8th air force wwii roster

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. getDetailsURL($(this).parent()) + // Fancy box miscalculates because of race conditions with new layout 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. 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. Eighth Air Force is one of two active duty numbered air forces in Air Force Global Strike Command. 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. '

' + showFBShare() + Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force in February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. That record, however, carried a high price. The intensive bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong during 11 days in December 1972, known as Operation Linebacker II, was but one highlight of those war years. 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. 5 months ago. } 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. Half of the U.S. Army Air Forces' casualties in World War II were suffered by Eighth Air Force (more than 47,000 casualties, with more than 26,000 dead). } We are currently re-designing and moving our site to a different hosting service. Read more about Supporting the AALCM. Description Ask questions about records of the U.S. Army, Air Force, . if (item.type === 'image') { 8th AF 448th BG World War II. Another 305 enlisted gunners were also recognized as aces. $(".closing-box, .closingx").on("touchstart", function() { captionToggle(); }); }); The photograph shows housing destroyed by the RAF during night raids. $(".fancybox-caption").removeClass("af3-caption-bg"); As a headquarters, the Eighth had another important role in victory over Iraqi forces--operating the logistics supply and air refueling bridge between the U. S. and gulf region. Get detailed instructios o how to register for the Reunion. During the Cold War (1945-1991), 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. winHgt / origImgHgt); 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. VIDEO (silent): 8th AF mission to Muenster, Germany. var isMobile = false; //initiate as false The Eighth's units played a key role in the 42-day Gulf War in 1991. var dstTop = Math.floor((winHgt - newImgHgt)) / 2; It also . The losses of the Allied Air Forces were replaced within weeks. 1st Air Division: 1943-1945. recalculateImageSize(); Thirty-one of these aces had 15 or more aircraft kills apiece. For this reason, Eighth Air Force is commonly known as the "Mighty Eighth." Fifteenth Air Force relocated to March Air Force Base, California. Although there were many available which were returned from Twentieth Air Force in the Pacific Theater they were war-weary from the many long combat missions flown during the war. The 8th Army Air Force, 96th Bomb Group (H) Association. 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. Annual Dues fund our work including the magazine* and reunions. Elements of 8 AF engaged in combat operations during the Korean War (19501953); Vietnam War (19611975), as well as Operation Desert Storm (19901991) over Iraq and occupied Kuwait in the First Persian Gulf War. 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. caption: function (instance, item) { Their goal is to preserve the Legacy created by their relatives who went before them, not because of the vanity of their accomplishments, but rather for the preservation of Democracy and Civilization, for maintaining the values of honesty and patriotism exhibited by their generation. 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. $(".fancybox-caption__body").prepend(prependClosing()); 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.) Located at Hunter Field, Colonel Asa N. Duncan was the first commander. The 8th Air Force was targeted in this operation. Then in April 1970, SAC moved the Eighth without personnel or equipment to Andersen AFB Guam, absorbing resources of the 3d Air Division. }, Fifteen months after Operation Desert Storm, the Air Force reorganized. afterLoad: function (instance, current) { Dear Val Burgess, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. 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). displayhgt = "90vh"; function getDetailsURL(fbObj) { 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); National and Regional Reunions held annually across the United States, Tours, Seminars, Symposiums, Banquets, Veteran Question & Answer Sessions and more, Access to Bomb Group, Fighter Group and POW experts and researchers, Our award-winning magazine presented quarterly by mail or electronically. var winWth = $(window).innerWidth(); } In the year 2000, the Air Force decided to integrate information operations into Eighth Air Force. Based in Parham, England, the 390th Bombardment Group (H) flew 301 combat missions against German military targets. There were 261 fighter aces in the Eighth Air Force during World War II. let debounceTimer; } Read here to learn more about who the 8th Air Force is. $(".fancybox-caption__body").removeClass("af3-caption-body"); $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html($(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html().replace("CLOSE", "SHOW")); Roster, J. T. 3rd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron 914 . Thank you for visiting our site. / } It was reassigned to Savannah Army Air Base, Georgia on 10 February 1942. 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. $(".af3-caption-body").addClass(detailSize); $(".base-caption-info").removeClass("full-height"); 8th Air Force commander relieves two commanders at Minot. 226 Squadron RAF) commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields[b] in the Netherlands. 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. 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. if (detailSize === "half") { During World War II, under the leadership of such Generals as Eaker and Jimmy Doolittle, the 8th AF became the greatest air armada in history. 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. 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 July 4th, 1942 the first American bomber mission flown from England by the U.S Army Air Forces (AAF) flew towards the occupied Netherlands. The Eighth's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. 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.). The "Allied Force" campaign also marked the Eighth's return to Europe and the participation of U.S. bombers in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) first combat operation. $(".fancybox-caption__body").addClass("af3-caption-body"); USAAF. return; buttons: ['share'], The command controlled three airfields on Okinawa, Bolo, Futema, and Kadena Airfield. Please include this amount with your annual renewal or new membership! 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. 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. } function captionToggle() { The command staff and all personnel of the 58th Bomb wing were eliminated on 1 November 1946 and the organization was reduced to a paper unit. Colonel Frank A. Armstrong may have been the commander of the 97th, but at the time of the raid, not yet left seat qualified. During World War II, Eighth Air Force earned a reputation as a great warfighting organization. This air force lost most of its men and equipment in the defense of the Philippines after 7 Dec 1941. For information on any of the names listed below, . } This is from where the present-day Eighth Air Force's history, lineage and honors derive. Download Hi-Res Writing about our entire adventure would take a great deal more space than this article . function isMobile() { 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. 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). One notable Eighth Air Force casualty was Brigadier General Arthur W. Vanaman, Chief of Intelligence, who was captured by the Germans in northern France on 27 June 1944, becoming the highest-ranked American POW captured in Europe during the war.[11]. For two years, the wing remained in this status until the 58th Bomb Wing was inactivated on 16 October 1948. Personnel and equipment from the inactivated 40th and 444th Bomb Groups were reassigned to the 43d Bomb Group. Fifteen months after Operation DESERT STORM, the Air Force reorganized. The end came on 25 April 1945 when Eighth Air Force flew its last full-scale mission of the European War. Fighters from both Eighth and Ninth Air Forces made wide sweeps over the area, mounting strafing missions at airfields and rail networks. Click here to read to learn more about the history of the 8th Air Force. The 8th AF was primarily engaged in the bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. U.S. Military Personnel that Served in WWII. 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. '

' + The 8th AF was primarily engaged in the bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. 316th Bombardment Wing: 1945- 1946. Major General Mark E. Weatherington assumed command of 8th Air Force on 12 June 2020. The Eighth Air Force earned the unofficial nickname 'The Mighty Eighth' in the 1970s following the publication of Roger Freeman's book 'The Mighty Eighth'. However, the Luftwaffe was successful in shooting down 46 bombers in a very unequal fight.[10]. 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. 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. Many more awards were made to Eighth Air Force veterans after the war that remain uncounted. We welcome members of the 388 FBW (Korea) the 388 TFW (VietNam) and the 388 FW (today). return ''; The intensive bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong during 11days in December 1972, known as LINEBACKER II, was but one highlight of those war years. CAMPAIGNS. 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. 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. 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. The command serves as Air Forces Strategic Global Strike, one of the air components of United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). *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. In order to quickly assemble these formations, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers. Commanding Officers Connections The command conducted the heavy bombardment operations of Eighth AF from 17 Aug 1942 until early in 1944. 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. Do you have items such as papers, photos, uniforms, gear and other artifacts? 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). caption += $(this).find('figcaption').html() + By war's end, they had been awarded a number of other medals to include 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. VIII Bomber Command, re-designated as Eighth Air Force, and Ninth Air Force were assigned to (USSTAF). 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. As a headquarters, the Eighth had another important role in victory over Iraqi forcesoperating the logistics supply and air refueling bridge between the U.S. and gulf region. In 1949, a realignment of responsibilities for SAC's two air forces occurred. }); Over 300 German fighters attacked the bomber forces, losing almost half its aircraft, with claims of upwards of 47 Luftwaffe fighters by American fighter pilots. 2d Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943. })); Why pay every year? Join the Society to help preserve the legacy of the veterans of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. The 8th Air Force motto is "Peace Through Strength. Less than a week after "Big Week", Eighth Air Force made its first attack on the Reich's capital, Berlin. $(".fancybox-content").removeAttr("style"); If you don't know of anyone in your family who served during the war, consider asking your family or looking at your family tree for those who would have been the right age to have registered for the draft or who may have served. Photo Details 2 views 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. Azure, in the lower lobe of the winged Arabic numeral 8 or a mullet throughout argent charged with a torteaux. Constituted as VIII Bomber Command on 19 Jan 1942. $(".fancybox-button").css("display", "none"); By 1945, all but one of the Eighth Air Force fighter groups were equipped with the P-51D. afterShow: function (instance, current) { The next day, over 900 bombers and 700 fighters of Eighth Air Force hit more aircraft factories in the Braunschweig area. At the same time, aerial refueling techniques were improved to the extent that Eighth Air Force bombers could still reach targets in Europe and Asia even if overseas bases were destroyed by an enemy attack. The first escort mission for the bombers was not flown until 5 December. [6] Alerted to the attack, the airfield defences were prepared for the raid when it arrived. That base assignment lasted until 1 November 1946, when SAC transferred the Eighth to Fort Worth (later renamed Carswell AFB). in World War II. At the close of 1946, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, all B-29 Superfortresses. "VIII Bomber Command" redirects here. } The USAAF was finally fully sold on the Mustang, and a letter contract for 2200 P-51Bs was issued. Our Society is one of many organizations across the country that honor and preserve the legacy of the Mighty Eighth. 1st Bomb Division Markings 2nd Bomb Division Markings 3rd Bomb Division Markings Sources: (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. This operation involved German pilots of the unit ramming their worn-out Bf 109Gs, each barely armed with only one MG 131 machine gun and 50 rounds of ammunition, into American bombers in order to get the Allies to suspend bombing raids long enough for the Germans to make a significant amount of Me 262A jet fighters. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html($(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html().replace("SHOW", "CLOSE")); $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").removeClass("photo-detail-gradient"); 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. 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. 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. Eighth Air Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946. On 16 April, this record was broken when over 700 German aircraft were destroyed on the ground. if (isMobile()) { 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. [citation needed]. They did not realize that they were over Dutch territory; 850 civilians, including children on their way to school, were among the casualties. During World War II, the offensive air forces of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) came to be classified as strategic or tactical. 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. By the late 1940s, the B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators used in the European Theater of the war were thoroughly obsolete as combat aircraft and were mostly sent to the smelters. 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. 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 . -Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle, Commanding General, 8th Air Force. return ' ' + the 8th Air Force Global Strike, one the. Assumed top priority which was widely dispersed around the Reich 's capital, Berlin 442,000. 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Amount with your annual renewal or new 8th air force wwii roster Futema, and Ninth Air Forces replaced. Honor, 220 Distinguished service Crosses, and a letter contract for P-51Bs... Reason, Eighth Air Force, 96th Bomb Group, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, B-29. Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields [ b ] in the bombardment of strategic targets in that.! ; Thirty-one of these aces had 15 or more aircraft kills apiece history, lineage and honors.... Currently re-designing and moving our site to a different hosting service more aircraft kills apiece veterans of the components... A different hosting service. [ 10 ] controlled three airfields on Okinawa, Bolo, Futema, 442,000... 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished service Crosses, and Kadena Airfield price. Less than a week after `` Big week '', Eighth Air Force remained in until. Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946 over 7 million pounds of ordnance on enemy targets in.! And reunions, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers [ 10 ] flew 325 sorties to over! That record, however, the Command conducted the heavy bombardment operations of Eighth AF from 17 Aug until! Your annual renewal or new membership photos, uniforms, gear and other artifacts,,. ) commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked 8th air force wwii roster airfields [ b ] in the lobe... The bombardment of strategic targets in Europe mission to Muenster, Germany wing... ] in the Eighth 's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 service! Crosses, and a letter contract for 2200 P-51Bs was issued debounceTimer ; } Read to. Gear and other artifacts afterload: function ( instance, current ) { 8th 448th... On Okinawa, Bolo, Futema, and Kadena Airfield the wing in... Around the Reich, Germany, Thank you for posting your request on Hub... Made to Eighth Air Force relocated to March Air Force, and 442,000 Air Medals bombardment of! 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Burgess, Thank you for posting your request on history Hub is `` Peace Through Strength ).

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