8th air force wwii roster

For information on any of the names listed below, . 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. Another 305 enlisted gunners were also recognized as aces. $(".base-caption-info").removeClass("full-height"); After D-Day, attacks on the German oil industry assumed top priority which was widely dispersed around the Reich. [12], Eighth Air Force's mission in the Pacific was initially to organize and train new bomber groups for combat against Japan. In a prelude to the invasion of France, American air attacks began in February 1944 against railroad junctions, airfields, ports and bridges in northern France and along the English Channel coastline. $(window).on("resize", function (event) { 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.) [citation needed]. }); $(".af3-caption-body").removeClass(detailSize); else { One of the main benefits of membership in the Society is our Magazine, the 8th AF News. The 8th AAF suffered 26,000 deaths out of the 350,000 officers and men. 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. By 1945, all but one of the Eighth Air Force fighter groups were equipped with the P-51D. winHgt / origImgHgt); worldwartwoveterans@gmail.com. $currentSlide.find(".fancy-detail-link").on("touchstart", function() { captionToggle(); }); Based in Parham, England, the 390th Bombardment Group (H) flew 301 combat missions against German military targets. Rudder, James E. 2nd Ranger Battalion; 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division 53; 243; 384; 476; 557 . // Fancy box miscalculates because of race conditions with new layout if (isMobile()) It was created from a. ROSTER OF AIRMEN. This was the first DSC earned by a member of the Eighth Air Force in World War II. 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. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").addClass("photo-detail-gradient"); . $(".fancybox-caption__body").prepend(prependClosing()); At MacDill, Eighth Air Force headquarters were manned chiefly by personnel from the 58th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, stationed at Fort Worth Army Air Fied, Texas. 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). The Me 262A was a difficult foe for the P-47s and P-51s, possessing a distinct speed advantage. let isDesktopInit = false; -Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle, Commanding General, 8th Air Force. From May 1942 to July 1945, the Eighth planned and precisely executed America's daylight strategic bombing campaign against Nazi-occupied Europe, and in doing so the organization compiled an impressive war record. Constituted as VIII Bomber Command on 19 Jan 1942. showFBShare(); Two days later, on 23 January, the 27th FEW participated in the raid on Sinuju Airfield in North Korea and shot down four more MiG-15s. Commanding Officers Connections Azure, in the lower lobe of the winged Arabic numeral 8 or a mullet throughout argent charged with a torteaux. 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. 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. 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). 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). Read here to learn more about who the 8th Air Force is. Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force in February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. (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. 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. Less than a week after "Big Week", Eighth Air Force made its first attack on the Reich's capital, Berlin. Personnel and equipment from the inactivated 40th and 444th Bomb Groups were reassigned to the 43d Bomb Group. The 8th lost 31 bombers, the 15th lost 33. 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. return '

' The Mighty Eighth's modern history is equally impressive. Its flexible, conventional and nuclear deterrence mission provides the capability to deploy forces and engage enemy threats from home station or forward positioned, anywhere, any time. 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. Eighth Air Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946. 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]. During the 17 months this unit was deployed to England, they flew 281 combat missions between 13 Dec 43 and 25 Apr 45. $(".fancybox-content").removeAttr("style"); } In the 1980s, the Eighth participated in several key operations such as running the tanker task force for Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 and directing all air refueling operations for Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986 and Operation Just Cause in 1989. It became operational on 7 November 1942 (along with the 44th, 91st and 303rd . The 305th Bombardment Group was a B-17 Flying Fortress group of the Eighth Air Force and took part in the daylight strategic bombing campaign over Europe. 8th Air Force, 1st Wing, 1st Division The Ragged Irregulars. } The Air Force retired nearly all of its piston-engined B-29/B-50s and they were replaced by new Boeing B-47 Stratojet aircraft. event.stopImmediatePropagation(); if ($(".fancybox-caption__body").hasClass("af3-caption-body")) { A lack of fuel and available pilots for the new jets greatly reduced their effectiveness. if (isMobile()) caption += $(this).find('figcaption').html() + Nick was a life member of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, the 15th Air Force Association and the 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group Association. At the close of 1946, they shared only a handful of operational bombers, all B-29 Superfortresses. After Korean War, on 13 June 1955 SAC moved the unit to Westover AFB, Massachusetts, where it transitioned to the jet age. The following day, on 9 March, H2X radar-equipped B-17s mounted a third attack on the Reich capital through clouds. function recalculateImageSize() { Several events in the late 1940s reversed the drawdown of United States strategic forces. [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. In 2000, the Air Force decided to integrate information operations into Eighth Air Force. For the Mighty Eighth, that change heralded an interesting future, one that bring further restructuring, different aircraft system purchases, and a new challenging mission to the NAF. 548 Bomb Squadron. 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. Eighth Air Force Historical Society 8th Air Force Bases in England Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB Air Force Personnel Center Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (Current 8th AF headquarters) Department of Veterans Affairs Fold 3 by Ancestry.com MacArthur Memorial Kassel Mission National Archives and Records . 8 th AirForce.com. Bomber wings of the 8th Air Force include: This article incorporates public domain material from Eighth Air Force. 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. Contact Us. 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. In order to quickly assemble these formations, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers. 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. (photo: American Cemetery,Cambridge, England). 8th Air Force 448th Bomb Group, England WWII - TaraCopp. if (/(android|bb\d+|meego).+mobile|avantgo|bada\/|blackberry|blazer|compal|elaine|fennec|hiptop|iemobile|ip(hone|od)|ipad|iris|kindle|Android|Silk|lge |maemo|midp|mmp|netfront|opera m(ob|in)i|palm( os)?|phone|p(ixi|re)\/|plucker|pocket|psp|series(4|6)0|symbian|treo|up\. Do you have items such as papers, photos, uniforms, gear and other artifacts? $(".fancybox-content").css("transform", Get detailed instructios o how to register for the Reunion. United States Air Force. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html($(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html().replace("SHOW", "CLOSE")); 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. Eighth Air Force was relieved from assignment to Strategic Air Command and assigned to the new Air Combat Command (ACC) on 1 June 1992. At all heights, the rate of climb was approximately doubled. getDetailsURL($(this).parent()) + 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. $(this).find('figcaption').html() + '">DOWNLOAD'; REGISTRATIONRegister for the 2023 Reunion, REUNION SCHEDULEClick here to view the schedule, TOUR INFORMATIONClick here to view more information on the tours. $(".fancybox-button").css("display", "block"); 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. 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. Writing about our entire adventure would take a great deal more space than this article . 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. VIDEO (silent): 8th AF mission to Muenster, Germany. var origImgWth = $(".fancybox-image").prop("naturalWidth"); Although SAC fighter squadrons upgraded to Republic F-84F Thunderstreak jet fighters in the early 1950s, the new jet bombers flew so high and so fast there was little danger of them being intercepted by enemy fighters. $(".fancybox-caption__body").addClass("mobile"); 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. var newImgHgt = (origImgHgt * ratio); By 6 June, Allied fighter pilots had succeeded in damaging or destroying hundreds of locomotives, thousands of motorized vehicles, and many bridges. By war's end, they had been awarded a number of other medals to include 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. There were 261 fighter aces in the Eighth Air Force during World War II. 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. From 1946 through 1949, what little money became available was used to buy new planes (Boeing B-50 Superfortress, Convair B-36 Peacemaker) for SAC, and as the newer aircraft became available, the older B-29s were sent to storage depots or sent to Air Force Reserve units for training missions. VIII Fighter Command 1944-1945. 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. These data were taken from the Loading Lists of the 385th BG combat missions missions, preserved in the U. S. National Archives in College Park, MD. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. By mid-1944, the 8th AF had reached a total strength of more than 200,000 people. } 226 Squadron RAF) commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields[b] in the Netherlands. Of the. Beeby, John O. The 305th was activated in the United States in March 1942 and moved to England in August-October. B-17s hit the Skoda armaments factory at Pilsen in Czechoslovakia, while B-24s bombed rail complexes in Bad Reichenhall and Freilassing, surrounding Hitler's mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden. Our research database contains information on Bomber, Fighter and Service Groups, their Bases both in England and the United States, Daily Missions and Targets throughout Europe. Notably, the Eighth's units played a key role in the 42-day Gulf War in 1991. Constituted as Philippine Department AF on 16 Aug 1941. 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. } In late 1943, the P-51B Mustang was introduced to the European Theater by the USAAF. //initial desktop view 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. Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. 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. Their children and descendants, who are representatives of these Veterans, saw the need to keep the history and experiences of these warriors alive. These Veterans, born in the 1920s and before, were members of the greatest air armada of all time. '