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8TH AIR FORCE REORGANIZATION

22 February 1944

Official description

Not yet known

Description

On 22-Feb-1944 The United States Strategic and Tactical Air Forces (USSTAF) of Europe is established and the 8th Air Force absorbs the VIII Bomber Command, VIII Fighter Command and VIII Air Support Command under a single Headquarters. Organization of bomber and fighter resources will now be under 1st 2nd and 3rd Air Divisions rather than Bomb Divisions. Fighter missions will still be designated with Field Orders through Field Order 400 (19-Jun-44). Thereafter fighter escort operations will be designated as bieng part part of the numbering of 8th Air Force missions beginning at Mission 425 (20-Jun-44) and desginated "FE" rather than "FO".

Mission details

1. BREST / LORIENT / NANTES / TOURS

Description

200 bundles dropped

Aircraft type

B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes

Night leaflet drop on French cities by 305th Bomb Group/422nd Bomb Squadron during 'Big Week'. One aborts the mission with mechanical problems.

Units

  • 305th Bomb Group Can Do

    305th Bomb Group Can Do

    Group
    The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to...

  • 422nd Bomb Squadron

    422nd Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Mission Statistics

Number of aircraft Sent 5
Number of aircraft Effective 4

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
10 February 2016 00:21:24 Lee8thbuff Changes to description
Sources

Lee Cunningham 9-Feb-2016. Added change from Bomb Divisions to Air DIvisions and Field Order numberingchanges applying to fighter operations per analysis of entry numbering in "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", ROger A. Freeman.
Date Contributor Update
09 February 2016 21:52:07 Lee8thbuff Changes to name, date and description
Sources

Lee Cunningham 9-Feb-2016. Changed the title and date of this DUPLICATE as the begining of USSTAF and the reorganization of the 8th Air Force per 8th Air Force historical records - 8th AIr Force Historical Society.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:43:17 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'.

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