Fact Sheets

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Mask Policy:
In accordance with the updated guidance released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD) and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will require all visitors to wear face masks indoors effective July 30, 2021 until further notice.

Visitors ages three and up will be required to wear masks while indoors at the museum. This policy applies to all visitors, staff and volunteers regardless of vaccination status. Visitors may wear their own masks or a free paper mask will be provided. Cloth masks will also be available for purchase in the Museum Store.
Additional information available here.

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Gunners
US Army Air Forces gunners defended B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers against fighter attacks with machine guns aimed by hand (“flexible guns”) and electrically-powered gun turrets. Typically, gunners made up half of a bomber crew, manning a top turret, ball turret, two waist guns, and a tail turret. Some other crewmembers also
Women’s Army Corps in Europe
“The WAC has been of inestimable value...Its members have worked devotedly, often at arduous tasks requiring exceptional performance.” —General Carl Spaatz, US Strategic Air Forces commander About half of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) personnel—or “WACs”—sent overseas served in Europe. Most WACs stationed there performed essential
Fighter Escort: “Little Friends”
During the first half of the strategic bombing campaign, the USAAF lacked fighters that could escort its heavy bombers on strikes against targets in Germany. As a result, heavy bomber crews took devastating losses that threatened the continuation of the campaign. By early 1944, improvements to the P-47 and P-38, and the introduction of droppable
“Big Week”: February 20-25, 1944
In February 1944, the USAAF and RAF conducted an all-out campaign against Germany’s aviation industry and the Luftwaffe. Heavy bombers from the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces hammered aircraft, engine, and ball-bearing plants by day, and RAF bombers attacked by night. Code named Operation Argument, it became known as “Big Week.” By this time,
Target Berlin
Berlin, Germany’s capital, was selected as a prime target for the USAAF, not only for its industrial importance, but because the Luftwaffe would be forced to defend it, suffering heavy losses in the process. The USAAF conducted its first major raid against Berlin on March 6, 1944—672 heavy bombers struck the city and 69 were shot down. The USAAF
OPERATION FRANTIC: Shuttle Raids to the Soviet Union
In 1944, the US persuaded Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to allow USAAF aircraft to operate out of bases in the western Soviet Union. Between June and September 1944, the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces conducted a total of seven so-called “shuttle raids” under the code name Operation Frantic.(Additional pictures coming soon)Fifteenth Air Force B-17
Blind Bombing: “Mickey”
During the frequently cloudy conditions over Europe, USAAF bombers could not bomb visually. In these conditions, USAAF heavy bombers used a radar system called H2X and code-named “Mickey.” Mickey-equipped “pathfinder” aircraft gave formations the signal to bomb. On B-24 pathfinders, the H2X radome replaced the ball turret. B-17 pathfinder Mickey
D-Day Support
“I, personally, am convinced that without your air force...the invasion would not have succeeded...” —Generalleutnant Adolf Galland, Luftwaffe General of FightersBy May 1944, the strategic bombing campaign had crippled the Luftwaffe’s fighter force, making the Normandy invasion possible. In the weeks before D-Day, June 6, 1944, the
Strategic Bombing Victorious
“In my opinion the war was decided by the air offensive...it happened when you started large-scale attacks on our synthetic oil plants simultaneously with attacks on our communications.” —Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch, Luftwaffe Armaments Chief By the fall of 1944, with thousands of heavy bombers and long-range fighters in action,
Epilogue: Sacrifice and Victory
Starting with only a theory and a handful of aircraft, the USAAF faced early setbacks and devastating losses. Still, heavy bomber crews time and time again resolutely fought through enemy defenses to hit their targets. With their courage and sacrifice, the USAAF created a massive, unstoppable bomber force that crippled the enemy and played a