Annual Dues fund our work including the magazine* and reunions. , 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. His administration chose to invest in the Air Force, especially Strategic Air Command. This was the first DSC earned by a member of the Eighth Air Force in World War II. $(".base-caption-info").addClass("full-height");
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The B-1 force consists of 62 bombers assigned to the active duty 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas and the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. 384th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force 139. By war's end, they had been awarded a number of other medals to include 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. Over 950 fighters had been sent west from the Eastern Front for "Operation Bodenplatte". Login; Frequently Asked . (photo: American Cemetery,Cambridge, England). The 8th lost 31 bombers, the 15th lost 33. Major General James C. Dawkins Jr. assumed command of 8th Air Force on 20 August 2018, after having served as the Deputy Director for Nuclear, Homeland Defense, and Current Operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.[13] On 12 June 2020, he was succeeded by Major General Mark E. Weatherington, who had previously served as deputy commander of Air Education and Training Command at Joint Base San Antonio in Randolph, Texas.[14]. By 1945, all but one of the Eighth Air Force fighter groups were equipped with the P-51D. 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.
Seventeen Medals of Honor went to Eighth Air Force personnel during the war. After D-Day, attacks on the German oil industry assumed top priority which was widely dispersed around the Reich. let detailSize = "full";
The original Eighth Air Force was redesignated as the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF). 8 th AirForce.com. World War II U.S. Military Records Search. 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. 2 views The command conducted the heavy bombardment operations of Eighth AF from 17 Aug 1942 until early in 1944. Allied bomber escort fighters would fly high above the bombers diving from this height gave them extra speed, thus reducing the speed difference. As a result, Eighth Air Force was incorporated into the new SAC. CAMPAIGNS. caption: function (instance, item) {
Activated in the US on I Feb 1942. Activated in the Philippines on 20 Sep 1941. In order to quickly assemble these formations, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers. In memory of those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom. Place. At the close of 1946, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, all B-29 Superfortresses. Click here to view more information on the tours, American Ex-Prisoners of War Service Foundation. ", The Eighth Air Force team consists of more than 16,000 Regular Air Force (e.g., active duty), Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve professionals operating and maintaining a variety of aircraft capable of deploying air power to any area of the world. Our research database contains information on Bomber, Fighter and Service Groups, their Bases both in England and the United States, Daily Missions and Targets throughout Europe. 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 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. That buildup limited the Eighth's Korean War involvement to the deployment of its 27th Fighter Escort Wing. Email. That base assignment lasted until 1 November 1946, when SAC transferred the Eighth to Fort Worth (later renamed Carswell AFB). Flying Royal Air Force (RAF) "Boston" light bombers, six American crews of the 15th Bombardment Squadron, and six RAF crews of 226th Squadron attacked German Luftwaffe (air force) airfields. Writing about our entire adventure would take a great deal more space than this article . U.S. Military Personnel that Served in WWII. Start here! With Doolittle's permission, American fighter pilots on bomber defense missions would primarily be flying far ahead of the bombers' combat box formations in air supremacy mode, literally "clearing the skies" of any Luftwaffe fighter opposition heading towards the target. Support to the latter command included the operation of Task Force 204 (bombers).
[12], On Okinawa, Eighth Air Force derived its headquarters personnel from the inactivated XX Bomber Command, and Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle assumed command, being reassigned from England on 19 July. Its flexible, conventional and nuclear deterrence mission provides the capability to deploy forces and engage enemy threats from home station or forward positioned, anywhere, any time. There is an entry for each credited mission which that individual flew. The following day, on 9 March, H2X radar-equipped B-17s mounted a third attack on the Reich capital through clouds. $(".fancybox-content").css("transform",
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U.S. Military Personnel that Served in WWII. For instance, the Eighth suffered about half of the U.S. Army Air Force's casualties (47,483 out of 115,332), including more than 26,000 dead. Contact Us. Documenting History Since a complete roster of World War II Eighth Air Force veterans has never existed, the Research Center is compiling its own list known as the Veterans' Database. 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. return '
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Roster, J. T. 3rd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron 914 . 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. ), Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986. isDesktopInit = false;
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Redesignated Eighth AF on 22 Feb 1944. VIDEO (silent): 8th AF mission to Muenster, Germany. 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.
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After the Southeast Asian war, Eighth Air Force moved on 1 January 1975 to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
From May 1942 to July 1945, the Eighth planned and precisely executed America's daylight strategic bombing campaign against Nazi-occupied Europe, and in doing so the organization compiled an impressive war record. 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. function getDetailsURL(fbObj) {
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. $(".fancybox-caption__body").removeClass("half");
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. 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. $(".af3-caption-body").stop(true, false).animate({ height: "0vh" }, 800, function () {
In 1949, a realignment of responsibilities for SAC's two air forces occurred. (Heavy Bombers) and as an historical record of events that took place in Europe during World War II. 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.). Unit records are useful in piecing together stories about a unit or group, as well as about individuals who served in them. return;
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Get detailed instructios o how to register for the Reunion. With the loss of two American crews, this first mission . The command controlled three airfields on Okinawa, Bolo, Futema, and Kadena Airfield. Visit our 8th Air Force Honor Project with rosters of servicemen who served in the groups of the 8th. About 23 February, the VIII BC moved to England, first to Daws Hill and later to High Wycombe, where it established its wartime headquarters in the Wycombe Abbey school for girls. Less than a week after "Big Week", Eighth Air Force made its first attack on the Reich's capital, Berlin. The intensive bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong during 11days in December 1972, known as LINEBACKER II, was but one highlight of those war years. Fifteenth Air Force relocated to March Air Force Base, California. The 305th was activated in the United States in March 1942 and moved to England in August-October. 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. 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. The right propeller of Kegelman's Boston was shot away by flak while over the target at De Kooy Airfield[7][self-published source?] 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. It was reassigned to Savannah Army Air Base, Georgia on 10 February 1942. 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.
Over 60 Luftwaffe fighters were shot down with a loss of 19 US bombers and 5 US fighters. 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. Another 305 enlisted gunners were also recognized as aces. These Veterans, born in the 1920s and before, were members of the greatest air armada of all time. var winHgt = $(window).innerHeight()
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. detailSize = "full";
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. Last Name Beginning With (B) Updated 6/2/12. Description Ask questions about records of the U.S. Army, Air Force, . SAC was founded by the men who fought in World War II, who knew the importance of fighter escorts. 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. 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. To Fort Worth ( later renamed Carswell AFB ) 2 views the command three... In late 1944 and early 1945 Feb 1942 long-range P-38Ls hit refineries Germany. 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