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96-431: For this mission the 8th Air Force dispatched 283 B-24 Liberator bombers of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing and, as escorts, 198 P-51 Mustang fighters. As the result of a navigation error, the lead ship of the 445th Bombardment Group turned almost due east instead of east-southeast and its 35 bombers bypassed Kassel, deciding instead to bomb the railway facilities in the town of Göttingen. The bombs, however, missed

192-710: A NUTS 2 statistical unit in the East of England region . Other definitions of the area have been used or proposed over the years. For example, the Redcliffe-Maud Report in 1969, which followed the Royal Commission on the Reform of Local Government, recommended the creation of eight provinces in England. The proposed East Anglia province would have included northern Essex, southern Lincolnshire and

288-563: A German fighter crashed on a German medical base This air battle was one of the largest late-war confrontations between the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the Luftwaffe , the latter of which was barely still active at this time. In the days after the battle, USAAF aircraft dropped leaflets over the suspected landing zones to try and protect crews that had parachuted to safety from being lynched . Near

384-529: A blue background has been used as a symbol of East Anglia for centuries. The coat of arms was ascribed by medieval heralds to the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia and the Wuffingas dynasty which ruled it. The arms are effectively identical to the coat of arms of Sweden . The three crowns appear, carved in stone, on the baptismal font (c.1400) in the parish church of Saxmundham , and on

480-531: A few remain in use, the most prominent being Norwich International Airport . Pillboxes were erected in 1940 to help defend the nation against invasion, and they can also be found throughout the area at strategic points. Similarly, but from the Napoleonic Wars , a number of Martello towers can be found along the coast. East Anglia is bordered to the north and east by the North Sea , to the south by

576-829: A global scale. Elements of 8 AF engaged in combat operations during the Korean War (1950–1953); Vietnam War (1961–1975), as well as the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), (1990–1991) over Iraq and occupied Kuwait in the First Persian Gulf War . Eighth Air Force is one of two active duty numbered air forces in the Air Force Global Strike Command. Eighth Air Force, with headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana , supports U.S. Strategic Command, and

672-618: A number of local rail services, such as the Bittern Line from Norwich to Sheringham . East Anglia is ideal for cycling and National Cycle Route 1 passes through it. Cambridge has the largest proportion of its residents in the UK cycling to work with 25% commuting by bicycle. The city is also home to the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway , which at 13.3 miles (21.4 km) was the longest stretch of guided bus-way in

768-493: A number of other medals to include 220 Distinguished Service Crosses , and 442,000 Air Medals . Many more awards were made to Eighth Air Force veterans after the war that remain uncounted. There were 261 fighter aces in the Eighth Air Force during World War II. Thirty-one of these aces had 15 or more aircraft kills apiece. Another 305 enlisted gunners were also recognized as aces. One notable Eighth Air Force casualty

864-441: A significant amount of Me 262A jet fighters. The 8th Air Force was targeted in this operation. Fifteen Allied bombers were attacked, eight were successfully destroyed. On 7 April, Eighth Air Force dispatched thirty-two B-17 and B-24 groups and fourteen Mustang groups (the sheer numbers of attacking Allied aircraft were so large in 1945 that they were now counted by the group) to targets in the small area of Germany still controlled by

960-613: A single mission to multiple targets. By 1945, all but one of the Eighth Air Force fighter groups were equipped with the P-51D. Eighth Air Force did not strike at oil industry targets until 13 May 1944 when 749 bombers, escorted by almost 740 fighters, pounded oil targets in the Leipzig area and at Brüx in Czechoslovakia . At the same time, a smaller force hit an Fw 190 repair depot at Zwickau . Over 300 German fighters attacked

1056-555: A small part of Northamptonshire as well as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The kingdom of East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk , but the Isle of Ely also became part of it upon the marriage of East Anglian princess Æthelthryth (Etheldreda). It was formed around 520 by merging the North and South Folk, Angles who had settled in the former lands of the Iceni during

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1152-665: A strong genetic affinity with Anglo-Saxon era skeletons, but differ substantially from Iron Age and Roman era ones, which are more similar to the Welsh. This was taken to support a major influence of the Anglo-Saxon migrations on the genetic makeup of East Anglia. In a 2022 study by Joscha Gretzinger et al., the populations of Norfolk and Suffolk were found to be the group with the lowest amount of Iron Age/Roman period British Isles-related ancestry, with only about 11-12.7% of their ancestry being derived from that group, while having one of

1248-545: A subordinate part of VIII Bomber Command. On 22 February 1944, a massive reorganization of American airpower took place in Europe. The original Eighth Air Force was redesignated as the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF). VIII Bomber Command, re-designated as Eighth Air Force, and Ninth Air Force were assigned to (USSTAF). VIII Bomber Command, after redesignation as Eighth Air Force,

1344-533: A tactical air force supported ground campaigns, usually with objectives selected through co-operation with the armies. In Europe, Eighth Air Force was the first USAAF strategic air force, with a mission to support an invasion of continental Europe from the British Isles . Eighth Air Force carried out strategic daytime bombing operations in Western Europe from airfields in eastern England as part of

1440-701: A year and this is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Sunshine totals tend to be higher towards the coastal areas. Transport in East Anglia consists of an extensive road and rail network. Main A roads, such as the A12 and A47 link the area to the rest of the UK, and the A14 links the Midlands to the Port of Felixstowe . This is the busiest container port in the UK, dealing with over 40% of UK container traffic and

1536-588: Is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force 's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces Strategic – Global Strike , one of the air components of United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). The Eighth Air Force includes the heart of America's heavy bomber force: the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber,

1632-666: Is a major gateway port into the country. There is very little motorway within East Anglia. Rail links include the Great Eastern Main Line from Norwich to London Liverpool Street and the West Anglia Main Line connecting Cambridge to London. Sections of the East Coast Main Line run through the area and Peterborough is an important interchange on this line. The area is linked to the Midlands and north-west England by rail and has

1728-781: Is among the oldest and most famous universities in the world. Other institutions include the University of East Anglia (in Norwich ), University of Essex , Norwich University of the Arts , Anglia Ruskin University (based in Cambridge), University of Suffolk (based in Ipswich) and University Centre Peterborough . Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone, an enterprise zone initiated by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership,

1824-597: Is an area in the East of England , often defined as including the counties of Norfolk , Suffolk and Cambridgeshire . The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles , a people whose name originated in Anglia , in what is now Northern Germany . Definitions of what constitutes East Anglia vary. The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia , established in the 6th century, originally consisted of

1920-490: Is designated as U.S. Strategic Command's Task Force 204, providing on-alert, combat-ready forces to the president. The mission of "The Mighty Eighth" is to safeguard America's interests through strategic deterrence and global combat power. Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. Its flexible, conventional and nuclear deterrence mission provides

2016-666: Is generally dry and mild. Temperatures range from an average of 1–10 °C in the winter to 12–22 °C in the summer, although it is not uncommon for daily temperatures to fall and rise significantly outside these averages. Although water plays a significant role in the Fenland and Broadland landscapes, the area is among the driest in the United Kingdom and during the summer months, tinder-dry conditions are frequently experienced, occasionally resulting in field and heath fires. Many areas receive less than 700 mm of rainfall

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2112-489: Is gently undulating, with glacial moraine ridges providing some areas of steeper relief. The highest point in Norfolk is the 103 metres (338 ft) Beacon Hill ; the supposed flatness of Norfolk is noted in literature, including Noël Coward 's Private Lives – "Very flat, Norfolk". On the north-west corner East Anglia is bordered by a bay known as The Wash , where owing to deposits of sediment and land reclamation ,

2208-402: Is one of the clubs competing for the informal football title Pride of Anglia , but not Southend United F.C. from further south in the county. Culturally, north Essex has much more in common with Suffolk and the rest of East Anglia due to its similar rural landscape, when compared to the south which is much more urban given its proximity to London . However, the county of Essex by itself forms

2304-474: Is operationally-gained by AFGSC and 8 AF from the Air National Guard , while the 307th Bomb Wing is operationally-gained from Air Force Reserve Command and 10th Air Force . Major General Mark E. Weatherington assumed command of 8th Air Force on 12 June 2020. Eighth Air Force was established as VIII Bomber Command on 19 January 1942 and activated at Langley Field , Virginia on 1 February. It

2400-511: The 307th Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The B-2 force consists of 20 bombers assigned to the active duty 509th Bomb Wing along with the Missouri Air National Guard 's associate 131st Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB , Missouri. The B-1 force consists of 62 bombers assigned to the active duty 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB , Texas and the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB , South Dakota. The 131st Bomb Wing

2496-691: The 389th , which was originally scheduled to deploy to England, was also assigned to the mission. The groups were transferred to Libya in July, where together with the Ninth Air Force attacked targets in support of the Allied invasion of Sicily . A few weeks after Tidal Wave, the Eighth Air Force groups returned to England. On 4 January 1944, the Consolidated B-24 Liberators and B-17s based in England flew their last mission as

2592-648: The Braunschweig area. Over 60 Luftwaffe fighters were shot down, with a loss of 19 US bombers and 5 US fighters. On 24 February, with the weather clearing over central Germany, the Eighth Air Force sent over 800 bombers, hitting Schweinfurt and attacks on the Baltic coast, with a total of 11 B-17s being lost. Some 230 B-24s hit the Messerschmitt Bf 110 assembly plant at Gotha with a loss of 24 aircraft. On 22 February 1944, due to many mistakes, Nijmegen

2688-855: The Combined Bomber Offensive . The Pointblank directive of June 1943 redirected the Allied strategic bombing effort against the German air force in order to reduce it to the point where it could not oppose the planned invasion of France in mid-1944. Also in June 1943, two groups of the Eight Air Force from England began training for the upcoming Operation Tidal Wave , a low-level raid on the Ploiești refineries in Romania. A third group,

2784-657: The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) from General Carl Spaatz on 11 July. This was the first DSC earned by a member of the Eighth Air Force in World War II . The other American-flown Boston had been shot down over De Kooy. Regular combat operations by the VIII Bomber Command began on 17 August 1942, when the 97th Bombardment Group flew twelve Boeing B-17E Flying Fortresses on the first VIII Bomber Command heavy bomber mission of

2880-662: The English Channel coastline began in February 1944. Fighters from both Eighth and Ninth Air Forces made wide sweeps over the area, mounting strafing missions at airfields and rail networks. By 6 June, Allied fighter pilots had succeeded in damaging or destroying hundreds of locomotives, thousands of motorized vehicles, and many bridges. In addition, German airfields in France and Belgium were attacked. On 1 May, over 1,300 Eighth Air Force heavy bombers made an all-out attack on

2976-577: The Mercians defeated it twice over the next 40 years, and East Anglia continued to weaken in relation to the other kingdoms. Offa of Mercia finally had king Æthelberht killed in 794 and took control of the kingdom himself. Independence was temporarily restored by rebellion in 825, but the Danes killed King Edmund on 20 November 869 and captured the kingdom. Edward the Elder incorporated East Anglia into

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3072-486: The Netherlands . Alerted to the attack, the airfield defences were prepared for the raid when it arrived. The right propeller of Kegelman's Boston was shot away by flak while over the target at De Kooy Airfield Further ground fire caused damage to his right wing, and the engine caught fire. Kegelman's aircraft lost altitude and even bounced off the ground, but he was able to bring the damaged bomber home and received

3168-633: The Rockwell B-1 Lancer supersonic bomber, and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber aircraft. VIII Bomber Command of the United States Army Air Forces was established early in 1942. The first combat units arrived in the United Kingdom in June and combat operations began in July with first heavy bomber operations in August. Its bomber units were deployed in the UK, chiefly around East Anglia . From June 1943 it

3264-663: The Second World War , the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force constructed many airbases in East Anglia for the heavy bomber fleets of the Combined Bomber Offensive against German-occupied Europe . East Anglia was ideally suited to airfield construction, as it includes large areas of open, level terrain and is close to mainland Europe. Many of the airfields can still be seen today, particularly from aerial photographs, and

3360-649: The University of East Anglia . The flag of Cambridgeshire (adopted in 2015) includes the three gold crowns on a blue field. The East Anglian flag as it is known today was proposed by George Henry Langham and adopted in 1902 by the London Society of East Anglians (established in 1896). It superimposes the three crowns in a blue shield on a St George's cross . East Anglia features heavily in English literature, notably in Noël Coward 's Private Lives and

3456-458: The estuaries of the rivers Orwell and Stour , and shares an undefined land border to the west with the rest of England. Much of northern East Anglia is flat, low-lying and marshy (such as the Fens of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk ), although the extensive drainage projects of the past centuries actually make this one of the driest areas in the UK. Inland, much of the rest of Suffolk and Norfolk

3552-563: The marshalling yard and the repair shop . Instead, 25 buildings in the village of Rosdorf, on the southwest edge of Göttingen, were damaged and three people injured. The villagers there counted a total of 103 bomb craters. As a result of the change of course, the bombers became separated from their fighter escort on the return flight. Around 11:00 am they turned west over the Seulingswald forest between Bad Hersfeld and Eisenach and were almost immediately attacked by 150 fighters of

3648-471: The 15th lost 33. Less than a week after "Big Week", Eighth Air Force made its first attack on the Reich's capital, Berlin . The RAF had been making night raids on Berlin since 1940 with heavy raids in 1943 and nuisance de Havilland Mosquito raids in daylight, but this was the first major daylight bombing raid on the German capital. On 6 March 1944, over 700 heavy bombers along with 800 escort fighters of

3744-590: The 15th-century porch of Woolpit church, both in Suffolk. They also appear in local heraldry and form part of the arms of the diocese of Ely and the arms of the borough of Bury St Edmunds , where the crowns are shown pierced with arrows to represent the martyrdom of Edmund the Martyr , the last king of East Anglia. Other users of the arms include the former Isle of Ely County Council , the Borough of Colchester and

3840-531: The 1630s, thousands of Puritan families from East Anglia emigrated to New England in America, taking much East Anglian culture with them that can still be traced today. East Anglia based much of its earnings on wool, textiles, and arable farming and was a rich area of England until the Industrial Revolution caused a manufacturing and development shift to the Midlands and the North. During

3936-661: The B-17s heading to Leipzig – Junkers Ju 88 production and – Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters), Bernburg -Strenzfeld ( Junkers Ju 88 plant) and Oschersleben ( AGO plant making Focke Wulf Fw 190A fighters). The B-24s hit the Gothaer Waggonfabrik (production of Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters), the Fw 190 Arado Flugzeugwerke plant at Tutow and Heinkel 's "Heinkel-Nord" headquarters at Rostock , which produced He 111 bombers. The Luftwaffe , conversely,

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4032-411: The British in early 1942; having much success with the RAF, although it found the Allison V-1710 -engined aircraft's performance inadequate at higher altitudes. In mid-42 Rolls-Royce engineers rapidly realized that equipping the Mustang with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine with its two speed, two stage supercharger would substantially improve performance. Also, by using a four-bladed propeller, rather than

4128-604: The Eighth Air Force bombers and fighters were inflicting on it. In order to quickly assemble these formations, specially outfitted assembly ships were created from older bombers. By mid-1944, Eighth Air Force had reached a total strength of more than 200,000 people (it is estimated that more than 350,000 Americans served in Eighth Air Force during the war in Europe). At peak strength, Eighth Air Force had forty heavy bomber groups, fifteen fighter groups, and four specialized support groups. It could, and often did, dispatch more than 2,000 four-engine bombers and more than 1,000 fighters on

4224-472: The Eighth Air Force hit numerous targets within Berlin, dropping the first American bombs on the capital of the Third Reich . On 8 March, another raid of 600 bombers and 200 fighters hit the Berlin area again, destroying the VKF ball-bearing plant at Erkner . The following day, on 9 March, H2X radar -equipped B-17s mounted a third attack on the Reich capital through clouds. Altogether, the Eighth Air Force dropped over 4,800 tons of high explosive on Berlin during

4320-400: The German Jagdgeschwader ( fighter wings ) 3 (Udet), 4 and 300. These wings were equipped with Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters which had been modified with extra armour and 20 and 30 mm cannon for attacking bomber formations. The air battle only lasted for a few minutes "but it was a horrendous attack;" 25 bombers were shot down across an area 15 miles (24 km) across and went down over

4416-414: The German Army continued to be exposed to air attack. First seen by Allied airmen during the late summer of 1944, it wasn't until March 1945 that German jet aircraft started to attack Allied bomber formations in earnest. On 2 March, when Eighth Air Force bombers were dispatched to attack the synthetic oil refineries at Leipzig , Messerschmitt Me 262 As attacked the formation near Dresden . The next day,

4512-415: The Kingdom of England, and it later became an earldom . Parts of East Anglia remained marshland until the 17th-century drainage of the Fens, despite some earlier engineering work during the Roman occupation. The alluvial land was converted into wide swaths of productive arable land by a series of systematic drainage projects, mainly using drains and river diversions along the lines of Dutch practice. In

4608-525: The Low Countries, and Germany; and engaging in air-to-air fighter combat against enemy aircraft until the German capitulation in May 1945. It was the largest of the deployed combat Army Air Forces in numbers of personnel, aircraft, and equipment. During the Cold War (1945–1991), 8 AF was one of three Numbered Air Forces of the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC), with a three-star general headquartered at Westover Air Force Base , Massachusetts commanding USAF strategic bombers and missiles on

4704-401: The Luftwaffe flew its most desperate and deadliest mission, with the dedicated aerial ramming unit Sonderkommando Elbe . This operation involved German pilots of the unit ramming their worn-out Bf 109Gs , each barely armed with only one MG 131 machine gun and 50 rounds of ammunition, into American bombers in order to get the Allies to suspend bombing raids long enough for the Germans to make

4800-579: The Nazis, hitting the remaining airfields where the Luftwaffe jets were stationed. In addition, almost 300 German aircraft of all types were destroyed in strafing attacks. On 16 April, this record was broken when over 700 German aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Eighth Air Force flew its last full-scale mission of the European War on 25 April 1945 when its B-17s hit the Skoda armaments factory at Pilsen in Czechoslovakia, and B-24s bombed rail complexes in Bad Reichenhall and Freilassing , surrounding Hitler 's mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden . Following

4896-418: The P-51 and so trained Allied pilots could turn tighter than an Me 262A. However, the only reliable way of dealing with the jets, as with the even faster Me 163B Komet rocket fighters , was to attack them on the ground and during takeoff and landing. Luftwaffe airfields that were identified as jet and rocket bases, such as Parchim and Bad Zwischenahn , were frequently bombed, and Allied fighters patrolled over

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4992-413: The P-51B Mustang was introduced to the European Theater by the USAAF. It could fly as far on its internal fuel tanks as the P-47 could with drop tanks. However, the P-51B was introduced as a tactical fighter, so the first deliveries of the P-51B in November 1943 were assigned to three groups in the tactical Ninth Air Force at the expense of VIII Bomber Command , whose need for a long range escort fighter

5088-448: The Pacific without personnel or equipment. On Okinawa, Eighth Air Force derived its headquarters personnel from the inactivated XX Bomber Command , and Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle assumed command, being reassigned from England on 19 July. The command controlled three airfields on Okinawa, Bolo , Futema , and Kadena Airfield . The Eighth received its first B-29 Superfortress on 8 August 1945. Eighth Air Force's mission in

5184-409: The Pacific was initially to organize and train new bomber groups for combat against Japan. In the planned invasion of Japan , the mission of Eighth Air Force would be to conduct B-29 Superfortress raids from Okinawa in coordination with Twentieth Air Force operating from airfields in the Mariana Islands . Units assigned to Eighth Air Force in the Pacific were: East Anglia East Anglia

5280-440: The Reich were still working normally, twenty-nine were partially functional, and the remainder were completely destroyed. These missions, however, carried a high price. Half of the U.S. Army Air Forces' casualties in World War II were suffered by Eighth Air Force (more than 47,000 casualties, with more than 26,000 dead). Seventeen Medals of Honor went to Eighth Air Force personnel during the war. By war's end, they had been awarded

5376-406: The Reich with near-impunity. A lack of fuel and available pilots for the new jets greatly reduced their effectiveness. The Me 262A was a difficult foe for the P-47s and P-51s, possessing a distinct speed advantage. Allied bomber escort fighters would fly high above the bombers – diving from this height gave them extra speed, thus reducing the speed difference. The Me 262 was also less maneuverable than

5472-717: The Seulingswald. The total destruction of the formation was avoided by the late arrival of the 361st Fighter Group. In addition, six additional bombers crashed on the return flight to their home base at Tibenham , Norfolk , England ; only four bombers made it home unscathed. This was the greatest single-mission loss of aircraft from any American bombardment group during World War II. American losses were 31 B-24 Liberator bombers and one P-51 Mustang shot down. 118 Americans were killed, of whom 11 were murdered after parachuting to safety. 121 Americans ended up in German POW camps and survived. German losses came to 29 fighters shot down, with 18 pilots killed. In addition, seven people died when

5568-428: The Wash at King's Lynn. Major urban areas in East Anglia include the cities of Norwich , Cambridge and Peterborough , and the town of Ipswich . Other towns and cities include Bury St Edmunds , Ely , Lowestoft , Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn . Much of the area is still rural in nature with many villages surrounded by a mixture of breckland , fens , broads and agricultural land. The climate of East Anglia

5664-536: The bomber forces, losing almost half its aircraft, with claims of upwards of 47 Luftwaffe fighters by American fighter pilots. However, the Luftwaffe was successful in shooting down 46 bombers in a very unequal fight. After D-Day , attacks on the German oil industry assumed top priority which was widely dispersed around the Reich. Vast fleets of B-24s and B-17s escorted by P-51Ds and long-range P-38Ls hit refineries in Germany and Czechoslovakia in late 1944 and early 1945. Having almost total air superiority throughout

5760-410: The bombers had hit their targets, the USAAF's fighters were then free to strafe German airfields and transport while returning to base, contributing significantly to the achievement of air superiority by Allied air forces over Europe. The effect of the Mustangs, fully operating as an air supremacy fighter force, on the Luftwaffe defenders was arguably swift and decisive. The result was that the Luftwaffe

5856-492: The bombers' combat box formations in air supremacy mode, literally "clearing the skies" of any Luftwaffe fighter opposition heading towards the target. This strategy fatally disabled the twin-engined Zerstörergeschwader heavy fighter wings and their replacement, single-engined Sturmgruppen of heavily armed Fw 190As , clearing each force of bomber destroyers in their turn from Germany's skies throughout most of 1944. As part of this game-changing strategy, especially after

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5952-419: The capability to deploy forces and engage enemy threats from home station or forward positioned, anywhere, any time. The 8th Air Force motto is "Peace Through Strength." The Eighth Air Force team consists of more than 16,000 Regular Air Force (e.g., active duty), Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve professionals operating and maintaining a variety of aircraft capable of deploying air power to any area of

6048-422: The coastline has altered markedly within historical times; several towns once on the coast of the Wash (notably King's Lynn) are now some distance inland. Conversely, over to the east on the coast exposed to the North Sea the coastline is subject to rapid erosion and has shifted inland significantly since historic times. Major rivers include the River Nene and Suffolk's Stour , running through country beloved of

6144-405: The collapsing German Reich, Eighth Air Force hit targets as far east as Hungary, while Fifteenth Air Force hit oil industry facilities in Yugoslavia , Romania, and northeastern Italy. On at least eighteen occasions, the Merseburg refineries in Leuna , where the majority of Germany's synthetic fuel for jet aircraft was refined, was hit. By the end of 1944, only three out of ninety-one refineries in

6240-414: The earliest possible date. Cold and clear weather was predicted for the last week of February 1944. On the night of 19–20 February, the RAF bombed Leipzig with 823 aircraft. The Eighth Air Force's effort was over 1,000 B-17s and B-24s and over 800 fighters. The RAF provided sixteen squadrons of North American P-51 Mustangs and Supermarine Spitfires . In all, twelve aircraft factories were attacked, with

6336-435: The end of the war in Europe in May 1945 plans were made to transfer some of the B-17/B-24 heavy bomber groups of Eighth Air Force to the Pacific Theater of Operations and upgrade them to Boeing B-29 Superfortress Very Heavy (VH) bomb groups. As part of this plan, Eighth Air Force headquarters was reassigned to Sakugawa (Kadena Airfield) , Okinawa , on 16 July 1945, being assigned to the United States Strategic Air Forces in

6432-489: The enemy's rail network, striking at targets in France and Belgium. On 7 May, another 1,000 bombers hit additional targets along the English Channel coast, hitting fortifications, bridges and marshaling areas. On D-Day, over 2,300 sorties were flown by Eighth Air Force heavy bombers in the Normandy and Cherbourg invasion areas, all aimed at neutralizing enemy coastal defenses and front-line troops. The North American P-51 Mustang first entered squadron service in Europe with

6528-414: The entire German fighter force in the West, comprising combat aircraft from some eleven Jagdgeschwader day fighter wings, took off and attacked 27 Allied airfields in northern France, Belgium and the southern part of the Netherlands in an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries of Europe. It was a last-ditch effort to keep up the momentum of the German forces during

6624-426: The fields to attack jets trying to land. The Luftwaffe countered by installing flak alleys along the approach lines in order to protect the Me 262s from the ground and providing top cover with conventional fighters during takeoff and landing. Nevertheless, in March and April 1945, Allied fighter patrol patterns over Me 262 airfields resulted in numerous losses of jets and serious attrition of the force. On 7 April 1945,

6720-411: The first Atomic Bomb, Little Boy , on Hiroshima from the Boeing B-29 Superfortress , Enola Gay . During World War II, the offensive air forces of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) came to be classified as strategic or tactical. A strategic air force was that with a mission to attack an enemy's war effort beyond his front-line forces, predominantly production and supply facilities, whereas

6816-425: The first week of March. The photograph shows housing destroyed by the RAF during night raids. On 22 March, over 800 bombers, led by H2X radar equipped bombers hit Berlin yet again, bombing targets through a thick rainy overcast causing more destruction to various industries. Because of the thick clouds and rain over the area the Luftwaffe did not attack the American bomber fleet, as the Germans believed that because of

6912-605: The ground echelon of the 97th Bombardment Group , which arrived at RAF Polebrook and RAF Grafton Underwood on 9 June 1942. VIII Bomber Command launched its first raid in North-western Europe on 4 July 1942, when six RAF Douglas Boston (A-20 Havoc) bombers flown by crews of the 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light) , accompanied by another six Bostons from the more experienced No. 226 Squadron RAF , commanded by Captain Charles C. Kegelman attacked four airfields in

7008-434: The highest amounts of Continental North European (45.9-46.1%), and the highest amount of Continental West European (41.2-43.1%) ancestry in all of England. East Anglia was the most powerful of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England for a brief period following a victory over the rival kingdom of Northumbria around 616, and its King Rædwald was Bretwalda (overlord of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms). However, this did not last;

7104-402: The history of its waterways and drainage forms the backdrop to Graham Swift 's novel Waterland . The area also figures in works by L.P. Hartley , Arthur Ransome and Dorothy L. Sayers , among many others. "Suffolk pink" and similar pastel colours of whitewash are commonly seen on houses in Suffolk, Norfolk and their neighbouring counties. East Anglia has holiday resorts that range from

7200-468: The largest formation of German jets ever seen, most likely from the Luftwaffe's specialist 7th Fighter Wing, Jagdgeschwader 7 Nowotny , made attacks on Eighth Air Force bomber formations over Dresden and the oil targets at Essen , shooting down a total of three bombers. However, the Luftwaffe jets were simply too few and too late to have any serious effect on the Allied air armadas now sweeping over

7296-537: The modern counties of Norfolk and Suffolk and expanded west into at least part of Cambridgeshire , typically the northernmost parts known as The Fens . The modern NUTS 2 statistical unit of East Anglia comprises Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (including the City of Peterborough unitary authority). Those three counties have formed the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia since 1976, and were

7392-592: The painter John Constable . The River Cam is a tributary of the Great Ouse and gives its name to Cambridge, whilst Norwich sits on the River Yare and River Wensum . The River Orwell flows through Ipswich and has its mouth, along with the Stour at Felixstowe . The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads form a network of waterways between Norwich and the coast and are popular for recreational boating. The Ouse flows into

7488-406: The previous century, and it was one of the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy kingdoms as defined in the 12th-century writings of Henry of Huntingdon . East Anglia has been cited by a number of scholars as being a region where settlement of continental Germanic speakers was particularly early and dense, possibly following a depopulation in the 4th century. A 2016 study found that modern East Anglians share

7584-587: The stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge ( Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ). The operation was a failure for the Luftwaffe as the losses suffered by the German air arm were irreplaceable and over 300 Luftwaffe aircraft were shot down, mostly by Allied anti-aircraft guns. The losses of the Allied Air Forces were replaced within weeks. The operation failed to achieve air superiority , even temporarily, and

7680-561: The subject of a possible government devolution package in 2016. Essex has sometimes been included in definitions of East Anglia, including by the London Society of East Anglians. Although the Kingdom of Essex to the south was a separate element of the heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon England and did not identify as Angles but Saxons , many people in Essex today still consider themselves to be East Anglian. For example, Colchester United F.C.

7776-742: The three-bladed one used on the P-51A, the performance was greatly improved . The USAAF now finally had an aircraft that could compete on equal terms with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and the later models of the Messerschmitt Bf 109. The USAAF was finally fully sold on the Mustang, and a letter contract for 2,200 P-51Bs was issued. The engine was to be the Packard V-1650-3 , based on the Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk68 . In late 1943,

7872-568: The town limits of Bad Hersfeld carpet bombing was carried out to create fear of the American air force. On 1 August 1990, an airmen's memorial was unveiled at the crash site of the lead ship of the US bomber group in the Seulingswald near Ludwigsau- Friedlos to commemorate the fallen and as a gesture of reconciliation. 8th Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic)

7968-482: The war from RAF Grafton Underwood, attacking the Rouen-Sotteville marshalling yards in France. Colonel Frank A. Armstrong may have been the commander of the 97th, but at the time of the raid, not yet left seat qualified. On this mission, he sat in the co-pilot's seat of the lead B-17, Butcher Shop The pilot in command and leader of this historic mission was Paul Tibbets , who on 6 August 1945, dropped

8064-594: The weather the American bombers would be incapable of attacking their targets. Even so, the "pathfinder" bombers of the RAF Alconbury -based 482d Bomb Group proved very capable of finding the targets and guiding the bombers to them. In a prelude to the invasion of France , Allied strategic bomber forces were switched from industry to the transport network to isolate Normandy from enemy reinforcement routes. Air attacks by American forces against railroad junctions, airfields, ports and bridges in northern France and along

8160-402: The world when it opened in 2011. The only major commercial airport is Norwich Airport , although London Stansted Airport , the fourth busiest passenger airport in the UK, lies just south of Cambridge in north-west Essex. The University of Cambridge , established at the start of the 13th century and in the town of the same name, is East Anglia's best-known institution of higher learning and

8256-561: The world. This air power includes the heart of America's heavy bomber force, deploying the Rockwell B-1 Lancer, Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The Mighty Eighth's B-52 force consists of 76 bombers assigned to two active duty wings, the 2d Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana and the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base , North Dakota, and one reserve wing,

8352-501: Was bombed by twelve aircraft of the 446th Bombardment Group and two aircraft of the 453rd . They did not realize that they were over Dutch territory. 850 civilians, including children on their way to school, were among the casualties. On 25 February, both the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces hit numerous targets at Fürth airfield, Augsburg and Regensburg , attacking Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Bf 109 plants. The 8th lost 31 bombers,

8448-539: Was Brigadier General Arthur W. Vanaman , Chief of Intelligence, who was captured by the Germans in northern France on 27 June 1944, becoming the highest-ranked American POW captured in Europe during the war. In January 1945, the Luftwaffe attempted one last major air offensive against the Allied Air Forces. Over 950 fighters had been sent west from the Eastern Front for "Operation Bodenplatte" . On 1 January,

8544-883: Was announced in 2011 and launched in April 2012. It includes six sites with a total area of 121 hectares (300 acres), which have attracted a number of energy-related businesses. The sites are Beacon Park and South Denes in Great Yarmouth, Mobbs Way, Riverside Road and South Lowestoft Industrial Estate in Lowestoft and Ellough Business Park in Ellough near Beccles. There is also an enterprise zone in Cambridgeshire, Alconbury Enterprise Campus in Huntingdon . A shield of three golden crowns , placed two above one, on

8640-606: Was assigned VIII Fighter and VIII Air Support Commands under its command. This is from where the present-day Eighth Air Force's history, lineage and honors derive. General Carl Spaatz returned to England to command the USSTAF. Major General Jimmy Doolittle relinquished command of the Fifteenth Air Force to Major General Nathan F. Twining and on January 6, 1944, took over command of the Eighth Air Force from Lieutenant General Ira C. Eaker at RAF Daws Hill. Doolittle

8736-542: Was critical. The first escort mission for the bombers was not flown until 5 December. As the new commander of the Eighth Air Force since January 1944, Major General Jimmy Doolittle 's major influence on the European air war occurred early that year when he made a critical change to the policy requiring escorting fighters to remain with the bombers at all times. With Doolittle's permission, American fighter pilots on bomber defense missions would primarily be flying far ahead of

8832-458: Was notable by its absence over the skies of Europe after D-Day and the Allies were starting to achieve air superiority over the continent. Although the Luftwaffe could, and did, mount effective attacks on the ever-larger formations of Allied heavy bombers, the sheer numbers of B-17s and B-24s attacking enemy targets was overwhelming the German fighter force, which simply could not sustain the losses

8928-400: Was reassigned to Savannah Army Air Base , Georgia on 10 February 1942. An advanced detachment of VIII Bomber Command was established at RAF Daws Hill , near RAF Bomber Command Headquarters at RAF High Wycombe , on 23 February in preparation for its units to arrive in the United Kingdom from the United States. The first combat group of VIII Bomber Command to arrive in the United Kingdom was

9024-645: Was the daylight bombing part of the Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany. VIII Bomber Command was redesignated as Eighth Air Force on 22 February 1944. the Eighth Army Air Force (8 AAF) was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force in the European theater of World War II (1939/41–1945), engaging in operations primarily in the Northern Europe area of responsibility ; carrying out strategic bombing of enemy targets in France,

9120-466: Was undertaking the sixth major raid of the "Baby Blitz" the following night (20/21 February), with only some 165 German aircraft sortieing against British targets. The raids on the German aircraft industry comprising much of "Big Week" caused so much damage that the Germans were forced to disperse aircraft manufacturing eastward, to safer parts of the Reich. The next day, over 900 bombers and 700 fighters of Eighth Air Force hit more aircraft factories in

9216-477: Was well known to American airmen as the famous "Tokyo Raider" and former air racer. His directive was simple: "Win the air war and isolate the battlefield." Spaatz and Doolittle's plan was to use the US Strategic Air Forces in a series of co-ordinated raids, code-named Operation 'Argument' (popularly known as ' Big Week ' ) and supported by RAF night bombing, on the German aircraft industry at

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