. $(".af3-caption-body").removeClass(detailSize);
Redesignated Ninth AF in Apr 1942. He established the 8th Air Force Headquarters at Bushy Park (Teddington, Middlesex), 15 miles west southwest of the center of London on 25 June 1942. were missing in action and never accounted for as to their whereabouts. As a headquarters, the Eighth had another important role in victory over Iraqi forces--operating the logistics supply and air refueling bridge between the U. S. and gulf region. function showFBShare() {
In 1965, Eighth Air Force entered combat again, this time in Southeast Asia. The 8th Air Force motto is "Peace Through Strength. On 27 June, the United Nations Security Council voted to assist the South Koreans in resisting the invasion. caption += '
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Read more about Supporting the AALCM. Under ACC, the Eighth received control over active duty, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard units in the central U.S. and two overseas locations.
VIDEO (silent): 8th AF mission to Muenster, Germany. showFBShare();
The result: a greater reliance on nuclear weapons and air power to deter war. The USAAF was finally fully sold on the Mustang, and a letter contract for 2200 P-51Bs was issued. Components: 1st Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943. return;
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This was the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions in the 8th Air Force, on 13 May 1943. var isMobile = false; //initiate as false
Beeby, John O.
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The first escort mission for the bombers was not flown until 5 December. The assets of the former training units were simply assigned to Eighth Air Force. Transferred, without personnel, equipment, and combat elements, to Okinawa on 16 Jul 1945. During the 17 months this unit was deployed to England, they flew 281 combat missions between 13 Dec 43 and 25 Apr 45. Eighth Air Force trains, tests, exercises and demonstrates combat-ready forces for rapid employment worldwide. In all, twelve aircraft factories were attacked, with the B-17s heading to Leipzig (Allgemeine Transportanlagen-Gesellschaft[de] Junkers Ju 88 production and Erla Maschinenwerk[de] Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters), Bernburg-Strenzfeld (Junkers Ju 88 plant) and Oschersleben (AGO plant making Focke Wulf Fw 190A fighters), while the B-24s hitting the Gothaer Waggonfabrik (production of Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters), the Fw 190 Arado Flugzeugwerke plant at Tutow and Heinkel's "Heinkel-Nord" headquarters at Rostock (production of He 111 bombers). }, 1000);
VIII Bomber Command, re-designated as Eighth Air Force, and Ninth Air Force were assigned to (USSTAF). Description Ask questions about records of the U.S. Army, Air Force, . if (/(android|bb\d+|meego).+mobile|avantgo|bada\/|blackberry|blazer|compal|elaine|fennec|hiptop|iemobile|ip(hone|od)|ipad|iris|kindle|Android|Silk|lge |maemo|midp|mmp|netfront|opera m(ob|in)i|palm( os)?|phone|p(ixi|re)\/|plucker|pocket|psp|series(4|6)0|symbian|treo|up\. It played an important role in many missions now recognized as key to winning WWII such as D-Day, Munster, Schweinfurt, and the raid on Berlin. Eighth Air Force was relieved from assignment to Strategic Air Command and assigned to the new Air Combat Command (ACC) on 1 June 1992. in World War II. Want to help?
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. if ($(".fancybox-caption__body").hasClass("af3-caption-body")) {
By the late 1940s, the B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators used in the European Theater of the war were thoroughly obsolete as combat aircraft and were mostly sent to the smelters. if (isMobile()) {
Colonel Frank A. Armstrong may have been the commander of the 97th, but at the time of the raid, not yet left seat qualified. Ruddy, Gerard A. HQ Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute . if ($(".af3-caption-body").length > 0 && $(".af3-caption-body").css("height") != undefined) {
Half of the U.S. Army Air Forces' casualties in World War II were suffered by Eighth Air Force (more than 47,000 casualties, with more than 26,000 dead). "[citation needed]. Air Offensive, Europe ; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace ; Central Europe; Asiatic-Pacific Theater. On D-Day, over 2,300 sorties were flown by Eighth Air Force heavy bombers in the Normandy and Cherbourg invasion areas, all aimed at neutralizing enemy coastal defenses and front-line troops. if (isMobile())
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Support to the latter command included the operation of Task Force 204 (bombers). return '';
The 305th was activated in the United States in March 1942 and moved to England in August-October. 5 months ago. 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. 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. function prependClosing() {
Year.
The photograph shows housing destroyed by the RAF during night raids. Our Society is one of many organizations across the country that honor and preserve the legacy of the Mighty Eighth. },
By comparison, the U.S. Navy suffered 37,000 deaths out of the 4.1 million in WW II. 8th AF 448th BG World War II. 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. On 8 March, another raid of 600 bombers and 200 fighters hit the Berlin area again, destroying the VKF ball-bearing plant at Erkner. '
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The modern day Eighth Air Force traces its lineage to the VIII BC, which came to life on 1 February 1942 at Langley Field, Virginia. The vinyl used is UV and water resistant, and will last many years without . Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. 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 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. An advanced detachment was established in England on 23 Feb and units began arriving from the US during the spring of 1942. During World War II, the offensive air forces of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) came to be classified as strategic or tactical. ), Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986. Rolls-Royce engineers rapidly realized that equipping the Mustang with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine with its two speed, two stage supercharger would substantially improve performance. Please visit the websites of our wonderful partners in history. Looking for Roster of American Officers in the 3rd Army at Operation Dragoon during WWII 0. 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. 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.
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. After Korean War, on 13 June 1955 SAC moved the unit to Westover AFB, Massachusetts, where it transitioned to the jet age. They numbered 350,000 men and women with over 54,000 killed in combat or taken prisoner. 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). The command conducted the heavy bombardment operations of Eighth AF from 17 Aug 1942 until early in 1944. var newImgWth = (origImgWth * ratio);
It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to the US on 7 Jun 1946. 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]. });
The 91st Bomb Group Memorial Association's (BGMA) purpose is to keep alive the spirit of the 91st BG (H) and to maintain the fellowship of all those who fought together in WWII . afterClose: function () {
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