8th AF Aerial/Ground Credits-by Gp and type

[drgondog]

Paul - this might be better as an add to Technical where other contributors can add different stuff. I'm working on 9th AF now. I am also working on a month by month rollup but it is on hold at the moment.

It is now in my new book manuscript - and conforms to latest USAF Historical Research Center Victory Credits totals updated through this year for air credits awarded to 8th AF.

The Ground Credits are from 8th AF Victory Credits Board - June 1945(?) and will never be any more accurate as there is no agency to file new claims forward.

The Losses are from MACRs and Accident Reports - most of the Accident Reports are from Ted Damick, Aviation Archeology.com and Accident-Report.com

 

[lesofprimus]

Great document Bill, lotta people been waiting for this to be done.... Thanks for taking the time man...

 

[vikingBerserker]

Very nice!

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

8)


Wheels

 

[drgondog]

Great document Bill, lotta people been waiting for this to be done.... Thanks for taking the time man...

Thanks Dan - this one took a lot of research, not only for nailing the official credits but also the timing for those 14 of 15 groups that transitioned from one airframe to another.

There are some possibilities of a small error on type for those groups that took more than a week to transition from 47 to 51 and 38 to 51 but it is pretty darn close.

The 9th AF is a bitch on type of fighter shot down/credited because so many records are missing.

 

[Erich]

so many records of lost info as well as little air to air action except for the 354th fg but again until the newer version of the Schiffer title on the unit all we had was the little informed Pioneer Mustang grp book, worthless in my opinion. Even with the 8th Af records are not complete in my opinion on the ground victories, the reps of several fg grps that I am a freind of still do not have the concrete data in their midst.

Bill thanks for your hard work and dedication

E ~

 

[drgondog]

so many records of lost info as well as little air to air action except for the 354th fg but again until the newer version of the Schiffer title on the unit all we had was the little informed Pioneer Mustang grp book, worthless in my opinion. Even with the 8th Af records are not complete in my opinion on the ground victories, the reps of several fg grps that I am a freind of still do not have the concrete data in their midst.

Bill thanks for your hard work and dedication

E ~

The 8th AF VCB microfilm has two roll ups as you know - one detail by pilot and date and detail pilot summary air and ground - and there are errors. The April VCB individual awards are spotty at the end of the war, names misspelled, double counts etc.

I spent a lot of time reading a LOT of encounter reports and VCB details to arrive where I am now on ground scores - and yes I agree Erich.

Frank O is still running down the individual claims submitted to both 8th and 9th for April as well as the returning POW interviews and has made the most progress on updating USAF 85 to its current state on air to air as well as ground stuff.

I had dad's VCB awards for 4 destroyed 2 damaged on April 13, 1945 but 8th AF VCB had him for 3 and 3 under "Marchal, Burt W, Lt Col" instead of "Marshall, Bert W, Lt Col"

Having said this I went to 8th VCB post war for ground scores in these tables.

 

[Erich]

think the 1945 time period is critical as many US pilots of course shot the crap out of anything on the fields or in the trees, much am positive was scrap metal never even known by the Allies as confirmed, hoping that Frank can step up the ground kills for the 9th as they were in continual ground attack mode 44-45, aerial was covered as we know by the 8th AF and lesser extent the 354th of the 9th AF.