Eighth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force (NAF) of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and is one of four active-duty numbered air forces in Air Combat Command. It serves as Air Forces Strategic - Global Strike, one of the air components of United States Strategic Command. On October 6, 2008, it was announced that it will be transferred to a new, yet-to-be named USAF strategic command.
Overview
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 Roger A. Freeman's seminal History of the U.S. 8th Army Air Force (Doubleday and Company, 1970). The Roger A. Freeman Eighth Air Force Research Center - Library and Archive was dedicated at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia in 2007. (The military maintains its own museum, the Eighth Air Force Museum at Barksdale.)
The current Commander is Lieutenant General Robert J. Elder, Jr., with Major General Floyd Carpenter as Vice-Commander, and Chief Master Sergeant Todd A. Kabalan as Command Chief Master Sergeant.
Mission
Eighth Air Force serves as the only information operations and bomber warfighting headquarters, employing decisive global air power for U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. Strategic Command and combatant commanders. The 8 AF commander is the Air Force Network Operations (AFNETOPS) and Air Force Cyber Command (AFCYCOM) commander. The 8 AF commander is also assigned as the Joint Functional Component Commander for Global Strike Integration (JFCC-GSI) under U.S. Strategic Command.
The command consists of more than 41,000 active-duty, Air National Guard and Reserve professionals operating and maintaining a variety of aircraft capable of deploying air power to any area of the world. This air power includes the heart of America’s heavy bomber force: the B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress aircraft. E-8C Joint STARS, EC-130H Compass Call, E-3C Sentry, several variants of the RC-135, and U-2S Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft round out the command’s lethal airpower arsenal.
Eighth Air Force is the first numbered air force to integrate information operations into a warfighting headquarters. The integration gives Eighth Air Force the ability to gain, exploit, and attack adversary information or information systems while defending friendly or coalition information and information systems from enemy attack.
Units
- HQ Eighth Air Force Barksdale AFB, Louisiana
- 2d Bomb Wing (B-52H)
- 917th Wing (B-52H, A-10)
- Joint Functional Component Command for Global Strike and Integration
- 5th Bomb Wing - Minot AFB, North Dakota (B-52H)
- 9th Reconnaissance Wing - Beale AFB, California (U-2S) (RQ-4)
- 55th Wing - Offutt AFB, Nebraska (E-4B, EC-130, OC-135B, RC-135S/W,TC-135S/W,WC-135C/W)
- 67th Network Warfare Wing - Lackland AFB, Texas
- 116th Air Control Wing - Robins AFB, Georgia (E-8C)
- 480th Intelligence Wing - Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
- 509th Bomb Wing - Whiteman AFB, Missouri (B-2)
- 552d Air Control Wing - Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (E-3B/C)
Note: the 116 ACW blends active-duty and Air National Guard members into a single unit.
History
Lineage
- Established as VIII Bomber Command on 19 Jan 1942
. Activated on 1 Feb 1942
- Redesignated Eighth Air Force on 22 Feb 1944
Assignments
- 8 Air Force (later, Eighth Air Force; United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe), 1 Feb 1942
- United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, 16 Jul 1945
- Pacific Air Command, United States Army, 6 Dec 1945
- Strategic Air Command, 7 Jun 1946
- Air Combat Command, 1 Jun 1992- Present
Stations
- Langley Fld, Virginia, 1 Feb 1942
- Savannah AAB, Georgia, c. 10 Feb 1942
- Daws Hill, England, 23 Feb 1942
- High Wycombe, England, 15 May 1942-16 Jul 1945
- Okinawa, 16 Jul 1945-7 Jun 1946
- MacDill Fld, Florida, 7 Jun 1946
- Fort Worth AAFld (later, Griffiss AFB; Carswell AFB), Texas, 1 Nov 1946
- Westover AFB, Massachusetts, 13 Jun 1955
- Andersen AFB,Guam, 1 Apr 1970
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 1 Jan 1975-.
Components
Commands- VIII Air Force Composite: 22 Feb 1944-1 Feb 1945
- VII Air Force Service: 22 Feb 1944-16 Jul 1945
- VIII Fighter: 22 Feb 1944-16 Jul 1945
Divisions
- 13 Sep 1943-16 Jul 1945
- 1 Jul 1954-1 Apr 1955.
- 2 Bombardment (later, 2d Air Division): 13 Sep 1943- 25 Jun 1945
- 3 Bombardment (later, 3d Air Division): 13 Sep 1943-16 Jul 1945
- 6th Air Division: 1 Jan 1959-2 Jul 1966
- 13th Strategic Missile Division: 1 Jul 1963-1 Jul 1965
- 17th Strategic Aerospace Division: 1 Jul 1963-31 Mar 1970
- 19th Air Division: 16 Feb 1951-1 Jul 1955; 1 Jan 1975-30 Sep 1988
- 21st Air Division: 1 Jul 1955-1 Jan 1959
- 38th Air Division: 1 Jan 1959-1 Nov 1959
- 42d Air Division: 10 Mar 1951-1 Apr 1955; 1 Jan 1975-9 Jul 1991
- 45th Air Division
- 8 Oct 1954-18 Jan 1958
- 20 Nov 1958-31 Mar 1970
- 1 Jan 1975-15 Jun 1989
- 47th Air Division: 10 Feb 1951-1 Apr 1955
- 57th Air Division: 4 Sep 1956-2 Jul 1969
- 801st Air Division: 1 Jul 1955-15 Mar 1965
- 802d Air Division: 1 Jul 1955-1 Jan 1959
- 810th Strategic Aerospace Division: 16 Jun 1952-1 Apr 1955
- 817th Air Division: 1 Feb 1956-31 Mar 1970
- 818th Air Division: 1 Jul 1955-1 Jan 1959
- 820th Air Division (later, 820 Strategic Aerospace): 1 Feb 1956-25 Jun 1965
- 822d Air Division: 1 Jan 1959-2 Sep 1966
- 823d Air Division: 1 Jan 1959-31 Mar 1970
Centers
- Air Force Information Operations: 1 May 2007-.
World War II
During World War II, the Eighth Air Force was a United States Army Air Forces command and control organization, which primarily carried out strategic daytime bombing operations in Western Europe from airfields in eastern England from 1942 through the end of the war in 1945.
Origns
On 2 January 1942 the order activating the Eighth Air Force was signed and on 8 January the War Department in Washington, D.C. the activation of "U.S. Forces in the British Isles" (USAFBI) was announced.
Eighth Air Force was initially commanded during World War II by Major General Carl A. Spaatz. Later commanders were Major General Ira C. Eaker, and Lieutenant General, and Jimmy Doolittle, the hero of the 1942 B-25 air raid on Tokyo and other cities in Japan.
Eighth Air Force was the command and control organization over its operational components, VIII Air Support Command (Established 24 Apr 1942), VIII Bomber Command, (Established 19 January 1942), and VIII Fighter Command (Established 19 January 1942). VIII Air Support Command's mission was reconnaissance, troop transport, and tactical bombardment; VIII Bomber Command's mission was strategic heavy bomber (B-17/B-24) operations, and VIII Fighter Command's mission was fighter escort.
Eighth Air Force deployed overseas and was headquartered at Bushy Park, England effective 25 June 1942. It relocated to High Wycombe, in February 1944 with the reorganization of Eighth Air Force and the establishment of United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe.
VIII Bomber Command was activated at Langley Field, Virginia, It was reassigned to Savannah Army Airbase, Georgia on 10 February 1942. An advanced detachment of VIII Bomber Command was established at RAF Bomber Command Headquarters at High Wycombe England on 23 February and its units began arriving in the United Kingdom from the United States during the spring of 1942.
After organizing in the United States, both VIII Air Support Command and VIII Fighter Command deployed their headquarters to England and were both headquartered at Bushy Park by July 1942.
VIII Bomber Command
It took several months from its deployment to England to get the VIII Bomber Command ready for combat operations. One of the major factors was that adequate crew training was lacking in many areas, as well as an initial lack of B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. However in early 1942, several heavy B-17, as well as two B-24 Liberator bombardment groups were activated and were being prepared for deployment to Britain. Four B-17E/F groups, the 92d, 97th, 301st, 303d and two B-24D groups, the 44th and 93d were going to be the nucleus for VIII Bomber Command in England.Initial combat operations
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 on 9 June 1942. However, in early May 1942 airmen from the former Fifth Air Force 27th Bomb Group (Light) in Australia arrived in England to train with their RAF counterparts. These airmen had significant combat experience fighting the Japanese, having fought in the Dutch East Indies and New Guinea Campaigns. Initially being stationed at RAF Grafton Underwood on 12 May, then to RAF Molesworth on 9 June. Under VIII Bomber Command the airmen were organized as the "15th Bombardment Squadron (Light)" and equipped with the British Boston III light bomber, receiving their aircraft from No. 226 Squadron RAF.
After a few weeks of familiarization training with the new aircraft, on July 4, 1942, six American crews from the 15th Bomb Squadron joined with six RAF crews from RAF Swanton Morley for a low-level attack on Luftwaffe airfields in the Netherlands, becoming the first USAAF unit to bomb targets in Europe. The 4th of July raid had been specifically ordered by General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold and approved by President Roosevelt. Arnold believed that the 4th of July would be an ideal day for the USAAF to open its strategic bombing campaign against the Nazis, but General Carl Spaatz did not have any of his heavy VIII Bomber Command bomb groups ready for operatonal missions. Two of the 15th's planes did not return from the mission, along with one RAF aircraft. The squadron commander, Capt. Charles Kegelman, plane was shot up badly and almost did not return.
Spaatz considered the mission a "stunt" triggered by pressure in the American press who believed the people of both the United States and Great Britain needed a psychologial boost. However, Kegleman was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and its British equivalent for his valor on that Fourth of July mission--the first Eighth Air Force airman to receive the nation's second highest combat decoration.
The 15th flew most of its missions from Molesworth in its British Bostons, and did not receive USAAF Douglas A-20 Havoc aircraft until 5 September. The squadron was transferred to RAF Podington on 15 September where it flew a few missions before being transferred to Twelfth Air Force for support of Allied landings in North Africa on 15 October.
At the end of July, Colonel Frank A. Armstrong, one of Eaker's original HO staff, replaced Lieutenant Colonel Cousland as CO of the 97th Bombardment Group at RAF Grafton Underwood, and he set about re-shaping the group. By mid-August he had 24 crews ready for combat. There were arguments behind the scenes about whether bombing in daylight was possible over heavily defended targets in Europe, and whether the bomb-carrying capacity and armament of the B-17 and B-24 would be enough. But the first B-17 strike of the war was scheduled for August 17, 1942.
Regular combat operations by the VIII Bomber Command began on 17 August, when the 97th Bombardment Group flew the first VIII Bomber Command heavy bomber mission of the war from RAF Polebrook, attacking the Rouen-Sotteville marshalling yards in France. The lead aircraft of the group, Butcher Shop, was piloted by the Group Commander, Colonel Frank A. Armstrong, and squadron commander Major Paul W. Tibbets (who later flew the Enola Gay to Hiroshima Japan on the first atomic bomb mission). In the leading aircraft of the second VIII Bomber Command. Over the Channel, the Fortresses were joined by their RAF escort of Spitfire Vs. Visibility over the target was good and the B-17s dropped their bombs from 23,000 feet. A few bombs hit a mile short of the target and one burst hit about a mile west in some woods, but the majority landed in the assigned area. Several repair and maintenance workshops were badly damaged, which put the German State Railway at Rouen temporarily out of action.
From this humble beginning, the VIII Bomber Command in the United Kingdom increased the number of combat groups and its scope of targets and missions. Eighth Air Force aircraft attacked naval targets in France against German U-Boats and combined with RAF Bomber Command with missions into Germany. In August 1942, the 92nd at RAF Bovingdon and the 301st Bomb Group at RAF Chelveston arrived to join Brigadier General Ira C. Eaker's rapidly increasing force. The 92nd was the first heavy bombardment group to make a successful non-stop flight from Newfoundland to Scotland.
Order of Battle 1942 - 1943
The Order of Battle of the VIII Bomber Command was:Brampton Grange, Huntingdonshire
B-17 Flying Fortress
- 1st Bombardment Wing (Hq: Bassingbourn)
- 40th Bombardment Wing (Hq: Thurleigh)
- 41st Bombardment Wing (Hq: Molesworth)
- 94th Bombardment Wing (Hq: Polebrook)
Ketteringham Hall, Norfolk
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-24 Liberator
- 2d Bombardment Wing (Hq: Hethel)
- 14th Bombardment Wing (Hq: Shipdham)
- 20th Bombardment Wing (Hq: Hardwick)
- 93d Bombardment Group (Heavy) (B-24D)
Elveden Hall, Suffolk
B-17 Flying Fortress
- 4th Bombardment Wing (Hq: Bury St. Edmunds)
- 13th Bombardment Wing (Hq: Horham)
- 45th Bombardment Wing (Hq: Snetterton Heath)
Units assigned directly to VIII Bomber Command:
Heavy bomber operations 1942 - 1943
The initial mission of VIII Bomber Command was the destruction of submarine bases along the French coast, as the limited number of aircraft available in 1942 prevented the command from hitting targets within Germany. This was a critical assignment, as Allied shipping losses rose dramatically in the summer of 1942 and as shipping from the United States to Britain was expected to ramp up in October and November, losses were expected to get worse.
In the face of determined Luftwaffe fighter opposition to the American bombers, losses throughout 1942 against the U-Boat pens were high, although the commanders believed that the bombers could fight their way to their objectives without fighter escort. This belief was given credence on 20 December when only six B-17s were lost out of 101 aircraft dispatched on a mission to Romilly, near Paris despite widespread Luftwaffe fighter activity in Frace. Romilly was a turning point in the daylight aerial war, as for the first time VIII Bomber Command had penetrated 100 miles into enemy territory and had succssfully kept the Luftwaffe interceptors at bay. The results fo the Romilly mission however, were disappointing as only 72 of the 101 bombers had actually hit the target and those hits only caused minimal damage.
Changes in the configuration of the B-17F to carry additional forward machine guns to improve fighter interception (Implemented as a chin turrent on the B-17G) and Lt. Col. Curtis LeMay's modification of formation bombing to stagger three-plane elements within a squadron and staggered squadrons within a group led to increased defensive firepower against fighter opposition. LeMay's group flying modifications was first tried on 3 January 1943 when the VIII Bomber Command attacked Saint Nazaire for the sixth time. A total of 101 bombers, with LeMay in command of the 305th Bomb Wing were dispatched, but only 76 aircraft found the target. LeMay's tactic also called for a straight and level bomb run to increase accuracy, but during the mission seven bombers were shot down and forty-seven damaged. However the majority of bombloads were successful in hitting the submarine pens.
By the end of January 1943, losses in aircraft and aircrew were rising and the future of VIII Bomber Command as a daylight bombing force were in doubt. In senior quarters of the USAAF as well as RAF, there was the belief that the B-17s and B-24s should join the RAF in night offensive bombing missions. Also there was pressure on General Arnold, chief of the USAAF to use the VIII Bomber Command in missions against German targets. In response to this pressure, on 27 January 1943, the VIII Bomber Command dispatched ninety-one B-17s and B-24s to attack the U-Boat construction yards at Wilhemshafen, Germany. Despite heavy Luftwaffe fighter opposition, only three bombers (1 B-17 and 2 B-24s) were shot down. Unfortunately, due to bad weather conditions, only 53 aircraft actually dropped their bombs on the target.
Throughout the spring of 1943, VIII Bomber Command Fortresses and Liberators grew in numbers and attacked more targets in France, the Low Countries, and into Germany itself. In June, "Operation Pointblank" was initiated. It was an objective aimed at German fighter production. The operation was initiated as a result of the Casablanca Conference, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed on a combined bomber offensive from England. The primary objectives listed were the German Submarine yards and bases, the German aircraft industry, manufacturers of ball bearings, and the German oil industry. Secondary objectives were synthetic rubber and tyres and military motor transport vehicles. However, it was emphaasised the reduction of the German figher force was of primarily importance. The plan called for 2,700 heavy bombers to be in place before the Allied invasion of France, earmarked for mid-1944.
In conjunction with Operation Pointblank, the 4th Bomb Wing was formed in Essex, with now Brigadier General Curtis LeMay building up a new force of three new B-17G bomb groups, the 100th, 385th and 388th. On 22 June, the first really deep penetration of Germany was flown, to the synthetic rubber plant at Huls. Huls produced approximatley 29% of Germany's total rubber supply. It was also heavily defended both by Luftwaffe fighters and Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA). 235 B-17s were dispatched and most of the route was flown without fighter escort. During the mission, sixteen B-17s were lost and 170 damaged, however 183 Fortresses bombed the plant so effectivley that full production was not resumed for six months.
On 24 June, the first VIII BC raid on Scandanavia occurred when 324 B-17s from the 1st and 4th Wings bombed targets in Norway, with one force flying a 2,000 mile round-trip to Bergen and Trondheim. Bad weather restricted missions throughout the rest of June and early July, however on 25 July Kiel, Hamburg and Warnemünde were bombed with the loss of 19 Fortresses. The next day, more then 300 Fortresses were dispatched to Hannover and Hamburg. Attacks on Kassel, Oschersleben, Kiel and finally a Heinkel bomber manufacturing plant at Warnemuende. Aircraft manufacturing plants at Kassel were hit on 30 July in the conclusion of a campaign known to the crews as "Blitz Week".
On 17 August, the first attack on the ball-bearing industry at Schweinfurt took place, with a diverionary attack on Regensburg was carried out to draw the Luftwaffe away from the main force heading to Schweinfurt. Luftwaffe defenses and AAA "flak" was intense and the few P-47 fighters available to escort the bombers could not possibly cover all seven groups in the attack. The 1st Wing force headed to Schweinfurt lost thirty-six B-17s, the 4th Wing which hit Regensburg, shot down twenty-six Fortresses. VIII Bomber Command flew only shallow penetration missions throughout the rest of August and early September while losses were made good. New groups and replacement aircraft arriving were the new B-17G model, with improvements in various systems, along with the Chin Turrent facing front, to help ward off frontal attacks by the Luftwaffe.
VIII Fighter Command
The VIII Fighter Command was constituted initially as "VIII Interceptor Command" at Selfridge Field, Michigan on 19 January 1942. Equipped with the 4th and 5th Air Defense wings, the command's mission was air defense over the north central United States. The command's mission was changed as it was ordered to deploy to Britain in February 1942 as first it was reassigned to Charleston AAF on 13 February, then shipped overseas to England where on 12 May it set up headquarters at Bushy Hall as "VIII Fighter Command".VIII Fighter Command flew three types of aircraft during 1942-43: the Supermarine Spitfire, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
Order of Battle 1942 - 1943
VIII Fighter Command's order of battle in 1943 was:Dame Bradbury's School, Saffron Walden
Sawston Hall, Nr. Cambridge
Walcot Hall, Nr. Stamford
- 20th Fighter Group RAF Kings Cliffe
- 352d Fighter Group RAF Bodney
- 356th Fighter Group RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Atcham, Shropshire
(Transferred to Twelfth Air Force November 1942)
- 1st Fighter Group (P-38)
- 31st Fighter Group (P-38)
- 14th Fighter Group (P-38) RAF Atcham
VIII Fighter Command Direct Reporting Units
- 350th Fighter Group, RAF Bushey Hall, RAF Duxford
- 354th Fighter Group, (P-47D, P-51B) RAF Greenham Common, RAF Boxted
- (Ninth Air Force group under operational control of VIII Fighter Command}
Fighter operations 1942 - 1943
Initially VIII Bomber command believed that its heavy bombers could endure enemy fighter attacks successfully, with its large number of defensive machine guns. However the mounting losses of aircraft and personnel led to a change in that belief.
Bomber escort for VIII Bomber Command was the primary mission for VIII Fighter Command. Like its bomber cousin in 1942 it suffered from a lack of aircraft and trained personnel. As the VIII Bomber Command started to fly missions deeper into Germany, its escort fighters were found wanting due to the fact that the P-47s lacked the range to take B-17s and B-24s much beyond the German border, and P-38s struggled with high-altitude engine problems.
Even though the defense of the United States west coast initially took priority, plans were made in the spring of 1942 to deploy P-38F Lightning squadrons to Britain. This deployment caused logistical problems, since the U-boat menace made shipping across the Atlantic quite risky. However, development by Lockheed of reliable drop tanks for the P-38F increased the ferry range from 1300 to 2200 miles. This made it possible to ferry the Lightnings from Maine to the UK via Goose Bay, Labrador to Greenland to Reykjavik, Iceland and finally to Prestwick, Scotland. Also, following the American victory at the Battle of Midway, the USAAF felt sufficiently confident that the Japanese fleet was not about to show up off the west coast and it was decided to redeploy the 1st and 14th Fighter Groups to Britain. By August 1942, 81 P-38Fs of four of the six squadrons of the 1st and 14th Fighter Groups had arrived in Great Britain to complete the first transatlantic crossing by single-seat fighters. On August 14, 1942, a P-38F flown by 2nd Lieut Elza Shaham of the 342d Fighter Group in Iceland shared with a P-40C in the destruction of a Focke-Wulf FW-200C-3 over the Atlantic Ocean to obtain the first victory of a P-38 over a Luftwaffe aircraft.
The P-38F-equipped 82nd Fighter Group arrived in Northern Ireland in November 1942. However, the P-38 was not to become famous for its exploits in Europe as the needs of the North African Invasion took priority in the fall of 1942 and the 1st, 14th and 82nd Fighter Groups were transferred to the Twelfth Air Force in the North African Campaign. The fighter plane which would be used most extensivley over the skies of Europe would first be the P-47 Thunderbolt in 1943, then in 1944, be joined in the sky by the P-51 Mustang.
The first P-47Cs arrived in England in late December 1942, and equipped the 4th Fighter Group which somewhat reluctantly traded in their Spitfires for the type. P-47Cs also reequipped the 82nd, 83rd, and 84th Squadrons of the 78th Fighter Group. P-47Cs were also supplied to the 56th Fighter Group which left their P-47Bs back home in the States when they transferred to England. Engine and radio problems caused some delays, but the first operational sorties began on 10 March 10 1943, and consisted of high-altitude escort duties and fighter sweeps. The first encounter with German fighters came on 15 April when the P-47Cs of the 335th Squadron shot down three German fighters for a loss of three of its own.
The high-altitude performance of the P-47C was far superior to anything the Luftwaffe could put up against it, but at low and medium altitudes the P-47C could not match the maneuverability and climb rates of its opponents. However, the P-47C could out-dive just about anything in the sky, and many a Thunderbolt saved itself from a sticky situation by using its superior diving performance to break off combat at will when it proved necessary to do so. The P-47Cs of the 56th, 4th and 78th Groups were intended as bomber escorts, but were ineffectual until fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks to lengthen their range at the end of July 1943. These three groups were joined later in 1943 by seven new groups flying P-47Ds - the 352nd, 353rd, 355th, 356th, 358th, 359th, and 361st Fighter Groups. P-47s flew escort missions until the end of 1943, when they began to be replaced by longer-range and P-51 Mustangs which were better suited for the long-range escort role.
With arrival of the first P-51 groups, the strategic air war began shifting in the allies' favor.
VIII Air Support Command
The VIII Ground Air Support Command was constituted on 24 April 1942 at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. and assigned to Eighth Air Force. It was deployed to England, without personnel or equipment in June 1942, being redesignated "VIII Air Support Command". The mission of VIII Air Support Command was initially training and reconnaissance and troop transport. The transport units were reassigned to the new Twelfth Air Force in late 1942. In February 1943, the command's mission was expanded to carrying out medium bombardment operations against the enemy on the Continent.In February 1941, the first Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers were accepted by the USAAF. It was to be in the European theatre where the Marauder was to achieve its greatest success. In the United Kingdom, the Marauder formed the basis of the medium bomber forces of the VIII Air Support Command. The first B-26s arrived in the United Kingdom in February 1943. They were to be used in low-level missions against German military targets on the Continent.
The VIII Air Support Command's order of battle consisted of:
RAF Greenham Common, Berkshire
C-47 Skytrain
(Transferred to Twelfth Air Force November 1942)
Earls Colne, Essex
B-26 Marauder
(Transferred to Ninth Air Force October 1943)
- 325th Photo Reconnaissance Wing (Hq: High Wycombe)
- 7th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), RAF Mount Farm, RAF Chalgrove
- 25th Bombardment Group (Reconnaissance) RAF Watton
Medium bomber operations
The first operational raid took place on On May 14, 1943. Flying through heavy flak at altitudes of 100 to 300 feet, Marauders from the 322nd Bombardment Group dropped a group 500-pound delayed-fuse bombs on the Velsen generating station at Ijmuiden in the Netherlands. All planes returned safely to base. However, the delayed fuse bombs which allowed Dutch workmen to escape also gave the Germans enough time to defuse or remove them. It is probable that the 322nd only escaped the attention of Luftwaffe fighters because of a battle taking place elsewhere with VIII Bomber Command heavy bombers.
On May 17, 1943, eleven Marauders returned at low level to attack German installations at Ijmuiden and Haarlem in the Netherlands. This time the Luftwaffe was ready, and the raid was a disaster, with all but one aircraft (which had aborted due to an electrical failure) being shot down by flak and fighters.
The disastrous second raid at Ijmuiden proved that the B-26 was totally unsuited for low-level operations over Europe, where enemy flak was heavy and accurate and enemy fighters were numerous and particularly effective. After the Ijmuiden raid, low-level operations by Marauders over Europe were discontinued, and thought was given to withdrawing the type from combat. In the meantime, the B-26 equipped units stood down to retrain for attacks against strategic targets from medium altitudes (10,000-14,000 feet) with heavy fighter escort.
In July 1943, some consideration was given to adapting the B-26 as a escort fighter for the Flying Fortress heavy bombers of the VIII Bomber Command which were at that time experiencing heavy losses to German fighters. This suggestion was immediately dropped, since the Marauder had an entirely different performance envelope from the Fortress and in addition had proven that it was itself unable to survive without fighter escort in hostile European skies.
The B-26 did not return to action over Europe until 17 July 1943. This time, the B-26 was more successful in its new role of medium-altitude bombing, and proposals to withdraw the Marauder from combat over Europe were quietly shelved. Marauders developed tight formation flying tactics to ensure a close pattern of bombs on the target and to protect themselves against fighter attacks. Because of the tremendous concentration of defensive firepower that the B-26 offered, the Luftwaffe was reluctant to press home attacks on Marauder formations. However, in the European theatre fighter escort was absolutely essential to defend against determined German fighter attacks. The German 88-mm antiaircraft guns were most accurate at the altitudes at which the Marauder normally operated, and it was determined that a straight and level flight for as little as 30 seconds gave the German radar gun detectors sufficient time to track the formation and place shots right in its midst. Consequently, evasive actions every 15 or 20 seconds was absolutely necessary to minimize flak losses. However, once committed to the bomb run, there was no evasive action possible and runs of 25 seconds or longer were considered quite dangerous.
On 16 October 1943, Headquarters Ninth Air Force was reactivated at RAF Burtonwood with a mission to became the crucial and decisive tactical air force in Western Europe. It was decded at that time to transfer the entire 3d Bombardment Wing to the ninth, makng VIII Bomber Command soley a strategic bombing force in Europe, and the Ninth the tactical air force supporting the ground forces for the upcoming invasion. In November 1943, all B-26 groups were transferred to the re-formed Ninth Air Force.
Medium-altitude pinpoint bombing became routine with the Marauders of the 9th Air Force. Prior to D-Day, typical targets were bridges, airfields, railroad marshaling yards, gun positions, ammunition and oil storage dumps, and V-1 flying bomb sites.
United States Strategic Air Forces 1944 - 1945
On January 4, 1944 the B-24s and B-17s based in England flew their last mission as a subordinate part of VIII Bomber Command. On 22 February 1944 a massive reorganization of American airpower took place in Europe. The VIII Bomber Command and Ninth Air Force were brought under control of a centralized headquarters for command and control of the United States Army Air Forces in Europe, the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF).
In October 1943, Ninth Air Force was transferred from North Africa to England in order to build up the tactical air forces for the planned invasion of France the following spring. At the same time, it was planned to split up Twelfth Air Force, removing the heavy bombing units from it, and combining the heavy bombing units from Ninth Air Force into a new strategic Air Force based in Italy, which would put targets in Austria, Germany and Eastern Europe within easy reach. In addition, the flying conditions in Italy were much better than they were in Britain.
On 1 November 1943, Fifteenth Air Force was activated in Italy with a force of nintey B-24s and 210 B-17s, based at airfields in the Foggia-Cerignola area. By the end of 1943, another 200 Liberators were added. New groups, mostly equipped with B-24s were arriving from the United States. Most of these B-24 units were sent directly to Fifteenth Air Force.
USSTAF exercised operational control of VIII Bomber Command (redesignated Eighth Air Force); Ninth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations and to an extent, the operations of Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. USSTAF was the functional equivalent in Europe of the United States Far East Air Forces in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
VIII Bomber Command was redesignated as Eighth Air Force, with VIII Fighter and VIII Air Support Commands being brought under the command of the redesignated Eighth Air Force. VIII Bomber Command was inactivated.
General Carl Spaatz returned to England to command the USSTAF. Major General Jimmy Doolittle relinquished command of the Fifteenth Air Force to Major General Nathan F. Twining and took over command of the Eighth Air Force at RAF High Wycombe. Doolittle of course was well known to American airmen as the famous "Tokyo Raider" and former air racer. His directive was simple: `Win the air war and isolate the battlefield'.
Eighth Air Force Order of Battle 1944 - 1945
The Order of Battle of the Eighth Air Force (1945):Brampton Grange, Huntingdonshire
- 1st Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Bassingbourn)
- 40th Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Thurleigh)
- 41st Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Molesworth)
- 94th Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Polebrook)
VIII Fighter Command
Walcot Hall, Nr. Stamford
Direct Reporting Units
- 482d Bombardment Group (Heavy) RAF Alconbury
- 495th Fighter Training Group RAF Atcham
- 801st Bombardment Group (Provisional) RAF Harrington
(became 492d Bombardment Group August 18, 1944)
Ketteringham Hall, Norfolk
- 2d Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Hethel)
- 14th Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Shipdham)
- RAF North Pickenham (Withdrawn August 1944)
- RAF Metfeld, RAF North Pickenham (August 1944 - July 1945)
- 20th Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Hardwick)
- RAF Halesworth (May-November 1944)
- 96th Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Horsham St. Faith)
VIII Fighter Command
Dame Bradbury's School, Saffron Walden
Direct Reporting Units
Elvden Hall, Suffolk
- 4th Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Bury St. Edmunds)
- 13th Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Horham)
- 45th Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Snetterton Heath)
- 93d Combat Bombardment Wing (Hq: Mendlesham)