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The 8th Air Force (8af.org) is dedicated to preserving and honoring the legacy of the men and women who served in the 8th Army Air Force from 1941-1945. As a division of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we collect, digitize, and share historical records, personal stories, and artifacts that document this critical chapter of World War II military aviation history.
The 8th Air Force, nicknamed "The Mighty Eighth," played a pivotal role in World War II. Operating primarily from bases in England, its fighter groups cleared the skies of the German Luftwaffe while heavy bombers, including the iconic B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator aircraft, struck strategic targets from the French coast to deep within the German homeland. The 8th Air Force suffered over 26,000 casualties during the war, more than the entire Marine Corps, highlighting the extraordinary sacrifice of these brave men and women. Our organization ensures these contributions to American and world history are never forgotten.
The 8af.org brings together historians, veterans, family members, and enthusiasts dedicated to preserving the 8th Air Force's remarkable legacy. Our team includes:
We work collaboratively to ensure that the stories, sacrifices, and achievements of the 8th Air Force remain accessible for future generations.
The 8af.org website houses one of the most comprehensive digital collections related to the 8th Air Force, featuring:
Our dedicated historians work alongside volunteers to transcribe names, awards, and other historical narratives from official Army Air Forces documents. This ongoing work continues to expand our searchable database, making these valuable 8th Air Force records accessible to researchers, family members, and history enthusiasts worldwide.
A number of documents that appear on this website are transcribed. The readable quality of source documents range from poor to excellent. Transcriptions are done to the highest level of quality possible. Words and language is not 'sanitized' but presented accurately as it was written at the time.
Our world-class collection of 8th Air Force artifacts includes:
From ground crew to flight crews, our collection preserves the stories of all military occupational specialties that contributed to the 8th Air Force's success during World War II.
Our team is actively working on several 8th Air Force preservation initiatives:
The preservation of 8th Air Force history depends on support from people like you. Here's how you can contribute:
The 8af.org is a division of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Bomber Groups of the 8th Air Force
Fighter Groups of the 8th Air Force
Most of these documents have been transcribed from official unit documents without corrections. Some material was difficult to read and transcribe, sometimes this is noted in the transcription. Spelling was not corrected. Documents are not meant to be a complete record, they are only what has been reasonbly-readable. Only document formatting may have been altered to enable better viewing on a web page with multiple devices.
8th Air Force in Film and Big ScreenDo you have WWII memorabilia that you are not sure what to do with it? The children don't want it? Then let us help you preserve this history by donating these items to the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. We are accepting donations in the form of uniforms, medals, ribbons, patches, photos, memorabilia, papers, gear and equipment. We also accept monetary donations to support our operations and long term plans. This website is part of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, and as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
Historical Artifacts: We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms and gear of the 8th Air Force in World War II as well as other units and commands. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material.
Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one.