The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Personnel and equipment from the inactivated 40th and 444th Bomb Groups were reassigned to the 43d Bomb Group. Generally, when bombers approached the target and entered what was called the flak field, enemy fighters peeled away to land, refuel, and rearm. Losses of 30 or more aircraft300 menwere not uncommon throughout the summer. Fifteen months after Operation Desert Storm, the Air Force reorganized. Notably, the 1 June 1992 change inactivated SAC and the Tactical Air Command (TAC), and reassigned the Mighty Eighth to the new Air Combat Command (ACC). Also after the deployment of forces to Far East Air Force to engage in combat over Korea, the history of Eighth Air Force becomes indistinguishable from that of SAC. $(".fancybox-caption__body").addClass("af3-caption-body");
452nd Bomb Group | American Air Museum }
VIII Bomber Command, re-designated as Eighth Air Force, and Ninth Air Force were assigned to (USSTAF). (browser|link)|vodafone|wap|windows (ce|phone)|xda|xiino/i.test(navigator.userAgent)
Major General Mark E. Weatherington assumed command of 8th Air Force on 12 June 2020. That base assignment lasted until 1 November 1946, when SAC transferred the Eighth to Fort Worth (later renamed Carswell AFB).
Nearly seven months after the United States declared war, the symbolic July 4th raid served as a milestone for the AAF in Europe. if (isMobile()) {
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As the bomber formation circled the target, the tight combat boxes of B-17s became easy targets for enemy fighters. Three passes were made and, the clouds had not broken, all while precious fuel was being burned and B-17s were being shot down by fighters and anti-aircraft artillery. Europe). Less than a week after "Big Week", Eighth Air Force made its first attack on the Reich's capital, Berlin. 8th Air Force bombers, dispatched from their bases in England, fly the first American bombing raid against the Germans, targeting the Wilhelmshaven port. With each step through 2002, the Eighth continues to add more feats to its growing legacy. There were 985
The 8th AF became the greatest air armada in history. October 8s target was the shipyard in dreaded Bremen, known as Flak City by the aircrews. Yet, despite the opposition, the bombers continued toward the Bosch factory. 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. return '
Eighth Air Force - Wikipedia 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. return caption;
Because if I hadnt been, I would have turned in my wings I was so fed up.. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html($(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html().replace("CLOSE", "SHOW"));
The reorganization transformed the Eighth into the only information operations and bomber NAF in the Air Force. When Alexander took command on February 20, 1943, one of his first tasks was to assess II Corps combat readiness after its setbacks during its early engagements around Kasserine Pass. Based on British experience, they advocated adding multi-gun power operated turrets to bombers, and expanding air service training programs. The VIII Bomber Command launched its first raid in North-western Europe on 4 July 1942, when six RAF Douglas A-20 Havocs flown by crews of the 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light) (accompanied by another six Bostons from the more experienced No. 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. Like the 44th, the fledgling 93rd was equipped with the four-engine B-24 Liberator heavy bomber.
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At Andersen AFB, the Eighth took over the direction of all bombing and refueling operations in Southeast Asia.
On 22 February 1944, a massive reorganization of American airpower took place in Europe. This air power includes the heart of America's heavy bomber force, deploying the Rockwell B-1 Lancer, Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. 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.
Bombing of Wilhelmshaven in World War II - Wikipedia A first-generation American of Lebanese descent, James Jabara was intent on being a fighter pilot. Fighters from both Eighth and Ninth Air Forces made wide sweeps over the area, mounting strafing missions at airfields and rail networks.
July 4, 1942: The Mighty Eighth's First Bombing Raid - HistoryNet At the same time, a smaller force hit an Fw 190 repair depot at Zwickau. Fifteenth Air Force relocated to March Air Force Base, California. On 16 April, this record was broken when over 700 German aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Within one month it was headquartered in England. During World War II, Eighth Air Force earned a reputation as a great warfighting organization.
World War II Bombing Mission Radar Map | Time and Navigation 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. 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). let $this = $('[data-fancybox]').fancybox($.extend(true, {}, $.fancybox.defaults, {
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. October 27-29 at New Orleans Lakefront Airport. A 500-pound bomb, standard for precision missions after 1943, had a lethal radius of only 60 to 90 feet. $(".fancybox-caption__body").prepend(prependClosing());
For two years, the wing remained in this status until the 58th Bomb Wing was inactivated on 16 October 1948. The chart features a mission with Ruhland, Germany, as a target. This dedicated offensive force supported strategic objectives, and an eventual invasion of Europe. As summer turned to autumn in 1943, the Americans felt that, despite the casualties, the air war would ramp up in intensity. The Air Force retired nearly all of its piston-engined B-29/B-50s and they were replaced by new Boeing B-47 Stratojet aircraft. 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.
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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. A fatalistic sense of acceptance became prevalent. var newImgWth = (origImgWth * ratio);
Cold and clear weather was predicted for the last week of February 1944. winHgt / origImgHgt);
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. 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. let detailSize = "full";
Continuing with the 12 B-17s that flew Mission #1 of the 8th AF, Aug 17, 1942, target Rouen marshalling yard.
Beginnings of the 8th Air Force in World War II (National Archives) Meanwhile, the losses to the bomb groups continued unabated. The plane carried 10 crewmen, and sported 13 50-caliber guns for self-defense. 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. });
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8th Air Force Historical Society | 8th Air Force Historical Society After D-Day, attacks on the German oil industry assumed top priority which was widely dispersed around the Reich. The right propeller of Kegelman's Boston was shot away by flak while over the target at De Kooy Airfield[7][self-published source?] // device detection
Eighth Air Force, with headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base in the Bossier City Shreveport, Louisiana metro area, supports U.S. Strategic Command, and is designated as U.S. Strategic Command's Task Force 204, providing on-alert, combat-ready forces to the president. Even so, the "pathfinder" bombers of the RAF Alconbury-based 482d Bomb Group proved very capable of finding the targets and guiding the bombers to them. if (isMobile())
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The 91st Bomb Group Memorial Association's (BGMA) purpose is to keep alive the spirit of the 91st BG (H) and to maintain the fellowship of all those who fought together in . 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). 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.
308th Bombardment Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces) - Wikipedia $(".fancybox-caption__body").addClass("mobile");
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force in February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. Advanced electro mechanical Norden M series bombsights could accurately deliver bomb loads at extreme altitude.
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. return '
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Then in April 1970, SAC moved the Eighth to Andersen AFB, Guam, to take over the direction of all bombing and refueling operations in Southeast Asia. By wars end, the AAF had built the 8th Air Force in England into a major contributor to final victory. var winHgt = $(window).innerHeight()
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.
The Eighth received its first B-29 Superfortress on 8 August 1945. Men became jumpy and jittery, the Focke-Wulf Jitters, or flak happy, became commonly used terms in the Eighth Air Force. January 28, 1942: The Mighty 8th Air Force Allied forces activate the VIII Bomber Command, the first operational element of the 8th Air Force, to coordinate and lead the air attack on. Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. During the week prior to Black Thursday, the Eighth Air Force lost nearly 90 bombers on three missions. },
The other American-flown Boston had been shot down over De Kooy[6]. }
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).
Because of the thick clouds and rain over the area the Luftwaffe did not attack the American bomber fleet, as the Germans believed that because of the weather the American bombers would be incapable of attacking their targets. 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). These Veterans, born in the 1920s and before, were members of the greatest air armada of all time. '">
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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. if (detailSize === "half") {
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B-17s flown by the Eighth saw some of the fiercest combat of the war. afterShow: function (instance, current) {
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May 7, 1945. With the loss of two American crews, this first mission from England by the AAF foreshadowed the challenges faced during the war. Over 950 fighters had been sent west from the Eastern Front for "Operation Bodenplatte". The result was that the Luftwaffe was notable by its absence over the skies of Europe after D-Day and the Allies were starting to achieve air superiority over the continent. }
94th Bomb Group | American Air Museum These bomb wings were drastically undermanned and under equipped. Theory was one thing. closeDetails();
With bombing accuracy measured in hundreds of feet, it took a great many bombs to get the job done. The Calendar is set up so that you can
By 1945, all but one of the Eighth Air Force fighter groups were equipped with the P-51D. var dstLeft = Math.floor((winWth - newImgWth)) / 2;
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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. 504-528-1944, Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, Two Moments of Remorse for Nazi Crimes: Willy Brandt, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the Memory of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Operation FLAX, April 1943: Severing the German, General William H. Simpsons Ninth US Army and the Crossing of the Rhine, Black Volunteer Infantry Platoons in World War II, Kasserine Pass: German Offensive, American Victory. $(".fancybox-caption").removeClass("desktop-init");
Their children and descendants, who are representatives of these Veterans, saw the need to keep the history and experiences of these warriors alive. fbObj.find(".actions .download").attr("href") +
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. (Heavy Bombers) and as an historical record of events that took place in Europe during World War II. Eighth Air Force trains, tests, exercises and demonstrates combat-ready forces for rapid employment worldwide. 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. Eighth Air Force spent its first decade in the continental U.S. building up its strategic capabilities. And simultaneously, the Pacific Theater competed for aircraft. The 131st Bomb Wing is operationally-gained by AFGSC and 8 AF from the Air National Guard, while the 307th Bomb Wing is operationally-gained from Air Force Reserve Command and 10th Air Force.[4][5]. [1] References [ edit] Object Number - FRE 5107 - Unofficial emblem, 305th Bomb Group. 1st Lt William R. Lawley, Jr. and 1st Lt Edward S. Michael, pilots in the 364th Bomb The pre-war U.S. Army Air Corps assumed a smaller force of long-range bombers could cover wide areas, and redeploy swiftly for more distant strikes. The Me 262 was also less maneuverable than the P-51 and so trained Allied pilots could turn tighter than an Me 262A.