It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. Beginning on October 8 and continuing until October 14, Eighth Air Force crews attacked targets all over Germany in an attempt to continue the pressure on the Germans. /
From there you can link to each of the
strategic bombing during World War II - Britannica The nuclear arms race shifted into high gear. if (isMobile())
During World War II, Eighth Air Force earned a reputation as a great warfighting organization. afterLoad: function (instance, current) {
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The chart features a mission with Ruhland, Germany, as a target. Those east of the Mississippi were assigned to SAC's other strategic air force, Eighth Air Force, which moved to Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it commanded all SAC bases in the eastern United States. Download Hi-Res
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. As they approached the initial point, or IP, the fighters pressed even closer. "Butcher Shop" 97th Bomb Group B-17 E 41-2578 Pilots, Paul Tibbets and Frank Armstrong. Eighth Air Force carried out strategic daytime bombing operations in Western Europe from airfields in eastern England as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive. With bombing accuracy measured in hundreds of feet, it took a great many bombs to get the job done. $(".fancybox-caption__body").addClass("mobile");
There was a total of 985 Missions completed by wars end. event.stopImmediatePropagation();
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can see the gradual buildup of Eighth Air Force in England.
This strategic vision matched the technical ability of the American aviation industry. 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.
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 . Like the 44th, the fledgling 93rd was equipped with the four-engine B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. General William H. Simpson, commander of Ninth Army, has received little attention in the historiography of World War II. }
In 1943, the Luftwaffe was at peak strength against American bombers. 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. $(".base-caption-info").addClass("full-height");
Stuttgart, Germany, and the Bosch factory located there were the targets for the Eighth on September 6. While the 8th Air Force supported Allied ground forces, it pushed to prioritize strategic targets as well. }
Eighth Air Force B-17s bomb the U-boat base at Lorient, France. 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. October 8's target was the shipyard in dreaded Bremen, known as "Flak City" by the aircrews. Under ACC, Eighth Air Force provides command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C2ISR); long-range attack; and information operations forces to Air Force components and warfighting commands. 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. Early Operations: Eighth Air Force in England
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). At the Arcadia Conference, held in Washington, DC, from December 24, 1941 to January 14, 1942, the Western Allies agreed to a Germany First policy to govern global strategy, but the question where to engage Germany, and when, remained unsettled. 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. Bomb Group - 390th Memorial Museum - Tucson, AZ 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. On 22 March, over 800 bombers, led by H2X radar equipped bombers hit Berlin yet again, bombing targets through a thick rainy overcast causing more destruction to various industries. Its B-17s also penetrated to Regensburg to attack the Messerschmitt factory there. $currentSlide.find(".fancy-detail-link").on("touchstart", function() { captionToggle(); });
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On 27 June, the United Nations Security Council voted to assist the South Koreans in resisting the invasion. Their children and descendants, who are representatives of these Veterans, saw the need to keep the history and experiences of these warriors alive.
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On August 17, 1942, the first American heavy bomber mission was launched from England. 1st Lt William R. Lawley, Jr. and 1st Lt Edward S. Michael, pilots in the 364th Bomb let detailSize = "full";
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.
Further ground fire caused damage to his right wing, and the engine caught fire. 308th Bombardment Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces) - Wikipedia Fifteen months after Operation DESERT STORM, the Air Force reorganized. buttons: ['share'],
On 8 March, another raid of 600 bombers and 200 fighters hit the Berlin area again, destroying the VKF ball-bearing plant at Erkner. Eighth Air Force spent its first decade in the continental U.S. building up its strategic capabilities. By the end of the mission, the Eighth Air Force had lost 30 bombers and 300 men. The mission of "The Mighty Eighth" is to safeguard America's interests through strategic deterrence and global combat power. showFBShare() +
The Wilhelmshaven World War II bombings by the Allies of World War II destroyed targets at Wilhelmshaven in Germany.
945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130info@nationalww2museum.org Luckadoo remembered one such attack on the B-17 called Piccadilly Lilly: Out of the corner of my eye I saw this flight of FW-190s barreling into our squadron. $(".base-caption-info").removeClass("full-height");
General Electric had introduced turbo-superchargers to maintain performance of the B-24 and B-17 during high altitude missions. Established on 22 February 1944 by the redesignation of VIII Bomber Command at RAF Daws Hill in High Wycombe, England, the Eighth Army Air Force (8 AAF) was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force in the European Theater of World War II (1939/411945), engaging in operations primarily in the Northern Europe area of responsibility; carrying out strategic bombing of enemy targets in France, the Low Countries, and Germany;[3] and engaging in air-to-air fighter combat against enemy aircraft until the German capitulation in May 1945. For two years, the wing remained in this status until the 58th Bomb Wing was inactivated on 16 October 1948. Notably, the Eighth's units played a key role in the 42-day Gulf War in 1991. On 21 January 1951, Lt. Col. William Bertram, commander of the 523rd Fighter-Escort Squadron, shot down the first MiG-15 for the wing and became the first F-84 pilot with a confirmed MiG kill. getDownloadURL($(this).parent()) +
The Wilhelmshaven bombings: A mission of valor - 8th Air Force/J-GSOC The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, and the German Army continued to be exposed to air attack. Before war broke out in Europe, American military aviation had embraced the idea of long-range, daylight, pattern bombing by tight, high-altitude formations. ABMC Headquarters 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. $(".af3-caption-body").animate({ height: displayhgt }, 800);
"[citation needed]. May 7, 1945. The Japanese, however, surrendered before the Eighth's first combat sortie in the Pacific. Spaatz and Doolittle's plan was to use the US Strategic Air Forces in a series of co-ordinated raids, code-named Operation 'Argument' (popularly known as 'Big Week' ) and supported by RAF night bombing, on the German aircraft industry at the earliest possible date. 305th Bomb Group Can Do | American Air Museum The 8th lost 31 bombers, the 15th lost 33. His directive was simple: "Win the air war and isolate the battlefield. Within three years it grew to become the greatest military striking force in history. United States Air Force. This was largely so that the Air Force could perpetuate the names of groups that had distinguished themselves in World War II. '' +
In late 1943, the P-51B Mustang was introduced to the European Theater by the USAAF. 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.). (Heavy Bombers) and as an historical record of events that took place in Europe during World War II. The Eighth's units played a key role in the 42-day Gulf War in 1991. The joint American-British Independence Day 1942 air raid was a costly start to the Eighth Air Force's European bombing campaignbut it was a start It was a beautiful sunny day in England on July 11, 1942, as the crew of the Douglas Boston mark III light bomber stood stiffly at attention in their best theater dress uniforms. 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. The 1948 blockade of West Berlin by the Eastern bloc and the outbreak of the Cold War caused the United States to deploy SAC's B-29 bomber force back to the United Kingdom and West Germany. }
(National Archives) Meanwhile, the losses to the bomb groups continued unabated. A popular saying at the time was that to fly in the Eighth Air Force then was like holding a ticket to a funeral your own.Abnormal behavior became more common. 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. Within one month it was headquartered in England. Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. 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.) Casualties among bomber crews began to mount steadily as B-17s were being blown out of the sky with growing consistency. By wars end, the AAF had built the 8th Air Force in England into a major contributor to final victory. By December, the head-on attack was the preferred method of assailing American heavy bombers by Luftwaffe fighter pilots. While the pioneers of American military aviation had not anticipated all the challenges of the campaign, determination, technical acumen, flexible leadership, and thorough planning drove success. }
In what became known as "Black Thursday", the 8th Air Force's 1st and 3rd Air Divisions flew from bases in East Anglia and attacked German ball bearing factories 400 miles away at Schweinfurt, Germany. The 27th was relieved of its duties supporting U.N. forces in Korea and returned to Bergstrom AFB on 31 July 1951, but was redeployed to Misawa AB, Japan during 6 October 1952 13 February 1953 to provide air defense. '">DOWNLOAD';
There were 985
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. let isDesktopInit = false;
As the bomber formation circled the target, the tight combat boxes of B-17s became easy targets for enemy fighters. return 'Air War from 1939-1945 | American Experience | PBS function getDetailsURL(fbObj) {
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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 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 . Much has been made in the historical record of the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany in early March of 1945. }
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In the 12 years he was Manager of Research Services, Seth and his team increased the oral history collection from 25 to nearly 5,000 oral histories. They were brave. Over 60 Luftwaffe fighters were shot down with a loss of 19 US bombers and 5 US fighters.
At all heights, the rate of climb was approximately doubled. The B-17s had been over the target for nearly thirty minutes when the bombs in the lead aircraft finally dropped. var $currentSlide = $(".fancybox-slide.fancybox-slide--current.fancybox-slide--image").parent().parent();
The assets of the former training units were simply assigned to Eighth Air Force. 350,000 Americans served in 8th AF during the war in
year that you select. In November 1942, German fighter ace Egon Mayer found the weakest place on a B-17directly in the front of the aircraft. John Keema of the 390th Bomb Group said, No matter the target they were defending, they were balls to the wall. 452nd Bomb Group | American Air Museum 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. 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. Arlington, VA 22201 Welcome to the 91st Bomb Group! Nightmares so vivid that they caused the men to wake up screaming in the night were not uncommon. Altogether, the Eighth's bombers flew 325 sorties to drop over 7 million pounds of ordnance on enemy targets in that campaign.
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On July 4th, 1942 the first American bomber mission flown from England by the U.S Army Air Forces (AAF) flew towards the occupied Netherlands.
At the close of 1946, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, all B-29 Superfortresses. Tested by the developer himself, Mayer found the tactic worked exceedingly well. Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force in February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. $(".fancybox-content").removeAttr("style");
Marking the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, The National WWII Museum connects two instances of remorse for Nazi criminality by leading German politicians. List of air operations during the Battle of Europe - Wikipedia },
The Me 262A was a difficult foe for the P-47s and P-51s, possessing a distinct speed advantage. The first contingent arrived in May. events of the 8th Air Force, European Theater of Operations
There would be over 1,000 aircraft by January 1943. // Animation complete. U.S. 93rd Bombardment Group Flew Many Missions Throughout World War II The assaults were violent, head-on passes that resulted in high casualties among the lead crews. In addition, German airfields in France and Belgium were attacked. $(".fancybox-caption__body").removeClass("half");
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. With each step through 2002, the Eighth continues to add more feats to its growing legacy. Practice was another. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").removeClass("photo-detail-gradient");
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). The Eighth Air Force suffered half of the U.S Army Air Forces' casualties in World War 2 (47,000-plus casualties with more than 26,000 dead). World War II proved what the proponents of air power had been championing for the previous two decadesthe great value of strategic forces in bombing an enemy's industrial complex and of tactical forces in controlling the skies above a battlefield.
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