The 8th Air Force was established in 1942 as VIII Bomber Command. The first combat group to arrive in Europe was the 97th Bombardment Group. The first raid was launched on July 04, 1942. Regular combat missions began in August 1942. One of the men in this group during this time was Paul Tibbets, who would go on to pilot Enola Gay and drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The 8th lost more men in combat than the entire Marine Corps did in the Pacific Theatre...and that was a lot of men!

I love pilots, and I always wanted to grow up an marry one. I did not, but it was a dream. I love reading personal accounts from pilots, especially World War II pilots. The personal accounts and quotations in this book were very interesting. I loved learning about the history of the 8th and the missions they went on. Gerald Astor is a good author. The story is always captivating, and the research is always great.