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.
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
08/09/1944 - John Randolph 08/09/1944 - Keith Price 08/09/1944 - William Smith 08/09/1944 - Jess Yaryan More 20th Fighter Group Combat Stories306th Bombardment Group
339th Fighter Group
08/04/1944 - Lawrence Powell 09/11/1944 - Raymond Mayer 09/23/1944 - Lester March 11/02/1944 - Donald Penny More 339th Fighter Group Combat Stories352nd Fighter Group
11/26/1943 - John Meyer 12/20/1943 - Daniel Britt 03/15/1944 - Stephen Andrew 05/30/1944 - Robert Berkshire More 352nd Fighter Group Combat Stories353rd Fighter Group
12/01/1943 - Walter Beckham 02/10/1944 - Clifford Armstrong 12/05/1944 - Wilton Johnson 12/24/1944 - George Lee More 353rd Fighter Group Combat Stories355th Fighter Group
11/13/1943 - Roland Vincent 11/29/1943 - Jack Woertz 12/05/1943 - Ray Baker 02/20/1944 - Ben Johnston More 355th Fighter Group Combat Stories356th Fighter Group
12/05/1944 - Raymond Campbell 12/05/1944 - Clifford Ashby 01/14/1945 - Robert Barnhart 01/14/1945 - Melvin Baylor More 356th Fighter Group Combat Stories357th Fighter Group
03/18/1944 - Fletcher Adams 04/11/1944 - Fletcher Adams 05/27/1944 - Fletcher Adams 09/13/1944 - Charles Yeager More 357th Fighter Group Combat Stories359th Fighter Group
08/09/1944 - John Murphy 09/11/1944 - George Baker 09/12/1944 - Merle Barth 10/24/1944 - Boyd Adkins More 359th Fighter Group Combat Stories361st Fighter Group
05/08/1944 - Hugh Chapman 06/25/1944 - Jack Crandell 09/12/1944 - William Kemp 09/12/1944 - Claire Chennault More 361st Fighter Group Combat Stories364th Fighter Group
12/23/1944 - George Ceuleers 12/27/1944 - Daniel Leftwich 12/27/1944 - Robert Allen 12/27/1944 - Ernest Duderstadt More 364th Fighter Group Combat Stories479th Fighter Group
12/05/1944 - Richard Candelaria 12/05/1944 - Gordon Doolittle 12/05/1944 - Philip Gossard 12/05/1944 - Arthur Jeffrey 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
06/06/1944 - William McElhare 06/06/1944 - B. Michael Gladych 06/07/1944 - B. Michael Gladych 06/07/1944 - Steven Gerick More 56th Fighter Group Combat Stories78th Fighter Group
02/24/1944 - Charles Peal 04/13/1944 - Charles Peal 04/25/1944 - Kenneth Allstaedt 06/06/1944 - Vincent Massa 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.