Figure 1.--

The Eighth Air Force began bombing operations August 17, 1942. The initial raids were restricted to France. The first target were marshalling yards at Rouen and Sotteville in northern France. Eighth Air Force operations during 1942 and the first half of 1943 had no significant effect. The initial American force was relatively small, the crews not fully trained, and its range still limited. Commanders during this period concentrated on training and testing the force under actual combat conditions. Allied commanders were concerned in November and December 1942, with the Kriegsmarinre increasingly effective U-boat campaign in the North Atlantic which was devestaging Allied merchant shipping. One reason for the effectivness of the U-boats was that the Kriegsmarine, unlike World War I, had access to French Atlantic ports. The Germans constructed submarine bases and pens in French ports. These facilities became the priority target and remained so until June 1943 when naval counter measures finally began destroying large numbers of U-boats at sea. The air attacks on the U-boat facilities had limited effect. The submarine pens were carefully designed and conventional bombs could not penetrate the 12-foot concrete roofs. Even a huge British tall-boy bomb did not penetrate the U-boat pens reinforced concrete roofs.

Raids

The Eighth Air Force began bombing operations August 17, 1942. The initial raids were restricted to France and had fighter escorts.. The first target were marshalling yards at Rouen and Sotteville in northern France. The raid on Rouen (August 17) consisted of only 12 B-17s and they were protected by four squadrons of Spitfires, but at last the 8th Air Force had entered the war. Eaker himself went along on the first raid. The targets were hit and their were no losses. This was followed by other small attacks against lightly defended targets in France, Belgium,and the Netherlands. The raids were as much to train and test the crews as to hit the Germans. Next the Americans hit a Luftwaffe air base at Abbeville near the Channel. Assessments showed a remarable degree of accuaracy. Eaker was incouraged about the possibility of day-light precession attacks. The 8h Air Force had conducted 13 missions by early October. The first big mission during this early phase aimed at a steel mill near Lille. The attacking force included B-24s for the first time. The results were disappointing and the Lufwaffe opposed the attack in force for the first time. Returning crews claimed to have shot down 56 fighters which proved to be highly exagerated. As weather turned bad, many raids had to be cancelled. Only 12 missions were conducted through November and December.

Operation Torch (November 1942)

The Allies conducted their first important offensive of the War in the European Theater--Operation Torch. American and British armies landed in Morocco and Algeria and then moved East to take the Tunisian ports of Tunis and Bizerte. The objective was to cut off Rommel's Afrika Korps reeling west after Rommel's defeat at El Alenaine. To support this opeation, 100 of Eaker's 300 bombers were transferred. In addition the first priority for new planes and crews were diverted to Torch.

Anti-U-Boat Campaign

Allied commanders were concerned in November and December 1942, with the Kriegsmarinre increasingly effective U-boat campaign in the North Atlantic which was devestaging Allied merchant shipping. One reason for the effectivness of the U-boats was that the Kriegsmarine, unlike World War I, had access to French Atlantic ports. The Germans constructed submarine bases and pens in French ports. These facilities became the priority target and remained so until June 1943 when naval counter measures finally began destroying large numbers of U-boats at sea. The air attacks on the U-boat facilities had only limited effect. In addition 8th Air Force bombers encountered significant Luftwaffe opposition, including a new frontal attack tactic perfected by Lt. Colonel Egon Mayer, a frightening attack because the B-17s were vulnerable from the front. The submarine pens were carefully designed and conventional bombs could not penetrate the 12-foot concrete roofs. Even a huge British tall-boy bomb did not penetrate the U-boat pens reinforced concrete roofs.

Combat

American air commanders continued to believe that large, closely formed B-17 fiormations could fight their way into the Reich during the day. RAF Bomber Commnand had been attacking at night.. Relatively light German fighter defenses in France gave a mistaken impression to the Amercans. As the sane time, German operations were gaining agood assessment of the B-17's capabilities. Lt. Otto Stammberger (9/jg 26) in October 9, 1942 reported, "By my third attack, both leftengines werevburning, andI fired freelyat the right outboard engine as the crate spiralled downhill in broad left turns. At about 2,000 meters, four or five menjumped out; the bomber struck the ground east of Veneville. I looked up. The sky was emptey. I was out of cannon amoand slunk home. Four near attackson a single bomber! Amateuruish and stupid!" [Caldwell]

Impact

The initial American force was relatively small, the crews not fully trained, and its range still limited. Commanders during this period concentrated on training and testing the force under actual combat conditions. Eighth Air Force operations during 1942 had no significant effect. The 8th Air Force had conducted 27 raids. Losses were very low, averaging only 2 percent per mission. This was less than the British in night-time raids, but none of the raids had hit targets actually located in Germany. The impsact on the War had been minimal. Even the priority attacks on the U-Boats pins had little impact.

Sources

Caldwell, Donald. Day Fighters in Defebse of the Reich: A War Diary, 1942-46 (2012), 480p.

Created: 3:16 AM 6/20/2005
Last updated: 5:29 AM 11/14/2012