Unit records are useful in piecing together stories about a unit or group, as well as about individuals who served in them. debounceTimer = setTimeout(function () {
The 8th AAF suffered 26,000 deaths out of the 350,000 officers and men. The losses of the Allied Air Forces were replaced within weeks. Following the end of the war in Europe in May 1945 plans were made to transfer some of the B-17/B-24 heavy bomber groups of Eighth Air Force to the Pacific Theater of Operations and upgrade them to Boeing B-29 Superfortress Very Heavy (VH) bomb groups. INSIGNE. Eighth Air Force trains, tests, exercises and demonstrates combat-ready forces for rapid employment worldwide. 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 displayhgt = "95vh";
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. }
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. 466th Bombardment Group - 8th Air Force 468th Bomber Group - 20th Air Force 488th Bombardment Group 493rd bombardment group - 8th Air Force 497th Bomber Group - 20th Air Force. During the Cold War (19451991), 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. 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. . function prependClosing() {
In May 1942 Command of the 8th Air Force was assumed by Major General Carl A. function closeDetails() {
For this reason, Eighth Air Force is commonly known as the "Mighty Eighth." '
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Azure, in the lower lobe of the winged Arabic numeral 8 or a mullet throughout argent charged with a torteaux.
226 Squadron RAF) commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields[b] in the Netherlands. [12], Eighth Air Force's mission in the Pacific was initially to organize and train new bomber groups for combat against Japan.
During World War II, Eighth Air Force earned a reputation as a great warfighting organization. On 8 March, another raid of 600 bombers and 200 fighters hit the Berlin area again, destroying the VKF ball-bearing plant at Erkner. 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. 8th Air Force 448th Bomb Group, England WWII - TaraCopp. The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, and the German Army continued to be exposed to air attack. 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. It was the largest of the deployed combat Army Air Forces in numbers of personnel, aircraft, and equipment. VIDEO (silent): 8th AF mission to Muenster, Germany. 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. 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. 301st Fighter Wing: 1945- 1946. 41-24577) of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, RAF Molesworth. In memory of those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom. (photo: American Cemetery,Cambridge, England). 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. if (isMobile())
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. }
Many bodies were exhumed and returned to the U.S. at the request of families and many families opted to allow their loved ones to remain in U.S. Military and other cemetaries in the United Kingdom and the Continent. Eighth Air Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946.
Each 8th Air Force WWII Decal is made with the highest quality 2.5mil High Gloss 5-Year Calendared vinyl. 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. 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. $(".fancybox-button").css("display", "block");
The Eighth's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. See What the 8th Air Force is up to Today! }
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. Components: 1st Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943. (Approved 20 May 1943. 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.
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Visit our 8th Air Force Honor Project with rosters of servicemen who served in the groups of the 8th. The Me 262 was also less maneuverable than the P-51 and so trained Allied pilots could turn tighter than an Me 262A. 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. In addition, German airfields in France and Belgium were attacked. }, 1000);
The assets of the former training units were simply assigned to Eighth Air Force. function recalculateImageSize() {
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.
2d Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943. 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. $(".fancybox-caption").addClass("af3-caption-bg");
(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.
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. return '