Early Operations: Ninth/Twelfth Air Force in the Mediterranean

Until mid-1943, the USAAF’s small heavy bomber force in the Mediterranean primarily attacked enemy ports, airfields, and ships to help defeat enemy ground forces in North Africa and prepare for the invasion of Sicily.

Twelfth Air Force B-17 All-American was rammed by a German fighter while bombing enemy supply lines in North Africa. Remarkably, this aircraft made it back to base.

93^rd Bomb Group B-24 after the nose wheel collapsed on takeoff from a rough airstrip in December 1942.

British battle dress jacket, goggles, and USAAF flying helmet worn by 2^nd Lt Maurice Elstun, a B-24 bombardier in the 93^rd Bomb Group. This Eighth Air Force unit was sent to northwest Africa in December 1942 for what was supposed to be a ten day period, but did not return to England until February 1943.

HALPRO Raid: First USAAF Heavy Bomber Strike in Europe

On June 12, 1942, twelve B-24s based in Egypt bombed the Ploesti oil fields in Romania, marking the first USAAF strike on Europe. These B-24s came from the HALPRO Detachment (Halverson Project), which was en route to the China-Burma-India Theater under the command of Col Harry Halverson. In the end, the HALPRO Detachment remained in the Mediterranean to form the 376^th Bomb Group, the first USAAF heavy bomber group in that theater.