VIII Bomber Command
Command
VIII Bomber Command was constituted and activated in 1942. It oversaw heavy bombardment operations until February 1944, when it was redesginated as the 8th Air Force.
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Watts Sherman Humphrey
Military
Watts was born in 1896 and grew up in Saginaw Michigan. He served with the Air Corps during the First World War, before pursuing a career in finance. He married Katherine Strong, and the couple had two children: Philip (born 1926) and Watts Jr (born 1927). He later lived in Birmingham, Oakland, Michigan, Bronxville, New York, Litchfield, Connecticut, and Torrington, Connecticut.
During the Second World War, Watts was appointed Major, Air Corps, March 1942. Successively Staff Officer, 306th Bomb Group, 1st Bomb Wing, VIII Bomber Command, HQ Eighth Air Force, Combined Operational Planning Committee, Combined Chiefs of Staff, and US Strategic Bombing Survey, 1942-1946. While based in Britain he married Winifred Mary Gertrude Eyre, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, on 18 October 1944. The couple had a daughter Dorothy (born 1948)
Following the war, Watts became a member of the 'Air War College' staff at Maxwell Field. He later joined the Central Intelligence Agency and served in its Chicago branch from 1950-1952 as Director. He died, aged 71 in 1968.
Service
Units served with
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1st Combat Bomb Wing
Wing
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306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Group
Constituted as 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Trained for combat with B-17's. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF Eighth Air Force in September 1942 Station 111 Thurleigh. During combat,...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Saginaw, Michigan | 13 December 1896 |
| Died | Princeton, New Jersey, USA, | 20 August 1968 |
| Buried | All Saints Cemetery |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 22 July 2019 08:31:19 | Emily | Changes to biography and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Corrected factual inaccuracies and removed speculative statements from biography. Further information from obituary |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 July 2019 17:22:05 | Dr Daniel | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
CIA service, University education, Air War College added: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/47793226/person/12902... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 July 2019 15:58:20 | Dr Daniel | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Places of residence, family and marriage added: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/47793226/person/12902... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 July 2019 15:11:02 | Dr Daniel | Changes to biography and events |
| Sources | ||
Date of Birth and Place of death added: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/47793226/person/12902... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:27:11 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Who's Who in the Eighth Air Force and/or Biographical Directory Command & Staff Officers Eighth Air Force 1942-45 |
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