The following day, on 9 March, H2X radar-equipped B-17s mounted a third attack on the Reich capital through clouds. //initial desktop view function isMobile() { The original Eighth Air Force was redesignated as the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF). Eighth Air Force trains, tests, exercises and demonstrates combat-ready forces for rapid employment worldwide. $(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html($(".fancy-photo-detail-link").html().replace("CLOSE", "SHOW")); On 7 May, another 1,000 bombers hit additional targets along the English Channel coast, hitting fortifications, bridges and marshaling areas. In Europe, Eighth Air Force was the first USAAF strategic air force, with a mission to support an invasion of continental Europe from the British Isles. The modern day Eighth Air Force traces its lineage to the VIII BC, which came to life on 1 February 1942 at Langley Field, Virginia. 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. The B-1 force consists of 62 bombers assigned to the active duty 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas and the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. Eighth Air Force remained in Okinawa until 7 June 1946. fbObj.find(".actions .details").attr("href") + 2023 Dues are due in January. } 2d Bombardment Wing: 1942-1943. 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. (browser|link)|vodafone|wap|windows (ce|phone)|xda|xiino/i.test(navigator.userAgent) function prependClosing() { (Approved 20 May 1943. Eighth Air Force spent its first decade in the continental U.S. building up its strategic capabilities. It was the largest of the deployed combat Army Air Forces in numbers of personnel, aircraft, and equipment. 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. The assets of the former training units were simply assigned to Eighth Air Force. 8th and 15th AF flight, ground crew and crash photos: B-24, B-17, P-51, B-26, P-47, P-38. 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. }, The 388 Bomb Group association was formed to insure the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women of the 388th are remembered. A Tradition Since 1942. 8th AF 448th BG World War II. This website is dedicated to preserving the history of the 445th Bombardment Group (Heavy) that was part of the 8th Air Force during World War II. [citation needed]. } Another 305 enlisted gunners were also recognized as aces. $(".fancybox-button").css("display", "none"); $(".fancybox-content").removeAttr("style"); } The raids on the German aircraft industry comprising much of "Big Week" caused so much damage that the Germans were forced to disperse aircraft manufacturing eastward, to safer parts of the Reich. There were 261 fighter aces in the Eighth Air Force during World War II. Activated in the Philippines on 20 Sep 1941. That same day, the VIII BC became Eighth Air Force. REGISTRATIONRegister for the 2023 Reunion, REUNION SCHEDULEClick here to view the schedule, TOUR INFORMATIONClick here to view more information on the tours. During World War II, under the leadership of such generals as Ira Eaker and Jimmy Doolittle, the VIII BC (then Eighth Air Force) formed the greatest air armada in history. Join the Society to help preserve the legacy of the veterans of the Mighty 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. $(".base-caption-info").addClass("full-height"); 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. Contact Us. Eighth Air Force has five Regular Air Force bomb wings, two Air Reserve Total Force Integration bomb wings (one in Air Force Reserve Command and one in the Air National Guard), and one detachment in the continental United States. captionToggle(); Thank you for visiting our site. else { Over 60 Luftwaffe fighters were shot down with a loss of 19 US bombers and 5 US fighters. return '' + Annual Dues fund our work including the magazine* and reunions. 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. 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). 385 th Bomb Group, 8 th Air Force. '