The other more feared threat was the German Luftwaffe.
2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 can see the gradual buildup of Eighth Air Force in England. }
As they approached the initial point, or IP, the fighters pressed even closer. Constituted as VIII Bomber Command on 19 Jan 1942. let isDesktopInit = false;
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.). The other American-flown Boston had been shot down over De Kooy[6]. 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. Advanced electro mechanical Norden M series bombsights could accurately deliver bomb loads at extreme altitude. On 6 March 1944, over 700 heavy bombers along with 800 escort fighters of the Eighth Air Force hit numerous targets within Berlin, dropping the first American bombs on the capital of the Third Reich. General Robert Travis, aerial commander of the mission, made the decision to circle the target and wait for the clouds to move. It dug a crater just two feet deep and nine feet wide. At the close of 1946, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, all B-29 Superfortresses. 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. Several events in the late 1940s reversed the drawdown of United States strategic forces. $(".fancybox-content").css("width", newImgWth + "px");
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force in February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
With the organization of the AAF finalized in June 1941, Spaatz became Chief of the Air Staff. They numbered 350,000 men and women with over 54,000 killed in combat or taken prisoner. afterShow: function (instance, current) {
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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. // Animation complete. 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 bombs missed the target almost completely.
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. });
At Andersen AFB, the Eighth took over the direction of all bombing and refueling operations in Southeast Asia.
By December, the head-on attack was the preferred method of assailing American heavy bombers by Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Targets that directly affected the German war machine became priorities. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").addClass("photo-detail-gradient");
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The engine was to be the Packard V-1650-3, based on the Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk68. 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. mid-1944, the 8th Air Force had reached a total strength of
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In addition, almost 300 German aircraft of all types were destroyed in strafing attacks.
The reorganization transformed the Eighth into the only information operations and bomber NAF in the Air Force. During the week prior to Black Thursday, the Eighth Air Force lost nearly 90 bombers on three missions. return 'July 4, 1942: The Mighty Eighth's First Bombing Raid - HistoryNet 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. 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).
305th Operations Group - Wikipedia
That leadership allowed the men to be exposed to enemy fire for what seemed like an eternity, for little or no results in terms of bombing accuracy, made the crews irate. Altogether, the Eighth's bombers flew 325 sorties to drop over 7 million pounds of ordnance on enemy targets in that campaign. An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. $(".fancybox-caption").removeClass("desktop-init");
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Eighth Air Force was established as VIII Bomber Command on 19 January 1942 and activated at Langley Field, Virginia on 1 February. 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. After the Southeast Asian war, Eighth Air Force moved on 1 January 1975 to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. Superior aerodynamic and structural design gave the B-17 and B-24 respective extreme ranges of 800 and 1200 miles. The morale among the Eighth Air Force crews was at a low point in September, yet the worst was yet to come. 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. To reduce the risk to its bomber fleet in the United States, Eighth Air Force aircraft stood nuclear alert, providing a deterrent against an attack on the United States by the Soviet Union.
This operation involved German pilots of the unit ramming their worn-out Bf 109Gs, each barely armed with only one MG 131 machine gun and 50 rounds of ammunition, into American bombers in order to get the Allies to suspend bombing raids long enough for the Germans to make a significant amount of Me 262A jet fighters. After the war in Europe, the Mighty Eighth moved to Okinawa in July 1945, where the unit started to train new bomber groups for combat against Japan. 1st Lt William R. Lawley, Jr. and 1st Lt Edward S. Michael, pilots in the 364th Bomb
more than 200,000 people (it is estimated that more than
For the Mighty Eighth, that change heralded an interesting future, one that bring further restructuring, different aircraft systems, and a new challenging mission to the NAF. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces at Nagoya, Japan, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1948. Practice was another. The pilots flying the ME-109s and FW-190s were professionalsthe best in the world. October 8's target was the shipyard in dreaded Bremen, known as "Flak City" by the aircrews. The reorganization transformed the Eighth into the only information operations and bomber NAF in the Air Force. As a result, Eighth Air Force was incorporated into the new SAC. if (isMobile())
B-17s flown by the Eighth saw some of the fiercest combat of the war. showFBShare();
Of 64 planes participating in the raid, 53 . caption += '
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Planes and General Information: The first Bombing Mission flown by the Eighth. Because if I hadnt been, I would have turned in my wings I was so fed up.. Over 950 fighters had been sent west from the Eastern Front for "Operation Bodenplatte". 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. The 308th Bombardment Wing (308th BW) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The next day, over 900 bombers and 700 fighters of Eighth Air Force hit more aircraft factories in the Braunschweig area. $(".fancybox-caption__body").prepend(prependClosing());
While the 8th Air Force supported Allied ground forces, it pushed to prioritize strategic targets as well. There would be over 1,000 aircraft by January 1943. 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. . Twelve B-17s of the 8th Air Forces 97th Heavy Bombardment Group raided the Sotteville-ls-Rouen railroad yards, while six more made a diversionary strike. The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, and the German Army continued to be exposed to air attack. 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 against Iraq, which featured the B-1B in its combat debut, and 1999 Operation ALLIED FORCE against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which involved the B-2A Spirit in its first combat. Stuttgart, Germany, and the Bosch factory located there were the targets for the Eighth on September 6.
The buildup of the 8th Air Force in England was a gradual process and reached a peak on December 24, 1944 when 2034 Bombers and 853 Fighters pounded Germany from the Air. 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. '
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The command serves as Air Forces Strategic Global Strike, one of the air components of United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). For two years, the wing remained in this status until the 58th Bomb Wing was inactivated on 16 October 1948. This dedicated offensive force supported strategic objectives, and an eventual invasion of Europe. #WWII . Like the 44th, the fledgling 93rd was equipped with the four-engine B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. }
One notable Eighth Air Force casualty was Brigadier General Arthur W. Vanaman, Chief of Intelligence, who was captured by the Germans in northern France on 27 June 1944, becoming the highest-ranked American POW captured in Europe during the war.[11]. The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to Muroc Lake . They were brave. Support to the latter command included the operation of Task Force 204 (bombers). $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").removeClass("photo-detail-gradient");
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[citation needed]. VIII Bomber Command, re-designated as Eighth Air Force, and Ninth Air Force were assigned to (USSTAF). 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. function recalculateImageSize() {
Photo Details
The Wilhelmshaven World War II bombings by the Allies of World War II destroyed targets at Wilhelmshaven in Germany. The VIII Bomber Command launched its first raid in North-western Europe on 4 July 1942, when six RAF Douglas A-20 Havocs flown by crews of the 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light) (accompanied by another six Bostons from the more experienced No. },
With bombing accuracy measured in hundreds of feet, it took a great many bombs to get the job done. 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. Most crews never made it past their fifth. Eighth Air Force carries out its warfighting missions under U.S. Strategic Command and the air component commands of the other regional Unified combatant commands. function closeDetails() {
Insomnia, irritability, sudden temper flashes, nausea, weight loss, blurred vision, introverted withdrawal, inability to concentrate, and Parkinsons-like tremors were a few of the symptoms seen by flight surgeons. October 27-29 at New Orleans Lakefront Airport. Navigators on H2X-equipped B-17s and B-24s of the U.S. Army Air Forces used radar charts like this one. The effect of the Mustangs, fully operating as an air supremacy fighter force, on the Luftwaffe defenders was arguably swift and decisive. Bombers from the US Eighth Air Force carrying out a raid across Germany in 1943 in footage shot by director William Wyler in 1943 and restored after being recovered from the National Archives.
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. 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.
Daylight Precision Bombing | Air & Space Forces Magazine //initial desktop view
As part of this plan, Eighth Air Force headquarters was reassigned to Sakugawa (Kadena Airfield), Okinawa, on 16 July 1945, being assigned to the United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific without personnel or equipment. The 93rd Bomb Group was activated on March 1, 1942, under the command of Colonel Edward J. Timberlake at Barksdale Army Air Field in Louisiana. Based on British experience, they advocated adding multi-gun power operated turrets to bombers, and expanding air service training programs. October 8s target was the shipyard in dreaded Bremen, known as Flak City by the aircrews. SAC was founded by the men who fought in World War II, who knew the importance of fighter escorts.
Eighth Air Force - Wikipedia The right propeller of Kegelman's Boston was shot away by flak while over the target at De Kooy Airfield[7][self-published source?] On 22 February 1944, a massive reorganization of American airpower took place in Europe. January 28, 1942: The Mighty 8th Air Force Allied forces activate the VIII Bomber Command, the first operational element of the 8th Air Force, to coordinate and lead the air attack on.
308th Bombardment Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces) - Wikipedia Incredible restored footage of WWII bombers carrying out raids On 6 June 1944 itself, the Group bombed coastal defences before the landings. Then in April 1970, SAC moved the Eighth without personnel or equipment to Andersen AFB Guam, absorbing resources of the 3d Air Division. 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. That record, however, carried a high price. Commanding Officers Connections 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. if ($(".af3-caption-body").length > 0 && $(".af3-caption-body").css("height") != undefined) {
John Keema of the 390th Bomb Group said, No matter the target they were defending, they were balls to the wall. 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. Most of the missions occurred in 1944 with a record number of 79 Missions in August. }
In order to accomplish it, thousands of American airmen had to face the constant threat of death daily. Fifteenth Air Force relocated to March Air Force Base, California. The Me 262 was also less maneuverable than the P-51 and so trained Allied pilots could turn tighter than an Me 262A. }
Early Operations: Eighth Air Force in England Fighting the Allies during the North African campaign of 1942-1943, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommels Afrika Korps (DAK) was resupplied by a concerted air and sea lift effort. Airmen were asked to complete a 25-mission quota at a time when the life expectancy of a crew didn't surpass six missions.
'Bloody Hundredth' B-17 Pilot Shares WWII Experiences Arlington, VA 22201 return isMobile;
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). Eighth Airforce headquarters was established in England on April 15, 1942 and Spaatz took over in June. "translate(" + dstLeft + "px, " + dstTop + "px)");
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The 300 men shot down were obvious casualties, but when the battered bombers returned to their home bases, they carried another 301 wounded in their fuselages. 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 United States Eighth Air Force deployed to England with a daunting mission: destroy Germanys ability to wage war, and gain command of the European skies to pave the way for an Allied land invasion. The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). The wing served in combat with Fifth Air Force from February 1944 to August 1945, operating as a task force with various groups and squadrons that were . In a special "mission experience" theater, an audiovisual re-creation puts the viewer in the flight crew's seats . For the VIII Bomber Command of 1945-1946, see, Numbered air force of the United States Air Force, Start of offensive operations against Nazi-occupied territory, Target For Today 1943 VIII Bomber Command film, Lineage, assignments, components, and stations, The Eighth Air Force's now commonly-accepted nickname, "The Mighty Eighth", derives from the title of British farmer and life-long Eighth Air Force historian, two American-crewed and one RAF-crewed Bostons against each target, Lineage & Honors, 389th Strategic Missile Wing, through 1965, USAF Historical Research Center, Learn how and when to remove this template message, World War II European-African-Middle Eastern Theater, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, equipping the Mustang with a Rolls-Royce Merlin, United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, 58th Bombardment Wing (later Air Division), blockade of West Berlin by the Eastern bloc, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), 1st Bombardment (later, 1st Air) Division, 820th Air (later, 820 Strategic Aerospace) Division, 67th Information Operations (later, 67th Network Warfare) Wing, 509th Bombardment (later, 509th Bomb) Wing, Post-Attack Command and Control System Facility, Hadley, "Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (ACC)", "WWII 8thAAF COMBAT CHRONOLOGY - JANUARY 1944 THROUGH JUNE 1944", "Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces - May 1944", "USAF Historical Research Agency Document 00219137", "Command of Eighth Air Force changes hands", "E-4Bs realign under 8th Air Force, 595th CACG stands up", "History of the 445th Bomb Group, Revised Edition", "Factsheet 100 Air Refueling Wing (USAFE)", "Factsheet 322 Air Expeditionary Group (USAFE)", "Lineage and Honors History of the 385 Air Expeditionary Group (AMC)", "Factsheet 386 Air Expeditionary Wing (ACC)", "Factsheet 479th Flying Training Group (AETC)", "Factsheet 492 Special Operations Wing (AFSOC)", "8th Air Force to become new cyber command", USAF Fact Sheets: Eighth Air Force History, Eight Air Force tactical mission report of Operation Shuttle, Establishment of the Eighth Air Force in the United Kingdom, The Ruhr one of the main target of the 8th USAAF in Europe, 19431945, Map of 8th Air Force airfields in England 19421945, A 1956 LIFE photo of every plane in the Eighth Air Force's arsenal, 4th Fighter Group Association, 65 Fighter Wing, 8th Air Force World War II, National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Strategic Air Command in the United Kingdom, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eighth_Air_Force&oldid=1137214118, 1942 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state), Air Forces of the United States Army Air Forces, Military units and formations in Louisiana, Military units and formations of the United States in the Cold War, Numbered air forces of the United States Air Force, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking in-text citations from November 2010, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with self-published sources from September 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2014, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Government, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 3 June 2008 present (as Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic)), Fort Worth Army Air Field (Later Carswell Air Force Base), Texas, VIII Air Force Composite Command: 22 Feb 1944 1 Feb 1945, VIII Air Force Service Command: 22 Feb 1944 16 Jul 1945, 608th Air Operations Center (formerly 608th Air Operations Group and 608th Air and Space Operations Center), 1 Jan 1994 present, Air Force Information Operations: 1 May 2007 present, Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 13 Jun 1955, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 1 Jan 1975 present, This page was last edited on 3 February 2023, at 12:09. The Me 262A was a difficult foe for the P-47s and P-51s, possessing a distinct speed advantage. Notably, the Eighth's units played a key role in the 42-day Gulf War in 1991. Arming wire tag from one of the bombs dropped by the Eighth Air Force in its first heavy bomber raid against Nazi-occupied Europe, against the Rouen-Sotteville railway yards in France on August 17, 1942. afterLoad: function (instance, current) {
Americans bomb Germans for first time - History A fatalistic sense of acceptance became prevalent. "[citation needed]. The command staff and all personnel of the 58th Bomb wing were eliminated on 1 November 1946 and the organization was reduced to a paper unit. That base assignment lasted until 1 November 1946, when SAC transferred the Eighth to Fort Worth (later renamed Carswell AFB).
[citation needed]. Thirty-one of these aces had 15 or more aircraft kills apiece. }
Cold and clear weather was predicted for the last week of February 1944. These missions, however, carried a high price. 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). There were fewer and fewer guys returning every day. One of the many who didnt return from Stuttgart added, We felt as if they didnt know what the hell they were doing up there, especially over Stuttgart. Phone: 703-584-1501. These Veterans, born in the 1920s and before, were members of the greatest air armada of all time. 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. This refinery center was struck several times by the Eighth Air Force in the winter of 1944-45, and was the primary target when overcast . Losses of 30 or more aircraft300 menwere not uncommon throughout the summer. 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. 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.
"Butcher Shop" 97th Bomb Group B-17 E 41-2578 Pilots, Paul Tibbets and Frank Armstrong. 226 Squadron RAF) commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields[b] in the Netherlands. These operations by light airplanes were small compared with those of World War II, but they did demonstrate the efficacy of the strategic air offensive. The pre-war U.S. Army Air Corps assumed a smaller force of long-range bombers could cover wide areas, and redeploy swiftly for more distant strikes. function getDownloadURL(fbObj) {
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. By wars end, the AAF had built the 8th Air Force in England into a major contributor to final victory. By the end of the mission, the Eighth Air Force had lost 30 bombers and 300 men. function showFBShare() {
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