Fighters of the 8th Air Force

The 8th Air Force was the first US Army Air Force (USAAF) strategic air force to be formed in WWII. In mid-1944 two years after it was created, it had more than 200 000 men on its bases in Great Britain and was able to put more than 2 000 four-engined bombers protected by 1 000 fighters into the air on a mission at any one time. Its main role was to support the Normandy landings before carrying on its massive day-time air raids over the Continent to disrupt enemy production and communications networks, both in Germany and in the occupied countries.