27 January 1943 A.D. Americans
Bomb Germans for 1st Time—8th Air Force
Editors. “Americans bomb Germans for first
time.” History.com. N.d. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/americans-bomb-germans-for-first-time. Accessed
26 Jan 2015.
Americans bomb Germans for first time
On this day, 8th Air Force
bombers, dispatched from their bases in England, fly the first American bombing
raid against the Germans, targeting the Wilhelmshaven port. Of 64 planes
participating in the raid, 53 reached their target and managed to shoot down 22
German planes—and lost only three planes in return.
The 8th Air Force was activated
in February 1942 as a heavy bomber force based in England. Its B-17 Flying
Fortresses, capable of sustaining heavy damage while continuing to fly, and its
B-24 Liberators, long-range bombers, became famous for precision bombing raids,
the premier example being the raid on Wilhelmshaven. Commanded at the time by
Brig. Gen. Newton Longfellow, the 8th Air Force was amazingly effective and
accurate in bombing warehouses and factories in this first air attack against
the Axis power.
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