What do you think was 8th Air Force best bombing raid of WW2? (1 Viewer)

[uksubs]

Read a lot of stuff on the brave crews of the 8th Air Force and wonder what your thoughts were on there best raid of WW2?

 

[Jack]

Read a lot of stuff on the brave crews of the 8th Air Force and wonder what your thoughts were on there best raid of WW2?

Choose any raid from mid 1943 to late 1944 when they took on the day fighter force of the Luftwaffa and held firm in the face of enormous casulaties. The ball bearing plants or the Romanian oilfields stand out, but the film from the much repeated 12 O'Clock High with those fighters just rolling in and aircraft falling out of formation and being picked off. Just terrible.

 

[waynepoo]

Choose any raid from mid 1943 to late 1944 when they took on the day fighter force of the Luftwaffa and held firm in the face of enormous casulaties. The ball bearing plants or the Romanian oilfields stand out, but the film from the much repeated 12 O'Clock High with those fighters just rolling in and aircraft falling out of formation and being picked off. Just terrible.

I am with Jack here, I would put the whole 8th A.A.F effort into one major contribution to victory over Germany, by destroying the day fighter force of the Luftwaffa. The advent of the Mustang and long range fuel tanks spelled the end for the Luftwaffa and thus Overlord proceeded without any serious threat from the skies. IMHO.
Wayne.

 

[Mitch]

Would have to be the Ploetsi oli refinery raids. Operation tidal wave and, black thursday were very costly but hampered and reduced german war production

Although, contributing to the final end of germany I think they played a equal role with the RAF. the number of fighters that came up day after day and, the number of night fighters the Luftwaffe put up against the RAF show the Luftwaffe in this respect was far from a spent force.

Lots of other issues went into why the no show of the Luftwaffe on overlord than the escorts of the bombers and long range fighters.

All allied pilots have my respects for the way they faced the luftwaffe and the AA day after day and, night after night
Mitch

 

[Louis Badolato]

The May 7, 1944 raid on Berlin. My Uncle Joe completed his mission and bombed Berlin before going down with his B-17, the Rikki Tikki Tavi and giving his life so we could all live free.

 

[lenswerks]

I don't know much about the 8th, my father was in the 15th and survived 35 missions out and back listed below.
He was hit with a piece of flak on one of the missions, which he kept after removal from his butt. I have it now.
So for the 15th it would be the Zwalfaxing Airdrome in Vienna, Austria.

Aircraft name Slick Chick with a Hot Lick shown below.

Donnie








07-25-44 Linz Austria 5:12
08-02-44 Genoa Italy 6:29
08-03-44 Friedrichshafen Germany 7:40
08-06-44 Mirames France Rhone Valley 8:00
08-07-44 Blechhammer Germany 8:08
08-10-44 Ploestic Roumania 6:53
08-12-44 Sete France 8:22
08-13-44 Sete France 8:25
08-15-44 Bourg St Andreous France 8:44
08-16-44 Cher Radersch Germany 7:49
08-21-44 Nis Yugoslavia 4:54
08-23-44 Markersdorf Germany 7:07
08-27-44 Flechhumar Germany 8:12
08-28-44 Szony Hungary 6:03
09-01-44 Szolnok Hungary 6:46
09-04-44 Adige Ora RR Bridge Italy 6:30
09-05-44 Nyiregyaza Hungary 7:27
09-10-44 Vennia Austria 6:46
09-13-44 Oswiecim Poland 8:23
09-19-44 Budapest Hungary 6:38
09-07-44 Vienna Austria 7:20
10-10-44 Piavo Rusegana Italy 5:51
10-12-44 Bologna Italy 6:20
10-16-44 Gras Nuedorf Austria 7:16
10-17-44 Maribor Italy 4:26
10-20-44 Rosenheia Germany 7:31
10-23-44 Augsburg Germany 8:12
11-14-44 Linz Austria 7:35
11-16-44 Munich Germany 8:09
11-18-44 Udine Italy 5:47
12-15-44 Vienna Austria 6:49
12-16-44 Pilsen Skoda Czechoslovakia 8:27
12-26-44 Blechhammer Germany 7:34
01-31-45 Moosbierbaun Austria 7:27
02-05-45 Regensburg Germany 8:15

 

[bromhead]

I don't know much about the 8th, my father was in the 15th and survived 35 missions out and back listed below.
He was hit with a piece of flak on one of the missions, which he kept after removal from his butt. I have it now.
So for the 15th it would be the Zwalfaxing Airdrome in Vienna, Austria.

Aircraft name Slick Chick with a Hot Lick shown below.

Donnie

View attachment 85651

View attachment 85652

View attachment 85653


07-25-44 Linz Austria 5:12
08-02-44 Genoa Italy 6:29
08-03-44 Friedrichshafen Germany 7:40
08-06-44 Mirames France Rhone Valley 8:00
08-07-44 Blechhammer Germany 8:08
08-10-44 Ploestic Roumania 6:53
08-12-44 Sete France 8:22
08-13-44 Sete France 8:25
08-15-44 Bourg St Andreous France 8:44
08-16-44 Cher Radersch Germany 7:49
08-21-44 Nis Yugoslavia 4:54
08-23-44 Markersdorf Germany 7:07
08-27-44 Flechhumar Germany 8:12
08-28-44 Szony Hungary 6:03
09-01-44 Szolnok Hungary 6:46
09-04-44 Adige Ora RR Bridge Italy 6:30
09-05-44 Nyiregyaza Hungary 7:27
09-10-44 Vennia Austria 6:46
09-13-44 Oswiecim Poland 8:23
09-19-44 Budapest Hungary 6:38
09-07-44 Vienna Austria 7:20
10-10-44 Piavo Rusegana Italy 5:51
10-12-44 Bologna Italy 6:20
10-16-44 Gras Nuedorf Austria 7:16
10-17-44 Maribor Italy 4:26
10-20-44 Rosenheia Germany 7:31
10-23-44 Augsburg Germany 8:12
11-14-44 Linz Austria 7:35
11-16-44 Munich Germany 8:09
11-18-44 Udine Italy 5:47
12-15-44 Vienna Austria 6:49
12-16-44 Pilsen Skoda Czechoslovakia 8:27
12-26-44 Blechhammer Germany 7:34
01-31-45 Moosbierbaun Austria 7:27
02-05-45 Regensburg Germany 8:15

well done,,my father flew and survived 48 with the second group,,some of the same targets,,always said the austrian cities ,,vienna ,,etc had the worst flak