The Mighty Eighth in WWII: A Memoir PDF Download

Author: J. Kemp McLaughlin USAFR (Ret.)
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 9780813131771
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Author: Ken Delve
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781973454120
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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HOME FROM HOME?From small beginnings in late 1942 to the mighty daylight air armadas of 1945, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) campaigns from bases in the United Kingdom were proof of the commitment of the US to the Allied strategy of 'Germany First'. The destruction of Hitler's regime was the key, and US air power became a dominant factor in the European campaigns. Not in itself war-winning, it was only one element of overall Allied air power, and air power was also not an isolated weapon of war, and victory ultimately came from 'boots on the ground' from D-Day in June 1945 to the hard-fought battles into Germany and the final German collapse in May 1945.However, the impact of the USAAF's Eighth and Ninth Air Forces was without doubt significant; it was also costly and at times at risk. It was seldom at risk of total failure, even with high loss rates the sheer amount of men and material available was too great, if commanders were determined enough to keep going. As with the RAF's bombing campaign, losses could have been reduced if some decision had been made differently, if training had been more appropriate, and commanders, in some cases, less dogmatic and fixated. This book will provide an overview of the campaigns of the Eighth Air Force, but that is only a brief overview with some key events and decisions. The book focuses on the operational air bases from which the Bomber Groups and their Little Friends, the Fighter Groups, flew on an almost daily basis.

Author: J. Kemp McLaughlin
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 0813145732
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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On an early morning in the fall of 1942, Kemp McLaughlin's group set out for a raid on a French target. Immediately after dropping its bombs, McLaughlin's plane was hit. A huge fire burned a four-foot hole in his wing, his waist gunner bailed out, his radio operator was wounded, the plane lost all oxygen, and his pilot put on a parachute and sat on the escape hatch, waiting for the plane to explode. And this was only McLaughlin's first sortie. McLaughlin went on to pilot the mission command plane on the second raid against Schweinfurt, the largest air raid in history, which resulted in the destruction of 70 percent of German ball bearing production capability. McLaughlin also participated in the bombing of heavy water installations in Norway. The Mighty Eighth in WWII also includes the stories of downed pilots in France and Holland who traveled under the cover of night through the countryside, evading the Nazis who had seen their planes go down. As a group leader, McLaughlin was responsible for the planning and execution of air raids, forced to follow the directives of senior (and sometimes less informed) officers. His position as one of the managers of the massive sky trains allows him to provide unique insight into the work of maintenance and armament crews, preflight briefings, and off-duty activities of the airmen. No other memoir of World War II reveals so much about both the actual bombing runs against Nazi Germany and the management of personnel and material that made those airborne armadas possible.

Author: Gerald Astor
Publisher: Dutton Caliber
ISBN: 0425281574
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 514

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In the skies of World War II Europe, the Eighth Air Force was a defining factor in turning the tide against the Nazis. In these gripping oral histories, the sacrifice, savagery, and supremacy of the “Mighty Eighth” is described by those who experienced it...and survived it. At the outbreak of World War II, America was woefully unprepared for a fight, though Europe was already years into the battle. Soon, though, America’s war machine was rolling out pilots, engineers, planes, and materials in astounding numbers. It was called the Eighth Air Force—and it would hit the Nazi juggernaut like a lightning bolt. Launching a then-groundbreaking campaign of daylight bombing runs, the men of the Eighth would suffer more casualties than the entire Marine Corps in the Pacific theater. But they would also prove to be the most effective weapon against the enemy, taking out strategic targets such as munitions plants and factories that were vital to the German war effort and grinding them to a halt. In The Mighty Eighth, the men who fought in the greatest air war in human history tell their stories of courage and camaraderie as only those who were there can tell them.

Author: Maurer Maurer
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428915850
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 520

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Author: Kevin Wilson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681773791
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 443

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The US 8th Air Force came of age in 1944. With a fresh commander, it was ready to demonstrate its true power: from Operation Argument in February—targeting German aircraft production plants—to bringing the Luftwaffe to battle over Berlin, the combined US Air Force-Royal Air Force forces’ round-the clock campaign bottled up the German army in Normandy.In this authoritative history, Kevin Wilson reveals the blood and heroism of the 8th Air Force. At the same time, he opens up the lives of the Women's Army Corps and Red Cross girls who served in England with them and feared for the men in the skies, and he hasn't flinched from recounting the devastation of bombing or the testimony of shocked German civilians.Drawing on first-hand accounts from diaries, letters, and his personal audio recordings, the author has brought to life the ebullient Americans' interaction with their British counterparts, unveiling stories of humanity and heartbreak. Thanks to America's bomber boys and girls, the tide of World War II shifted forever.

Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783830018
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 572

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“Relates how the American Eighth Air Force bombers helped Britain's Royal Air Force in fighting Germany during World War II.”—ProtoView From the beginning of World War II, the RAF’s Bomber Command had been the only means of striking Hitler’s Reich and its war machine. But the entry into the war of the United States—and the subsequent arrival in the UK of the Eighth Air Force—would more than double the Allied capability. The Flying Fortress and Liberator heavy bombers were mostly flown across the Atlantic by their young, green aircrew, and many succumbed en route and never arrived. Flying in northern Europe was a different ball game from American skies and it took a considerable time before the crews familiarized themselves with the vagaries of fog, low cloud, rain and snow. The American bombers bristled with defensive armament and elected to fly in close defensive formation during the day, leaving the RAF to carry out nighttime raids. With the arrival of long-range protective escort fighters, the task became a little easier. This book is the story, including many firsthand accounts, of how the American bomber force helped fight to eventual victory, by decimating German industry and transport systems—and breaking the Nazi war spirit.

Author: Roger A. Freeman
Publisher: Specialty Press (MN)
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Includes aircraft and crews from every U.S. Eighth Air Force base operational in Britain in WWII. The author is a leading historian.

Author: Roger Anthony Freeman
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 9780304357086
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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A must-have classic. Mostly taken by members of “Mighty” Eighth Air Force, this wonderful selection portrays the American aircraft and their crews deployed to Britain in 1942. The daring and danger of those days comes across in a uniquely personal perspective, in photos of bases, aircraft in action and on the ground, nose art, and airfields and countryside from high above. Nearly 600 photos, arranged alphabetically by home base. “A brilliant gallery of memories.”—Hobby Merchandiser.

Author: Philip Kaplan
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1510705155
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 514

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Beginning in 1942, the Eighth Air Force began a precision bombing raid offensive deep into Nazi Germany, embarking from bases in rural England. Nearly 350,000 Americans were transplanted to English soil, joining their British colleagues for this joint Allied offensive. For many it was a period of great risk, and arguably the greatest adventure of their lives. With Wings As Eagles celebrates the heroics of these pilots and their missions. A lavishly illustrated, full-color, hardcover original, the narrative is the result of the author’s exclusive interviews with many of the pilots and crew, as well as research from contemporary diaries, journals, and scrapbooks. Readers relive the nostalgia and vivid reminiscences — of days of seemingly endless boredom and fatigue, the loneliness of soaring in an aluminum cocoon four miles over an intended target, and a surprising account of parachuting onto German soil and being captured by women and children. With Wings As Eagles relives the drama and history of an heroic era.