8th air force wwii roster

By mid-1944, Eighth Air Force had reached a total strength of more than 200,000 people (it is estimated that more than 350,000 Americans served in Eighth Air Force during the war in Europe). During the Cold War (19451991), 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. Dates shown are when the Group was operational. 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. 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. Please note that dues have increased to $25.00 per year . On 7 April 1945, the Luftwaffe flew its most desperate and deadliest mission, with the dedicated aerial ramming unit Sonderkommando Elbe. Login; Frequently Asked . *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. Under ACC, Eighth Air Force provides command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C2ISR); long-range attack; and information operations forces to Air Force components and warfighting commands. On the night of 1920 February, the RAF bombed Leipzig with 823 aircraft. The reorganization transformed the Eighth into the only information operations and bomber NAF in the Air Force. } This ongoing project documents a basic service history of participating individuals. Contact Us. U.S. Military Personnel that Served in WWII. SAC was founded by the men who fought in World War II, who knew the importance of fighter escorts. 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. World War II proved what the proponents of air power had been championing for the previous two decadesthe great value of strategic forces in bombing an enemy's industrial complex and of tactical forces in controlling the skies above a battlefield. Commanding Officers Connections 8th Air Force 448th Bomb Group, England WWII - TaraCopp. Over 950 fighters had been sent west from the Eastern Front for "Operation Bodenplatte". 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. The command conducted the heavy bombardment operations of Eighth AF from 17 Aug 1942 until early in 1944. These missions, however, carried a high price. 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. 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. 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. One of the main benefits of membership in the Society is our Magazine, the 8th AF News. Beech, Keyes Correspondent, US Marines 401 . (photo: American Cemetery,Cambridge, England). World War II U.S. Military Records Search. 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. Stations: Langley Field, Va, 1 Feb 1942; Savannah AB, Ga, c. 10 Feb 1942; Daws Hill, England, 23 Feb 1942; High Wycombe, England, 15 May 1942-16 Jul 1945; Okinawa, 16 Jul 19457 Jun 1946; MacDill Field, Fla, 7 Jun 1946; Ft Worth AAFld, Tex, I Nov 1946; Westover AFB, Mass, Jun 1g55-. At Andersen AFB, the Eighth took over the direction of all bombing and refueling operations in Southeast Asia. The Eighth received its first B-29 Superfortress on 8 August 1945. 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. worldwartwoveterans@gmail.com. They numbered 350,000 men and women with over 54,000 killed in combat or taken prisoner. (Heavy Bombers) and as an historical record of events that took place in Europe during World War II. By comparison, the U.S. Navy suffered 37,000 deaths out of the 4.1 million in WW II. During World War II, the offensive air forces of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) came to be classified as strategic or tactical. Activated in the US on I Feb 1942. . Altogether, the Eighth's bombers flew 325 sorties to drop over 7 million pounds of ordnance on enemy targets in that campaign. if (isMobile()) In order to quickly assemble these formations, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers. $(".fancybox-caption__body").removeClass("half"); Moved to Egypt and began operations on 12 Nov 1942, participating in the Allied drive across Egypt and Libya, the campaign in Tunisia, and the invasions of Sicily and Italy. $(".fancybox-caption__body").addClass("mobile"); 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. The intensive bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong during 11days in December 1972, known as LINEBACKER II, was but one highlight of those war years. var caption = ''; 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. '