14 Oct 1943

On This Day in History /
October 8-14, 1943, was a pivotal week for the fledgling Eighth Air Force. Under the command of Lieutenant General Ira Eaker, formations of heavy bombers were dispatched from England on daylight missions to destroy military and industrial targets. Eaker’s “maximum effort” series of bombing missions encountered waves of experienced Luftwaffe pilots and by week’s end, 150 bombers and nearly 1,500 Airmen were lost. The 100th Bomb Group, one of 40 groups, lost half its strength, along with many of its original pilots that had arrived on base just four months earlier. Group Navigator Harry Crosby’s Bremen Mission Report gives a harrowing first-hand account. (Photo: Harry Crosby, Group Navigator, 100th Bomb Group, Heavy)
General Henry “Hap” Arnold was in England at Eighth AF headquarters that week. In the coming days, replacement crews arrived from the US to fill the void. Meanwhile, command and strategic changes were put into motion. By the first week of January 1944, P-51 Mustang fighters began arriving in significant numbers. Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle replaced Lieutenant General Eaker, who assumed command of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. By D-Day, Allied ground troops landed along the Normandy coast and only a handful of enemy fighters were encountered.