"The Mighty Eighth"
From 1942 to 1945,the sky over the continent of europe witnessed the greatest air battle ever fought, between the American 8th Air Force and the German Luftwaffe. This battle,conducted in the numbing cold 5 miles over Germany,resulted in the destruction of the German Air Force,and the devastation of its cities and industries.
The 8th Air Force became the greatest air armada used by any country in any war,reaching a total strength of 200,000 personnel by mid 1944. It could put, over a single target, more then 2000 four engined heavy bombers and 1000 fighters. For this reason the 8th Air force became known as the "Mighty 8th".
Half of the USAAF casulaties during World War two were suffered by the 8th Air Force during its strategic bombing campaign over europe. Over 26,000 young airmen were killed in action(one tenth of all Americans killed in WWII), 18,000 wounded and 28,000 taken prisoner during the daylight raids over Germany. Despite these tremendous losses, the "Mighty Eighth" was never turned back from a mission because of enemy action.
Airmen of the 8th Air Force were awarded seventeen Congressional Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, 7,000 Purple Hearts, 46,000 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 442,000 Air Medals.
