An advanced detachment of viii bomber command was established at raf bomber command headquarters at raf daws hill england on 23 february in preparation for its units to arrive in the. The eighth air force earned the unofficial nickname the mighty eighth in the 1970s following the publication of roger freemans book the mighty eighth. The group led the famous attack on the fockewulf assembly plant at marienburg in east prussia on 9 october 1943. Honouring and helping the mighty 8th, 385th bg and all who served. Official homepage of the 385th bomb group association. We welcome members of the 388 fbw korea the 388 tfw vietnam and the 388 fw today. Attended air force aircraft mechanics school amarrilo,texas member of 8th air force 305th bomb group 366 th squadron london,england flew 27 missions over missionsdresden36 planestwo crashed on take off bohlanheavy flacksquadron commander col. Air force 486th bombardment group, heavy usaf veteran. Moved to england in mar 1944 and assigned to eighth af. Visit our 8th air force honor project with rosters of servicemen who served in the groups of the 8th. This new exhibit examines the role the 8th air force played in dday. Wwii squadron patch insignia pictures collection of patches. Volunteers are transcribing servicemen names and their awards from general orders that we are publishing on this website for enthusiasts, families and researchers of genealogy and world war ii history.
Members may wish to attend the 8afhs 2020 reunion in memphis. Dan dolan was part of the 385th group as a european b17 pilot, mid 1944s. Krank lost plane blew up ruhlandlost 3 planes heavy flacknavigator wounded and never flew again. This is a united states army air forces 556th bomb squadron, 387th bomb group patch. Officially the unit was inactivated on the 25th of december 1946. Ww2 usaaf flight jacket patch 489th bomb group patch 8th air force rare. Ray peterson, b17 flight engineer 8th air force historical.
The 398th was part of the 8th air force 1st air division during wwii and was one of many b17 bomb groups stationed in england. Us air force combat units of world war ii description. Inspired designs on tshirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. Hill began collecting papers, audiovisual materials, and memorabilia from members of the 8th air force. It was reassigned to savannah air base, georgia on 10 february 1942. Hill began collecting papers, audiovisual materials. Lieutenantcolonel preston piper of the 385th bomb group reports to intelligence officer first lieutenant john murray after a mission. Wwii usaaf 556th bomb squadron, 387th bomb group, 8th. This group was created to keep the memories of the men of the 385th bomb group alive. The 8th army air force, 96th bomb group h association. During world war ii, it was active as the 385th bombardment group heavy, an eighth air force.
Usaaf 424th bomb squadron, 307th bomb group, 7th and th air force patch 100a. Jan 30, 2017 aircraft and airmen of the 8th af 385th bomb group. Constituted as 385th bombardment group heavy on 25 nov 1942. It includes an unamed cased air medal complete with ribbon, mounted ribbonbar and lapel device. Coincidence or is there something to this besides a airman dressing up his uniform for his home coming. The list is in order of aircraft group type, then number. This group is dedicated to the research and remembrance of the 712th, 7th, 714th, and 715th squadrons of the 448th bomb group of the mighty eighth air force of world war two. The 387th bombardment group medium was constituted on november 25, 1942, and activated on december 1 at macdill field in tampa bay, florida. Insignia and markings of the eighth air force in world war ii. Bomb groups national museum of the united states air force. During world war ii, it was active as the 385th bombardment group heavy, an eighth air force b17 flying fortress unit, stationed at raf great ashfield, england. Military ranks, military units, military insignia, military service, military weapons, military. Aac 379th bomb group, 8th af aac 380th bomb group, 5th aaf king of the heavi aac 380th bomb squadron, 310th bomb group, 12th aac 381st bomb squadron 310th bomb group aac 385th bomb group, 8th air force aac 385th bomb squadron cbi aac 389th bomb squadron, 312th bomb group donald aac 392nd bomb group, 8th.
Feb 1, 2017 aircraft and airmen of 8th af 306th bomb group. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. On the continent came under the 9th air force and on. Ww2 usaaf insignia the historic flying clothing company. The eighth air force archive is the result of the efforts of james hill, the editor of the 8th af news. Entered combat in may 1944 with b14 aircraft but soon converted to b17s. Eighth air force was established as viii bomber command on 19 january 1942 and activated at langley field, virginia on 1 february. This is part of his story how he left the infantry tricking his way into the us army air force. Usaaf 8th af 385th bomb group air medal grouping in ww2 usaaf.
Us army air force, corps wwii squadron patch insignia pictures. Please select any of the units below to submit a research inquiry to ww2 researcher bill beigel. Welcome to the official 398th bomb group memorial association web pages, or informally the 398th web pages clearing and colder click for info. Veterans database national museum of the mighty 8th air force. Nov 20, 2016 explore catmums board 8th af 385th bomb group. Memories of the usaaf 389th bomb group 389th victor darileks log book below is the log book of my dad, 389th bg. If you do not see the name of the unit you are searching for, you may click on any unit and type the correct name into the form that follows. Moved to england in jun 1943 and assigned to eighth af. Wwii squadron patch insignia pictures collection of.
Air force 486th bombardment group, heavy usaf veteran locator. Sterling marked marksman badge with pistol and carbine bars, a machine made aaf shoulder patch. See more ideas about aircraft, world war two and nose art. Welcome to the official 385th bomb group h association. The 549 bs, 385 bg, 8th af bullion represents the 549 bombardment squadron, 385 bombardment group, 8th air force. The national museum of the mighty eighth air force veterans database entry form required. Air force groups that trained at the cut bank airport. Us army air force, corps wwii squadron patch insignia. You can doubleclick a group, click a group and click submit, or click a group and hit enterreturn key. Veterans database national museum of the mighty 8th air.
Weve recently needed to relocate the 388th database maintained by our historian. The 388 bomb group association was formed to insure the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women of the 388th are remembered. Member of 8th air force 305th bomb group 366 th squadron london,england. Also his medal ribbon group for the air medal with 2 oakleaf clusters, good conduct medal, american campaign, europeanafricanmiddle eastern theatre of operations. Ww2 us military 385th bomb group unit history and crew member dog. The patch shows a great tiger riding the back of a missile. The 8th af was primarily engaged in the bombardment of strategic targets in europe. The 556th was attached to the 8th and 9th air forces. The 385th bombardment group was a b17 group of the eighth air force and took part in the strategic bombing campaign over europe.
Hill passed away in 1998, and the 8th air force memorial museum foundation 8afmmf. It is currently a tenant unit of the 379th air expeditionary wing at al udeid air base, qatar. You are not required to enter information in every space in order to be a part of the database. Bomb groups national museum of the united states air. Eighth air force and dday through images and memories. United states 8th air force, wwii welcome to the 96th bombardment group h station 8 snetterton, england. And according to the owner of this jacket, this gent was a munitions handler with the 385th bomb group. The national museum of the mighty eighth air force couldnt do it without you. Constituted as 486th bombardment group heavy on 14 sep 1943 and activated on 20 sep. Three targets in norway are the primary targets for this first mission flown by 8th air force to norway.
He and other airman wanted to fly those sexy p38s but again he got tricked he was encouraged to fly b17s more on. In memory of those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom. Mens 2xl usaf wolf pack 385th bomb group tshirt 8th air force fighter 1943 b17. Well it looks like i found another one from the 8th af wearing this eto patch. Usaaf 8th af 385th bomb group air medal grouping in ww2. During the cold war, the 385th strategic aerospace wing was a. The 390th bombardment group h flew 301 combat missions out of england during world war ii. The 385th and 388th bombardment groups joined the 4th bombardment wing in the summer of 1943, bringing it up to six. The 423 bomb squadron of the 306th bomb group was attached to the group after this date but by the end of october 1946 the group ceased all operations. Wwii usaaf 556th bomb squadron, 387th bomb group, 8th and 9th air force patch. Smithers, a tail gunner on b17 flying fortresses with the 385th bombardment group, 8th aaf.
Eighth air force is one of two active duty numbered air forces in air force global strike command. Sep 29, 2019 well it looks like i found another one from the 8th af wearing this eto patch. It was last known to be stationed at incirlik ab, turkey. The group was activated in the united states in december 1942, and moved to england in june 1943. The eighth air force archive documents both the fighter and bomber groups that served in europe and africa.