1st Bomb Division Markings 2nd Bomb Division Markings 3rd Bomb Division Markings Sources: isDesktopInit = false;
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In 1965, Eighth Air Force entered combat again, this time in Southeast Asia. Why pay every year? This was the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions in the 8th Air Force, on 13 May 1943. In June 1946, the headquarters relocated to MacDill Field, Fla., to join the new Strategic Air Command (SAC). recalculateImageSize();
First Name. The mission of "The Mighty Eighth" is to safeguard America's interests through strategic deterrence and global combat power. 301st Fighter Wing: 1945- 1946. Archived from the original on 4 December 2003. The Eighth received its first B-29 Superfortress on 8 August 1945. Over 950 fighters had been sent west from the Eastern Front for "Operation Bodenplatte".
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. 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. Join Our Newsletter. , 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.
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Personnel and equipment from the inactivated 40th and 444th Bomb Groups were reassigned to the 43d Bomb Group. 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. 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. The 27th was relieved of its duties supporting U.N. forces in Korea and returned to Bergstrom AFB on 31 July 1951, but was redeployed to Misawa AB, Japan during 6 October 1952 13 February 1953 to provide air defense. No. Eighth Air Force bomb wings, stationed in the Persian Gulf region, also attacked Iraq's Republican Guard forces and numerous key strategic targets, while other units provided air refueling and tactical reconnaissance throughout the conflict. The 8th lost 31 bombers, the 15th lost 33. Men born between about 1877 and . The photograph shows housing destroyed by the RAF during night raids. The original Eighth Air Force was redesignated as the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF). This ongoing project documents a basic service history of participating individuals.
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.) 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). Photo Details
By 1955 the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress would be entering the inventory in substantial numbers, as prop B-36s were phased out of heavy bombardment units rapidly. Bomber wings of the 8th Air Force include: This article incorporates public domain material from Eighth Air Force. 3d Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943.
VIII Fighter Command 1944-1945. Our Society is one of many organizations across the country that honor and preserve the legacy of the Mighty Eighth. 226 Squadron RAF) commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields[b] in the Netherlands. let isDesktopInit = false;
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On 27 June, the United Nations Security Council voted to assist the South Koreans in resisting the invasion. Importantly, the Eighth's bombing effectiveness influenced the North Vietnamese to end hostilities. Moved to England in Oct 1943 to become the tactical air force for the invasion of the Continent. Hard copies will be available for an additional $25 per year. A Tradition Since 1942. showFBShare() +
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Afterward, engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. 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. There is an entry for each credited mission which that individual flew. On 22 February 1944, due to many mistakes, Nijmegen was bombarded by twelve aircraft of the 446th Bombardment Group and two aircraft of the 453rd. function getDownloadURL(fbObj) {
Fifteen Allied bombers were attacked, eight were successfully destroyed. 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. The 8th AAF suffered 26,000 deaths out of the 350,000 officers and men. -Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle, Commanding General, 8th Air Force. clearTimeout(debounceTimer);
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A lack of fuel and available pilots for the new jets greatly reduced their effectiveness. 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. 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. 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. }
That base assignment lasted until November 1950, when SAC transferred the Eighth to Carswell AFB (formerly Fort Worth Army Air Field), Texas. However, the Luftwaffe was successful in shooting down 46 bombers in a very unequal fight.[10]. afterShow: function (instance, current) {
His directive was simple: "Win the air war and isolate the battlefield. While posturing itself for that mission change, the Eighth also supported Operation Enduring Freedom in which the Air Force operates against targets in Afghanistan, and Operation Noble Eagle for the defense of North American airspace. caption += $(this).find('figcaption').html() +
It was reassigned to Savannah Army Air Base, Georgia on 10 February 1942. Another 305 enlisted gunners were also recognized as aces. let detailSize = "full";
Altogether, the Eighth's bombers flew 325 sorties to drop over 7 million pounds of ordnance on enemy targets in that campaign. 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. Over 60 Luftwaffe fighters were shot down with a loss of 19 US bombers and 5 US fighters.
By the end of 1944, only three out of ninety-one refineries in the Reich were still working normally, twenty-nine were partially functional, and the remainder were completely destroyed. 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. $(".fancybox-content").css("height", newImgHgt + "px");
During the 17 months this unit was deployed to England, they flew 281 combat missions between 13 Dec 43 and 25 Apr 45. On this mission, he sat in the co-pilot's seat of the lead B-17, Butcher Shop[8][self-published source] The pilot in command and leader of this historic mission was Paul Tibbets, who on 6 August 1945, dropped the first Atomic Bomb, Little Boy, on Hiroshima from the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Enola Gay. "translate(" + dstLeft + "px, " + dstTop + "px)");
The 398th was formed in the United States in 1943 and was stationed in Nuthampstead, England from April 1944 until June 1945. 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. 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. Ruddy, Gerard A. HQ Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute . Altogether, the Eighth Air Force dropped over 4,800 tons of high explosive on Berlin during the first week of March. 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'.
Pearl Harbor had just been bombed about a month and a half earlier. 'Tooey' Spaatz (right). 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]. 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. Transferred, without personnel, equipment, and combat elements, to Okinawa on 16 Jul 1945. The effect of the Mustangs, fully operating as an air supremacy fighter force, on the Luftwaffe defenders was arguably swift and decisive.
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They numbered 350,000 men and women with over 54,000 killed in combat or taken prisoner. [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.
Activated in the Philippines on 20 Sep 1941. if (isMobile())
Please include this amount with your annual renewal or new membership! The 8th Air Force Historical Society was created in 1975 to preserve the legacy of the Mighty Eighth and the part it played in World War II. 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. The 8th AF was primarily engaged in the bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. var winHgt = $(window).innerHeight()
Their children and descendants, who are representatives of these Veterans, saw the need to keep the history and experiences of these warriors alive. Eighth Air Force trains, tests, exercises and demonstrates combat-ready forces for rapid employment worldwide. $(".af3-caption-body").stop(true, false).animate({ height: "0vh" }, 800, function () {
Last Name Beginning With (B) Updated 6/2/12. For information on any of the names listed below, . The 388 Bomb Group association was formed to insure the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women of the 388th are remembered. It was the largest of the deployed combat Army Air Forces in numbers of personnel, aircraft, and equipment. In order to quickly assemble these formations, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers. afterLoad: function (instance, current) {
Each 8th Air Force WWII Decal is made with the highest quality 2.5mil High Gloss 5-Year Calendared vinyl. isMobile = true;
At Andersen AFB, the Eighth took over the direction of all bombing and refueling operations in Southeast Asia. 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. 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. Aircraft and ground crew of Boeing B-17F-25-BO Fortress "Hell's Angels" (AAF Ser. VIII Bomber Command, after redesignation as Eighth Air Force, was assigned VIII Fighter and VIII Air Support Commands under its command. return '';
8th Air Force commander relieves two commanders at Minot. As part of this realignment, most SAC bomber forces west of the Mississippi River were reassigned to 15th AF. var isMobile = false; //initiate as false
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. Later in Dec 1941 headquarters and some crews and planes moved to Australia . Read more about Supporting the AALCM. }
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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. Of the. 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]. '
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In January 1945, the Luftwaffe attempted one last major air offensive against the Allied Air Forces. The 8th Air Force motto is "Peace Through Strength. 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. 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. In May 1942 Command of the 8th Air Force was assumed by Major General Carl A. Join or renew for two years and never miss a thing! This 8th Air Force WWII Decal is die cut - which means it is cut to the exact shape of the image, and made in the USA at our facilities in Chino Valley, Arizona. (photo: American Cemetery,Cambridge, England). The 398th was part of the 8th Air Force 1st Air Division during WWII and was one of many B-17 Bomb Groups stationed in England. Their children and descendants, who are representatives of these Veterans, saw the need to keep the history and experiences of these warriors alive. 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. The reorganization transformed the Eighth into the only information operations and bomber NAF in the Air Force. }
Located at Hunter Field, Colonel Asa N. Duncan was the first commander. The Me 262A was a difficult foe for the P-47s and P-51s, possessing a distinct speed advantage. 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. The assets of the former training units were simply assigned to Eighth Air Force.
That same day, the VIII BC became Eighth Air Force. After D-Day, attacks on the German oil industry assumed top priority which was widely dispersed around the Reich.
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By the time of the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, Eighth Air Force consisted of the following units: On 25 June 1950, the armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) invaded South Korea. 1st Air Division: 1943-1945. 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. The losses of the Allied Air Forces were replaced within weeks. As part of this plan, Eighth Air Force headquarters was reassigned to Sakugawa (Kadena Airfield), Okinawa, on 16 July 1945, being assigned to the United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific without personnel or equipment. if ($(".fancybox-caption__body").hasClass("af3-caption-body")) {
The nuclear arms race shifted into high gear. . }, 1000);
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. 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