8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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The ‘brass’ visit Debden on April 1, 1944. (L-R) Brig General Jesse Auton, 65th Fighter Wing CO; Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower; Lt General Carl Spaatz, commander of US Strategic Air Forces; Mag General James Doolittle, commander of the 8th Air Force; Maj General William Kepner, head of VII Fighter Command; Col Don Blakeslee, commander of the 4th Fighter Group.
Connections
Units
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4th Fighter Group
Group
Some of the pilots of the 4th Fighter Group had seen many hours of combat by the time they joined the 4th Fighter Group as they had volunteered with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The three 'Eagle Squadrons' of RAF Fighter...
People
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Jesse Auton
Military | Brigadier General | Commanding General
Deployed to ETO with 65th Fighter Wing, 8AF USAAF. 12 combat missions. Killed in a plane crash at Offutt AFB, Omaha, 20-Mar-52, while returning on a flight from California. ... -
Donald Blakeslee
Military | Colonel | Fighter pilot, Commanding Officer
Don Blakeslee was born on 11 September 1917 in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. As a boy, he became captivated with planes while watching the Cleveland National Air Races held only 30 miles away from his home at 529 7th St, Fairport Harbor, Ohio. In 1938,... -
James Doolittle
Military | General | Commanding General
Became Commanding General of 12th AF September 1942; Commanding General of Northwest African Strategic Air Force March 1943; assumed command of 15th AF November 1943; Commanding General of 8th Air Force 6 January 1944 to 9 May 1945. Medal Of Honor for... -
Dwight Eisenhower
Military | General | Supreme Commander
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William Kepner
Military | Lieutenant General | Commanding General, 8th Air Force Fighter Command
From 1909 to 1913, Kepner served in the US Marine Corps. By 1916 he was a second lieutenant in the Indiana National Guard. After a short spell in the US cavalry, in 1917 he transferred to the infantry as a captain and commanded a company at the Battle... -
Carl Spaatz
Military | General | Commanding General, 8th Air Force
A few weeks after Pearl Harbor, in January 1942, General Spaatz was assigned as chief of the Army Air Force Combat Command at Washington and promoted to the temporary rank of major general. In May 1942, Spaatz was designated commander of the Eighth Air...
Locations
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Debden
Military site : airfield
RAF Debden, construction of which began in 1935, is perhaps most famous as a Battle of Britain fighter airfield, partly responsible for the defence of London in 1940. In 1942 it was also home to three RAF 'Eagle Squadrons’ of volunteer American pilots...
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 May 2016 23:47:53 | WD-C Mustang | Created entry with caption, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Historylink101 |
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