' + The mission of "The Mighty Eighth" is to safeguard America's interests through strategic deterrence and global combat power. ", The Eighth Air Force team consists of more than 16,000 Regular Air Force (e.g., active duty), Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve professionals operating and maintaining a variety of aircraft capable of deploying air power to any area of the world. var newImgHgt = (origImgHgt * ratio); Representing the ferocity of this aerial contest was a mission flown on October 14, 1943. General Electric had introduced turbo-superchargers to maintain performance of the B-24 and B-17 during high altitude missions. $(".fancybox-button").css("display", "none"); $(".fancybox-caption").removeClass("desktop-init"); A strategic air force was that with a mission to attack an enemy's war effort beyond his front-line forces, predominantly production and supply facilities, whereas a tactical air force supported ground campaigns, usually with objectives selected through co-operation with the armies. Incredible restored footage of WWII bombers carrying out raids As part of this game-changing strategy, especially after the bombers had hit their targets, the USAAF's fighters were then free to strafe German airfields and transport while returning to base, contributing significantly to the achievement of air superiority by Allied air forces over Europe. The Eighth Air Force includes the heart of America's heavy bomber force: the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, the Rockwell B-1 Lancer supersonic bomber, and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber aircraft. The Japanese, however, surrendered before the Eighth's first combat sortie in the Pacific. // Animation complete. The 8th Air Force was targeted in this operation. At all heights, the rate of climb was approximately doubled. events of the 8th Air Force, European Theater of Operations Eighth Air Force B-17s bomb the U-boat base at Lorient, France. The first contingent arrived in May. (National Archives) Meanwhile, the losses to the bomb groups continued unabated. 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. 1 September: At 4:40am the Luftwaffe starts World War II with the terror bombing of the Polish city of Wielu. 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. year that you select. Once over the target, however, the mission began to unravel, as a cloud front had unexpectedly moved in, obscuring its view from the bombardiers perched in the noses of their B-17s 25,000 feet above. However, the P-51B was introduced as a tactical fighter, so the first deliveries of the P-51B in November 1943 were assigned to three groups in the tactical Ninth Air Force at the expense of VIII Bomber Command, whose need for a long range escort fighter was critical.
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