Figure 1.--By the end of 1942 the aircraft preaching the the 8th were just beginning to arrive in real numbers. Ford's production at Willow Run, for example, had not yet kicked in. And in Britain, the American began to become an accepted apart of the community. The Americans made a real effort to reach out to the kids. Christmas parties and other events for the local children became a staple. Notice the B-17 in the upper right corner here. The base here is Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, an RAF base that the Eighth moved into and expanded. Molesworth was primarily for Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 358th Bombardment Squadron, the first of four squadrons that would comprise the 303d Bombardment Group. The 358th flew the first mission (November 1942) and would become one of the Eight's legendary units. It participated in all of the major efforts, including the disastrous attack ball bearing plants. The 358th hit U-boat yards, industrial targets, marshaling yards, shipyard, and aircraft engine and assembly factories. When the bombers were transferred ti Eisenhower, the 358th played an important role in operations preparing for D-Day. attacking gun emplacements and bridges in the Pas-de-Calais during Operation Overlord. After the Allied landings the 358th bombed enemy troops to support the Operation Cobra breakout (July 1944). Then the bombers were returned to the air commanders and the destruction of German industry began in full force (September 1944). The Group was also active during the Battle of the Bulge (December-January 1944-45) and the Allied Rhine crossing (March 1945). Their last combat mission was on an armament factory in Pilsen/Plzeň (April 25, 1945). Bob Hope entertained at the base (July 1943). Legendary American news correspondent Walter Cronkite flew on a 358th mission mission. And it was American servicemen from Molesworth that would acquire more English brides than servicemen from any other American base.

The first VIII Bomber Command combat group arrive in Britain (June 6, 1942). It was the ground echelon of the 97th Bombardment Group. They arrived at RAF Polebrook and RAF Grafton Underwood. The American build-up was fully underway by the Summer of 1942. American airmen and planes were arriving in England in large numbers. The quiet rural farmland of East Anglia became the center of the Allied headquarters Strategic Bombing Campaign. The 8th Air Force had its headwaters in London. The bombers operated from East Anglia. Sedate villages with small pre-War populations numbering in the hundreds concerned with wheat harvests and cows, suddenly buzzed with the frenzied energy of thousands of American pilots, crew, and support staff. Most of these villagers had seen Americans in the movies, but never met one. Suddenly they were inundated with Americans. Daily the citizens of villages such as Thorpe Abbotts, Rougham, and Horham would see or hear the roar of thousands of powerful engines as the B-17s, B-24s, and very quickly their fighter escorts took off to take the war home to the Germans. The impact of this has to be measured wit what was going on in these villages. Milk was being delivered by horse carts, and at most there were at most a few cars and perhaps a handful of trucks. As the war progressed, the war, the Eighth Air Force would become the largest air command in the War. Once constituted, the Mighty Eighth had the capacity of sending more than 2,000 heavy bombers and over 1,000 fighter planes on distant missions to places the villagers had never heard of let alone visited. By the end of the year, The Eighth Air Force was in place and ready to pursue its mission. But it should be understood that 1942 was the year that the American Arsenal of Democracy was just converting for War. Thus the aircraft reaching the 8th were just beginning to arrive in real numbers. Ford's production at Willow Run, for example, had not yet kicked in. And in Britain, the American began to become an accepted apart of the community. The Americans made a real effort to reach out to the kids. Christmas parties and other events for the local children became a staple.

Created: 9:06 AM 10/21/2024
Last updated: 9:06 AM 10/21/2024