The Mighty 8th at War

The 8th Air Force in World War II was arguably the greatest strategic air formation in history. Between 1942 and 1945, the bombers of the “Mighty 8th” unleashed a crescendo of destruction upon the industrial, military, and transportation infrastructure of the Third Reich, while the U.S. fighters took on their counterparts in twisting dogfights. The cost of the 8th’s daylight bombing campaign was high—life expectancy for bomber aircrew dropped to around six missions in 1943. Yet the heroism ...