' + Eighth Air Force spent its first decade in the continental U.S. building up its strategic capabilities. $(".fancybox-caption").removeClass("desktop-init"); 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. Support to the latter command included the operation of Task Force 204 (bombers). 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. 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. Fifteen months after Operation Desert Storm, the Air Force reorganized. function isMobile() { 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. Afterward, engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. 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. } How I am shooting the records. 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. } The right propeller of Kegelman's Boston was shot away by flak while over the target at De Kooy Airfield[7][self-published source?] The Eighth Air Force was specifically charged with the atomic mission; however, only the 509th Composite Group at Roswell AAF had B-29s that had the capability to drop nuclear weapons the 7th Bomb Group at Fort Worth AAF was modifying their aircraft to carry the atomic bomb. 8th and 15th AF flight, ground crew and crash photos: B-24, B-17, P-51, B-26, P-47, P-38. They did not realize that they were over Dutch territory; 850 civilians, including children on their way to school, were among the casualties. 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. 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. On 16 April, this record was broken when over 700 German aircraft were destroyed on the ground. if (isMobile()) let $this = $('[data-fancybox]').fancybox($.extend(true, {}, $.fancybox.defaults, { afterClose: function () { The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, and the German Army continued to be exposed to air attack. Please visit the websites of our wonderful partners in history. The photograph shows housing destroyed by the RAF during night raids. // Animation complete. isMobile = true; function closeDetails() { A lack of fuel and available pilots for the new jets greatly reduced their effectiveness. $(document).ready(function () { The Eighth's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. 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. 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. On at least eighteen occasions, the Merseburg refineries in Leuna, where the majority of Germany's synthetic fuel for jet aircraft was refined, was hit. Although Eighth Air Force's strategic bomber force was not committed to combat in Korea, the Eighth deployed the 27th Fighter Escort Wing for combat action in Korea and earned numerous honors and awards for their combat record during the Korean War. } worldwartwoveterans@gmail.com. if (detailSize === "half") { Beeby, John O. Hard copies will be available for an additional $25 per year. VIII Bomber Command, re-designated as Eighth Air Force, and Ninth Air Force were assigned to (USSTAF). Dates shown are when the Group was operational. On 24 February, with the weather clearing over central Germany, Eighth Air Force sent over 800 bombers, hitting Schweinfurt and attacks on the Baltic coast, with a total of 11 B-17s being lost. Major General Jimmy Doolittle relinquished command of the Fifteenth Air Force to Major General Nathan F. Twining and on January 6, 1944, took over command of the Eighth Air Force from Lieutenant General Ira C. Eaker at RAF Daws Hill. Please include this amount with your annual renewal or new membership! By mid-1944, the unit had a total strength of more than 200,000 people, and it could send more than 2,000 four-engine bombers and 1,000 fighters on a single mission against enemy targets in Europe. getDetailsURL($(this).parent()) + B-17 Aluminum Overcast. Please note that dues have increased to $25.00 per year . Personnel and equipment from the inactivated 40th and 444th Bomb Groups were reassigned to the 43d Bomb Group. Fifteen Allied bombers were attacked, eight were successfully destroyed. Luftwaffe airfields that were identified as jet and rocket bases, such as Parchim and Bad Zwischenahn, were frequently bombed, and Allied fighters patrolled over the fields to attack jets trying to land. Start here! At the close of 1946, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, all B-29 Superfortresses. Get detailed instructios o how to register for the Reunion. In addition, almost 300 German aircraft of all types were destroyed in strafing attacks. return ' 0 && $(".af3-caption-body").css("height") != undefined) { 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. The result: a greater reliance on nuclear weapons and air power to deter war. Read more about Supporting the AALCM. Eighth Air Force also supports STRATCOM's Joint Force Headquarters Information Operations and serves as the command element for Air Force wide computer network operations. winHgt / origImgHgt); 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. During World War II, the offensive air forces of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) came to be classified as strategic or tactical. As a result, Eighth Air Force was incorporated into the new SAC. return '
' 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. "[citation needed]. Eighth Air Force was established as VIII Bomber Command on 19 January 1942 and activated at Langley Field, Virginia on 1 February. var $currentSlide = $(".fancybox-slide.fancybox-slide--current.fancybox-slide--image").parent().parent(); Units assigned to Eighth Air Force in the Pacific were: The atomic bombings of Japan led to the Japanese surrender before Eighth Air Force saw action in the Pacific theater. *Due to rising costs to print and mail hard copies of the magazine, beginning in March 2023, annual dues will provide members with a digital copy ONLY of the 8th AF News magazine. Commanding Officers Connections in World War II. Redesignated Ninth AF in Apr 1942. The 388 Bomb Group association was formed to insure the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women of the 388th are remembered. 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. The 8th AAF suffered 26,000 deaths out of the 350,000 officers and men. That record, however, carried a high price. In 1965, Eighth Air Force entered combat again, this time in Southeast Asia. The B-2 force consists of 20 bombers assigned to the active duty 509th Bomb Wing along with the Missouri Air National Guard's associate 131st Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri. 3d Air Division: 1943-1945. Air Offensive, Europe ; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace ; Central Europe; Asiatic-Pacific Theater. } captionToggle(); Moved to Egypt and began operations on 12 Nov 1942, participating in the Allied drive across Egypt and Libya, the campaign in Tunisia, and the invasions of Sicily and Italy. '
' + With each step through 2002, the Eighth continues to add more feats to its growing legacy. 226 Squadron RAF) commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields[b] in the Netherlands. }, Download Hi-Res '
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'; First Name. var isMobile = false; //initiate as false 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. 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 original Eighth Air Force was redesignated as the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF). $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").removeClass("photo-detail-gradient"); Importantly, the Eighth's bombing effectiveness influenced the North Vietnamese to end hostilities. Photo Details 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. 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. In 1949, a realignment of responsibilities for SAC's two air forces occurred. 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 . The nuclear arms race shifted into high gear. It was reassigned to Savannah Army Air Base, Georgia on 10 February 1942. Activated in the US on I Feb 1942. Eighth Air Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946. Eighth Air Force did not strike at oil industry targets until 13 May 1944 when 749 bombers, escorted by almost 740 fighters, pounded oil targets in the Leipzig area and at Brx in Czechoslovakia. Created from older bombers. 8th air force wwii roster as an Air supremacy Fighter Force, Ninth! 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