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1st Air Division

Division

  • Danish civillians inspect the wreckage of a crashed B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-107082) of the 379th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'St Heddinge 13th May 1944 at 18:30 Hrs. 8th AAF, 1st Air Division, 41st Combat Wing, 379th Bombardment Group, Squadron?.'

    Danish civillians inspect the wreckage of a crashed B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-107082) of the 379th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'St Heddinge 13th May 1944 at 18:30 Hrs. 8th AAF, 1st Air Division, 41st Combat Wing, 379th Bombardment Group, Squadron?.'

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  • S/Sgt. Carl W. Landwehr - KIA on 7 OCT 1944 mission to Politz.

    S/Sgt. Carl W. Landwehr - KIA on 7 OCT 1944 mission to Politz.

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  • Harold A Greenwell, Enigineer & Top Gunner 379th Bomb Group, 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force

    Harold A Greenwell, Enigineer & Top Gunner 379th Bomb Group, 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force

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    Video of the memorials to the service and sacrifice of the USAAF 401st BG(H) based at Deenethorpe, station 128. The video covers two locations: the roadside memorial adjacent to the site of the airfield, and the local church in the village of Weldon.

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  • "Brig. General Julius K. Lacey is presented the Distinguished Service Medal by Major General Howard M. Turner during a ceremony on 15 May 1945 at Hdq., 1st Air Division based in England."

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  • Inside Building 30A Photographic Editing Block, 1st Air Division Headquarters, Brampton Park, Cambridgeshire

    Inside Building 30A Photographic Editing Block, 1st Air Division Headquarters, Brampton Park, Cambridgeshire

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  • Outside Building 30A Photographic Editing Block, 1st Air Division Headquarters, Brampton Park, Cambridgeshire

    Outside Building 30A Photographic Editing Block, 1st Air Division Headquarters, Brampton Park, Cambridgeshire

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  • 1st Air Division

    1st Air Division "War Room" Headquarters Brampton Grange

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In December 1944, the 1st Bomb Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.

US Air Force Combat Units of World War II Description

Constituted as 1st Bombardment Division on 30 Aug 1943.... Redesignated 1st Air Division in Dec 1944. Served in combat in the European theater from Sep 1943 until Apr 1945, receiving a DUC for an attack on aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 Jan 1944. Inactivated in England on 31 Oct 1945.

Commanding officers

  • Bartlett Beaman

    Military | Brigadier General | Chief of Staff
    LOM/ BS/ DUC

  • Howard Turner

    Military | Major General | Commanding General
    SS w/ Oak Leaf Cluster/ DFC/ AM w/ Oak Leaf Cluster

  • Robert Williams

    Military | Major General | Aerial Observer, Commander | 303rd Bomb Group
    Born: Albany, Texas, 9 November 1901. Bachelor of Science, Texas A&M University, 1923. Commissioned: ROTC 6 June 1923 Commander, 1st Bomb Division July 1943 to 22 October 1944. Retired 30 June 1946.

Structure

Part of
  • 8th Air Force

    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. ...

Encompassing
  • 1st Combat Bomb Wing

    1st Combat Bomb Wing

    Wing

  • 2nd Combat Bomb Wing

    2nd Combat Bomb Wing

    Wing

  • 40th Combat Bomb Wing

    40th Combat Bomb Wing

    Wing

  • 41st Combat Bomb Wing

    41st Combat Bomb Wing

    Wing

  • 67th Fighter Wing

    67th Fighter Wing

    Wing

  • 94th Combat Bomb Wing

    94th Combat Bomb Wing

    Wing

  • 20th Fighter Group

    20th Fighter Group

    Group
    In August 1943, the 20th Fighter Group arrived in Clyde, Scotland, before travelling to Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, which was to be their base for the rest of the war. The Group flew 312 missions before their last mission on 25 April 1945. The...

  • 352nd Fighter Group

    352nd Fighter Group

    Group
    The 352nd Fighter Group were based at Bodney, Norfolk from July 1943 until November 1945 but in the winter months of 1944/1945 detachments moved to bases in Belgium to provide extra air support to ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge and to...

  • 356th Fighter Group

    356th Fighter Group

    Group
    The 356th Fighter Group flew 413 missions between 15 October 1943 and 7 May 1945 and suffered the highest ratio of losses to enemy aircraft claims of any Eighth Air Force Group. This gave the Group the reputation of being the 'hard luck' outfit. The...

  • 359th Fighter Group

    359th Fighter Group

    Group
    The 359th Fighter Group flew 346 missions from East Wretham between December 1943 and April 1945. In the main these missions were escorting bombers flying over occupied Europe. The Group, soon after converting from Thunderbolts to Mustangs, were...

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Previously was
  • 1st Bomb Division

    1st Bomb Division

    Division
    The groups under the command of the 1st Bomb Wing came under the command of the 1st Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.

Became
Not yet known

Missions

  • 785

    7 January 1945

  • 798

    17 January 1945

  • 803

    21 January 1945

  • 809

    28 January 1945

  • 817

    3 February 1945

  • 825

    10 February 1945
    'Disney' bombs are dropped on E-boat pens in Ijmuiden, Holland. The 4,500 lb rocket propelled bombs were designed to penetrated up to 20ft of concrete before exploding.

  • 833

    16 February 1945

  • 8th Air Force 851

    27 February 1945
    1,107 bombers and 745 fighters are dispatched to hit road and rail communications at Halle and Leipzig using H2X radar

  • 854

    28 February 1945

  • 875

    9 March 1945
    Narrative - Official Air Force Mission Description ...

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Stations

Station Location Date
Based Alconbury December 1944 – 31 October 1945
Redesignated December 1944

Connections

People

  • Robert Kleifgen

    Military | Captain | Photographer/Assigned Intel photo Operations Echelon 1st Air DivisionHeadquarters | 351st Bomb Group
    Loaded cameras on bombers for bombing analysis . Put cameras on the planes for the 351st BG.

  • Merlin Reed

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 384th Bomb Group
    Bombs from the 'High Group' knocked the tail section off B-17G #42-37781 'Silver Dollar' and crashed near Osdorf on a mission to Berlin on 9 Mar 1944. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 3005, 19 combat missions.

  • John Roth

    Military | Private First Class (6th Grade) | 1st Bomb Division Headquarters Reconnaissance Analyst (Photo Section)
    "John Henry Roth, Sr., a 67 year resident of Langhorne, passed away on Friday, January 8, 2015 at his home. He was 94 years young. ...

  • Richard Scharch

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner/Radioman | 303rd Bomb Group
    Assigned to 358BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. 26 x combat missions. ETD Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Michel Schexnayder

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Gunner, Ball Turret | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars

  • Alfred Sharp

    Military | Air Vice-Marshal | Air Liaison Officer
    RAF: - Plt Off (Probation): 16 Jul 1924, Plt Off: 16 Jan 1924, Fg Off: 18 Jan 1926, Flt Lt: 8 Oct 1930, Sqn Ldr: 1 Apr 1937, (Temp) Wg Cdr: 1 Mar 1940, (Temp) Gp Capt: 1 Mar 1942, Wg Cdr: 20 Nov 1942 [1 Oct 1941], Acting A/Cdre: 1 Feb 1943. ...

Aircraft

Citations

DUC for an attack on aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 Jan 1944

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Combat organisation
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
N/A
Insignia
N/A

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
04 September 2019 11:23:56 Emily Changes to stations
Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II
Date Contributor Update
04 September 2019 11:22:12 Emily Changes to us air force combat units of world war ii description and citations
Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II
Date Contributor Update
06 February 2018 10:49:31 PEP.1956 Changes to type
Sources

http://mighty8thaf.preller.us/
Date Contributor Update
06 February 2018 10:48:30 PEP.1956 Changes to unit part of associations
Sources

http://mighty8thaf.preller.us/
Date Contributor Update
03 October 2014 19:42:56 Paul Bellamy Changes to type, commanding officers associations and stations
Sources

1st Air Division records (1AD HQ Historical Society)
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:44 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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