B-17 Flying Fortress over base in England (AFHRA) (click here to enlarge photo)
Start of the Eighth Air Force
“On January 28, 1942, the Eighth Air Force was activated in the former National Guard Armory in downtown Savannah, Georgia. Its mission held two critical components. The first, destroy the German Luftwaffe to gain air superiority over Europe. The second, help bomb and destroy Germany’s war production: factories, transportation systems, refineries, air fields and fortifications throughout Nazi-controlled Europe. Achieving both would make a cross-Channel land invasion of Continental Europe possible.” (Start of the Eighth Air Force)
- Start of the Eighth Air Force. https://www.mightyeighth.org/the-start-of-the-eighth-air-force/
- Wikipedia article on the Eighth Air Force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Air_Force#:~:text=Established%20on%2022%20February%201944,primarily%20in%20the%20Northern%20Europe .
- Eighth Air Force History. Official U.S. Air Force Website. https://www.8af.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/333794/eighth-air-force-history/.
- National WWII Museum, New Orleans. “The Eighth Air Force vs. The Luftwaffe”. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/eighth-air-force-vs-luftwaffe.
- American Air Museum in Britain. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/52. The museum’s website is being upgraded, which will not be completed until September, 2022.
- National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force. https://www.mightyeighth.org/ .
- Bomb Group and Fighter Group Websites. https://airforceescape.org/eighth-air-force/eighth-air-force-bomb-groups-and-fighter-groups/
- RAF Deenethorpe USAAF Station. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Deenethorpe
Organizational Chart of the 8th Air Force from Army Air Forces, Target Germany, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1943
8th Air Force WWII Casualties, Oakland, CA Aviation Museum
“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. By mid-1944, the 8th AF had reached a total strength of more than 200,000 people. 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. For those reasons, the 8th AF became known as the ‘Mighty Eighth’.
“The Mighty Eighth compiled an impressive record during the war. This achievement, however, carried a high price. The 8th AF suffered one-half of the U.S. Army Air Forces’ casualties in World War II (47,000-plus casualties with more than 26,000 deaths).
“Awards earned by personnel of 8th Air Force:
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17 Medals of Honor
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220 Distinguished Service Crosses
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850 Silver Stars
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7,000 Purple Hearts
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46,000 Air Medals
“Many more uncounted awards were presented to 8th AF veterans after the war. There were 261 fighter aces and 305 gunner aces in the Eighth in World War II; 31 of those fighter aces exceeded 15 or more aircraft kills.
“In July 1945, after the war in Europe, 8th AF headquarters moved to Okinawa, where it trained new bomber groups for combat against Japan. The Japanese surrendered before the 8th AF saw action in the Pacific Theater. In June 1946, the headquarters moved to McDill Field, Florida, to become part of the newly established Strategic Air Command. Four years later; November 1950, the 8th AF headquarters transferred to Fort Worth Army Field (later Carswell Air Force Base) in Texas.” (Oakland Aviation Museum)
Other United States Air Forces in World War II
- 9th Air Force
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- 9th A.F. Army Air Corp Library and Musseum: http://www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org/wwii_9th_Air_Force.cfm
- 9th Air Force in World War II: http://www.usaaf.com/9thaf/index.htm
- 406th WWII Fighter Group: http://www.406thfightergroup.org/quintessential.php
- Archives of the 9th Air Force Association: http://www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives/collections/finding-aids/9th/
- History of the 9th Air Force: http://9thairforce.org/history.htm
- World War II Archives – 9th Air Force: http://www.wwiiarchives.net/servlet/action/organization/9
- 12th Air Force
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- 12th Air Force History: http://www.12af.acc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4372
- 12th Air Force WWII, 97th Bomb Group, 414th Squadron Camp Photos: http://www.reddog1944.com/Camp_Photos_Tunisia.htm
- Army Air Corps Library and Museum, 12th Air Force: http://www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org/wwii_12th_Air_Force.cfm
- Story of the 12th Air Force: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLDeVLgc8BI. Documentary film footage accompanied by ballet music but not text,
- Third Photographic Group, Reconnaissance : http://www.scribd.com/doc/33538356/WWII-12th-Air-Force-Photo-Recon
- Twelfth Air Force Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Air_Force
- War Wings Art, 12th Air Force, 489th Bombardment Squadron: http://www.warwingsart.com/12thAirForce/airforcetable.html
- 15th Air Force
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- The Fifteenth Air Force: http://www.15thaf.org/
- 15th Air Force, United States Army, 1943-1945: http://www.2ndbombgroup.org/15thAirForce.htm
- 15th Air Force Headquarters, Bari, Italy, in WWII: http://www.frankambrose.com/pages/15th.html
A book published in 2014 on the 15th Air Force, may be of interest. It is Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler’s War Machine by Barrett Tillman, Washington, D.C.: Regnery History Publishing, 2014. A review in the 8th AF News said: “The U.S. Fifteenth Air Force fought in southeastern Europe, in many ways the backwater of the European Theatre. While the Eighth Air Force hit Germany, the Fifteenth took the battle to the factories and oil refineries out of range of England-based bombers. These targets were vital to the Axis war effort, and the Germans knew it, covering them with a thick layer of defenses including both fighters and antiaircraft guns. The pilots and aircrews of the Fifteenth fought through these defenses to hit the Nazi war machine where it could least afford it.” To see what the author has to say, click here.