Defeat from the Sky The combined efforts of the 8th, 9th and 15th Air Forces were a vital contribution to the final Allied victory in Europe. The primary foe of the Army Air Forces (AAF) in Europe, the Luftwaffe, was destroyed as it unsuccessfully tried to defend the Reich. For the last six months of the war, AAF aircraft struck German targets at will. Germany's cities lay in ruins from 'round the clock bombing by the AAF and British Bomber Command. Its transportation system was nearly brought to a halt by Allied air attacks. The German army suffered from a lack of fuel and constant daylight attack by fighter-bombers, leaving it vulnerable to assault by Allied ground forces. Click here to return to the World War II Gallery.