Introduction
In the coming weeks, I'll be posting some of the thousands of photographs I've gathered on the 8th Air Force over the years. The Mighty Eighth was the wartime expression of USAAF pre-war strategic bombing doctrine. Designed and constructed as a long-range bombing to destroy Germany's economic and industrial ability to wage war, the 8th became the focal point of the European air campaign from 1943-45. Ultimately, the 8th Air Force played a key role in securing command of the skies over Western Europe, which set the stage for the Normandy invasion.
The first series of photos I've posted were taken at the 401st Bomb Group's airfield at Deenethorpe. Flying B-17 Flying Fortresses, the unit was activated outside of Spokane, Washington at Fort George Wright. The men trained at Geiger Field, also near Spokane, before deploying to England in the fall of 1943. From October '43 until the end of the war, the 401st flew 254 combat missions over Germany and earned two Distinguished Unit Citations. The 401st, which called itself "Bowman's Bombers" after its commanding officer, suffered 1,078 KIA, WIA and MIA during its time in theater.
