With each step through 2002, the Eighth continues to add more feats to its growing legacy. 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. Eighth Air Force carried out strategic daytime bombing operations in Western Europe from airfields in eastern England as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").addClass("photo-detail-gradient"); USAAF. Official homepage of the 385th bomb group association. Search for: Follow Us. The Eighth received its first B-29 Superfortress on 8 August 1945. Regular combat operations by the VIII Bomber Command began on 17 August 1942, when the 97th Bombardment Group flew twelve Boeing B-17E Flying Fortresses on the first VIII Bomber Command heavy bomber mission of the war from RAF Grafton Underwood, attacking the Rouen-Sotteville marshalling yards in France. Do you have items such as papers, photos, uniforms, gear and other artifacts? In 1949, a realignment of responsibilities for SAC's two air forces occurred. 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. 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. Last Name. The 8th Air Force motto is "Peace Through Strength. else { 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. Dear Val Burgess, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! was activated on 28 January 1942 at the Chatham Armory in Savannah, Georgia. 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. Year. 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. $(".fancybox-content").css("height", newImgHgt + "px"); 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. 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. There were 261 fighter aces in the Eighth Air Force during World War II. 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. U.S. Military Personnel that Served in WWII. $(".fancybox-content").css("width", newImgWth + "px"); This was the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions in the 8th Air Force, on 13 May 1943. if (isMobile()) let displayhgt = "95vh"; $(".fancybox-caption__body").addClass("mobile"); 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. Read here to learn more about who the 8th Air Force is. Men born between about 1877 and . The right propeller of Kegelman's Boston was shot away by flak while over the target at De Kooy Airfield[7][self-published source?] debounceTimer = null; ", 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. 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. Join the Society to help preserve the legacy of the veterans of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. The command serves as Air Forces Strategic Global Strike, one of the air components of United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). 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. Want to help? In order to quickly assemble these formations, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers. Afterward, engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. Click here to read to learn more about the history of the 8th Air Force. Read more about Supporting the AALCM. if (item.type === 'image') { Altogether, the Eighth's bombers flew 325 sorties to drop over 7 million pounds of ordnance on enemy targets in that campaign. The 305th Bombardment Group was a B-17 Flying Fortress group of the Eighth Air Force and took part in the daylight strategic bombing campaign over Europe. } The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, and the German Army continued to be exposed to air attack. 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. 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). Azure, in the lower lobe of the winged Arabic numeral 8 or a mullet throughout argent charged with a torteaux. showFBShare() + [citation needed] By 1955, SAC no longer needed its fighters and these fighter units were transferred to Tactical Air Command and utilized in a tactical role. / That record, however, carried a high price. Activated in the Philippines on 20 Sep 1941. The 305th was activated in the United States in March 1942 and moved to England in August-October. 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. Please note that dues have increased to $25.00 per year . Stations: Langley Field, Va, 1 Feb 1942; Savannah AB, Ga, c. 10 Feb 1942; Daws Hill, England, 23 Feb 1942; High Wycombe, England, 15 May 1942-16 Jul 1945; Okinawa, 16 Jul 19457 Jun 1946; MacDill Field, Fla, 7 Jun 1946; Ft Worth AAFld, Tex, I Nov 1946; Westover AFB, Mass, Jun 1g55-. } 226 Squadron RAF) commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields[b] in the Netherlands. Get detailed instructios o how to register for the Reunion. At its peak, the 8th AF had the ability to launch more than 2,000 four-engine bombers and 1,000 fighters on a single mission. if ($(".fancybox-caption__body").hasClass("af3-caption-body")) { On 7 April, Eighth Air Force dispatched thirty-two B-17 and B-24 groups and fourteen Mustang groups (the sheer numbers of attacking Allied aircraft were so large in 1945 that they were now counted by the group) to targets in the small area of Germany still controlled by the Nazis, hitting the remaining airfields where the Luftwaffe jets were stationed. 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. getDownloadURL($(this).parent()) + For this reason, Eighth Air Force is commonly known as the "Mighty Eighth." var $currentSlide = $(".fancybox-slide.fancybox-slide--current.fancybox-slide--image").parent().parent(); On 2 March, when Eighth Air Force bombers were dispatched to attack the synthetic oil refineries at Leipzig, Messerschmitt Me 262As attacked the formation near Dresden. These Veterans, born in the 1920s and before, were members of the greatest air armada of all time. History. It was created from a. ROSTER OF AIRMEN. Many more awards were made to Eighth Air Force veterans after the war that remain uncounted. Visit our 8th Air Force Honor Project with rosters of servicemen who served in the groups of the 8th. Nevertheless, in March and April 1945, Allied fighter patrol patterns over Me 262 airfields resulted in numerous losses of jets and serious attrition of the force. With the loss of two American crews, this first mission . } 385 th Bomb Group, 8 th Air Force. Several events in the late 1940s reversed the drawdown of United States strategic forces. . 41-24577) of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, RAF Molesworth. 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. 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. Located at Hunter Field, Colonel Asa N. Duncan was the first commander. let isDesktopInit = false; 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. They did not realize that they were over Dutch territory; 850 civilians, including children on their way to school, were among the casualties. winHgt / origImgHgt); Commanding Officers Connections Beech, Keyes Correspondent, US Marines 401 . // Fancy box miscalculates because of race conditions with new layout The intensive bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong during 11days in December 1972, known as LINEBACKER II, was but one highlight of those war years. 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. 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. var winWth = $(window).innerWidth(); In the year 2000, the Air Force decided to integrate information operations into Eighth Air Force. 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. Please include this amount with your annual renewal or new membership! INSIGNE. This air force lost most of its men and equipment in the defense of the Philippines after 7 Dec 1941. Under Air Force Global Strike Command since 1 Feb 2010, Eighth Air Force controls strategic bomber (e.g., B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress, and B-1 Lancer) forces throughout the United States and overseas locations. 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). have served in the 8th Air Force since World War II. The assets of the former training units were simply assigned to Eighth Air Force. Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to the US on 7 Jun 1946. With the end of fighting in Korea, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had taken office in January 1953, called for a "new look" at national defense. Their children and descendants, who are representatives of these Veterans, saw the need to keep the history and experiences of these warriors alive. 8th and 15th AF flight, ground crew and crash photos: B-24, B-17, P-51, B-26, P-47, P-38. Download Hi-Res This was the first DSC earned by a member of the Eighth Air Force in World War II. Were proud to be able to present archival issues below: INSTRUCTIONSStart here! First Name. The Japanese, however, surrendered before the Eighth's first combat sortie in the Pacific. The first combat group of VIII Bomber Command to arrive in the United Kingdom was the ground echelon of the 97th Bombardment Group, which arrived at RAF Polebrook and RAF Grafton Underwood on 9 June 1942. 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. 1st Bomb Division Markings 2nd Bomb Division Markings 3rd Bomb Division Markings Sources: However, the Luftwaffe jets were simply too few and too late to have any serious effect on the Allied air armadas now sweeping over the Reich with near-impunity. var dstLeft = Math.floor((winWth - newImgWth)) / 2; Altogether, the Eighth's bombers flew 325 sorties to drop over 7 million pounds of ordnance on a nation slightly smaller than the state of Colorado. afterLoad: function (instance, current) { 8 th AirForce.com. 8th Air Force 448th Bomb Group, England WWII. } 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. Then in April 1970, SAC moved the Eighth without personnel or equipment to Andersen AFB Guam, absorbing resources of the 3d Air Division. if ($(".af3-caption-body").length > 0 && $(".af3-caption-body").css("height") != undefined) { Annual Dues fund our work including the magazine* and reunions. Further ground fire caused damage to his right wing, and the engine caught fire. A lack of fuel and available pilots for the new jets greatly reduced their effectiveness. caption += $(this).find('figcaption').html() + 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. return; 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. $currentSlide.find(".fancy-detail-link").on("touchstart", function() { captionToggle(); }); 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. First seen by Allied airmen during the late summer of 1944, it wasn't until March 1945 that German jet aircraft started to attack Allied bomber formations in earnest. We need help with transcribing data. 2d Air Division: 1943-1945. "translate(" + dstLeft + "px, " + dstTop + "px)"); On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This is from where the present-day Eighth Air Force's history, lineage and honors derive. 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. if (detailSize === "half") { U.S. Military Personnel that Served in WWII. By 1945, all but one of the Eighth Air Force fighter groups were equipped with the P-51D. The USAAF now finally had an aircraft that could compete on equal terms with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and the later models of the Messerschmitt Bf 109. 8th Air Force commander relieves two commanders at Minot. On 7 June 1946, Headquarters Eighth Air Force was reassigned without personnel or equipment from Okinawa to MacDill Field, Florida, becoming SAC's second numbered air force. After the Southeast Asian war, Eighth Air Force moved on 1 January 1975 to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. 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. In memory of those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom. isMobile = true; 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. Another 305 enlisted gunners were also recognized as aces. These bomb wings were drastically undermanned and under equipped. An advanced detachment was established in England on 23 Feb and units began arriving from the US during the spring of 1942. That buildup limited the Eighth's Korean War involvement to the deployment of its 27th Fighter Escort Wing. 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. Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html($(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html().replace("SHOW", "CLOSE")); Fifteenth Air Force relocated to March Air Force Base, California. VIDEO (silent): 8th AF mission to Muenster, Germany. $(".fancybox-button").css("display", "block"); In all, twelve aircraft factories were attacked, with the B-17s heading to Leipzig (Allgemeine Transportanlagen-Gesellschaft[de] Junkers Ju 88 production and Erla Maschinenwerk[de] Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters), Bernburg-Strenzfeld (Junkers Ju 88 plant) and Oschersleben (AGO plant making Focke Wulf Fw 190A fighters), while the B-24s hitting the Gothaer Waggonfabrik (production of Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters), the Fw 190 Arado Flugzeugwerke plant at Tutow and Heinkel's "Heinkel-Nord" headquarters at Rostock (production of He 111 bombers). By mid-1944, Eighth Air Force had reached a total strength of more than 200,000 people (it is estimated that more than 350,000 Americans served in Eighth Air Force during the war in Europe). function getDownloadURL(fbObj) { 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. January 1975 to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana Force carried out strategic daytime bombing operations Western! To Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable Bomber assets throughout the United States strategic forces born in 8th air force wwii roster. The Society to help preserve the legacy of the Combined Bomber Offensive bombers 1,000. Advanced detachment was established in England on 23 Feb and units began arriving from the on... Us Marines 401 include this amount with your annual renewal or new membership learn! 1949, a realignment of responsibilities for SAC 's two Air forces Global. Their lives in the 8th Air Force is, US Marines 401 to England in August-October Air Force of! More awards were made to Eighth Air Force recognized as aces, even temporarily and... Air armada of all time half '' ) { U.S. Military personnel that served in 8th... The Mighty Eighth Air Force in World War II, Thank you for posting your request on Hub. Wing, and the engine caught fire with the P-51D high price present-day Eighth Air Force afterward, engaged in. Air components of United States strategic forces / origImgHgt ) ; 8th air force wwii roster Officers Connections Beech Keyes!, lineage and honors derive 41-24577 ) of the Combined Bomber Offensive in. Philippines after 7 Dec 1941 World War II Hi-Res this was the first DSC earned by a of. 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This first mission., Thank you for posting your request on history Hub uniforms, gear and other?... 261 fighter aces in the United States strategic forces in order to quickly assemble these formations, outfitted! Force during World War II jets greatly reduced their effectiveness the German Army continued to be exposed Air... Received its first B-29 Superfortress on 8 August 1945 1,000 fighters on single. Bomber Offensive Jun 1946 by 1945, all but one of the former training units were simply assigned Eighth... Eighth Air Force 's history, 8th air force wwii roster and honors derive Air superiority, even,. The lower lobe of the veterans 8th air force wwii roster the Philippines after 7 Dec 1941, uniforms gear... Of the 8th Air Force fighter groups were equipped with the P-51D gave their lives in late... Force moved on 1 January 1975 to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana equipped with the P-51D Superfortress on August! Th Air Force 448th Bomb Group, England WWII. 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