Combat Stories
Members of the military were required to complete what were termed 'after action' reports; this is a term typically used by the US Army. World War II was no different in the paperwork that would inform higher command and serve as tools for future engagements. The Army Air Forces of World War II had a couple of narratives about their activities in conflict. The first were mission summaries. These reports were paired with mission briefs also termed field orders; these would detail when a mission would begin, the groups and aircraft involved, target, flight paths, rendezvous, ingress and egress, time on target, bomb and ammunition loads and purpose of the mission. The mission summary would entail the actual times, targets, results both successful and unsuccessful, losses, early damage assessment and more. These reports were on a group level whether bomber or fighter.
Encounter Reports
Then there were individual reports. Most of these reports were called 'encounter' reports. They were first person accounts of combat. They could be called eyewitness to history; but more appropriately participants in/to history.
Herein we are offering encounter reports by members of the 8th Army Air Forces in World War II. These are transcriptions of official reports typically taken shortly after the engagement and provide a detailed recap of the action between U.S. Soldiers-Airmen and the German enemy. Some detail claims of destruction of enemy aircraft or other instruments of war. These reports offer a remarkable insight into the individual's activities and we are happy to bring these reports to you for historical and educational enjoyment.
20th Fighter Group
08/05/1944 - Harold O. Binkley 08/09/1944 - HAROLD BINKLEY 08/09/1944 - RUSSELL BEBOUT 08/09/1944 - QUINTUS KLATT More 20th Fighter Group Combat Stories306th Bombardment Group
339th Fighter Group
05/24/1944 - Chris Hanseman 05/24/1944 - HAROLD SCRUGGS 05/24/1944 - RICHARD WHITELAW 05/29/1944 - Joseph Thury More 339th Fighter Group Combat Stories352nd Fighter Group
11/26/1943 - John Meyer 11/26/1943 - DONALD DILLING 12/11/1943 - Ray Cornick 12/20/1943 - FRANKLYN GREENE More 352nd Fighter Group Combat Stories352th Fighter Group
12/04/1943 - VIRGIL MERONEY 12/04/1943 - JOHN MEYER 12/20/1943 - WINFIELD McINTYRE 12/20/1943 - DONALD DILLING More 352th Fighter Group Combat Stories353rd Fighter Group
09/07/1943 - Ben Rimerman 09/22/1943 - CHARLES HOEY 09/22/1943 - Jesse Gonnam 09/23/1943 - GLENN DUNCAN More 353rd Fighter Group Combat Stories354th Fighter Group
355th Fighter Group
11/07/1943 - Norman Olson 11/13/1943 - Roland Vincent 11/13/1943 - Roland Vincent 11/13/1943 - THOMAS NEAL More 355th Fighter Group Combat Stories356th Fighter Group
11/26/1944 - Rex Burden 11/26/1944 - JAMES BOWERS 11/26/1944 - WILBUR SCHEIBLE 11/26/1944 - Warren Cooley More 356th Fighter Group Combat Stories357TH FIGHTER GROUP
02/22/1944 - JOHN CARDER 02/22/1944 - JOHN MEDEIROS 02/22/1944 - ALVIN PYEATT 02/22/1944 - H Spicer More 357th Fighter Group Combat Stories359th Fighter Group
03/29/1944 - John Murphy 05/19/1944 - JOHN OLIPHINT 05/19/1944 - Robert Thomson 05/19/1944 - Ray Wetmore More 359th Fighter Group Combat Stories361st Fighter Group
01/30/1944 - Joe Latimer 01/30/1944 - Henry Lederer 01/30/1944 - Robert Sedman 01/30/1944 - Roy Webb More 361ST FIGHTER GROUP Combat Stories364th Fighter Group
08/09/1944 - GEORGE CEULEERS 08/09/1944 - JOHN STUCKRATH 08/10/1944 - LOUIS JOHNSON 08/15/1944 - THOMAS HALL More 364th Fighter Group Combat Stories479th Fighter Group
10/07/1944 - ARTHUR JEFFREY 10/07/1944 - Hubert Zemke 11/02/1944 - ARTHUR JEFFREY 11/26/1944 - Theo Sowerby More 479th Fighter Group Combat Stories4th Fighter Group
06/26/1943 - Raymond Care 07/28/1943 - Raymond Care 07/28/1943 - Leon Blanding 07/28/1943 - Frank Boyles More 4th Fighter Group Combat Stories55th Fighter Group
07/07/1944 - Robert Callaghan 07/07/1944 - Eugene Holderman 07/07/1944 - William Reilly 07/21/1944 - Richard Forsblad More 55th Fighter Group Combat Stories56th Fighter Group
01/01/1900 - Michael Quirk 01/30/1943 - Robert Johnson 06/13/1943 - Robert Johnson 06/13/1943 - Hubert Zemke More 56th Fighter Group Combat Stories78th Fighter Group
06/22/1943 - Charles London 06/29/1943 - Charles London 07/01/1943 - WILLIAM MADOLE 07/01/1943 - James Byers More 78th Fighter Group Combat StoriesDonations
Do 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.
Contact us if you are contemplating a donation of any kind.
Volunteering
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.
(1) 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. (2) Photography and Document Scanning.
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.