USAAF Fighter Stories

The United States Army Air Force grew from a tiny force numbering only 22,000 personnel in January 1939 to a peak strength of 2.4 million men and women by 1944, making it the greatest air arm the world had ever seen. The USAAF fighter pilots who operated from bases across the UK flew long-range escort duties protecting their 'big friends' - vast fleets of Fortresses and Liberators assaulting Hitler's Fortress Europe. Having scoured the heavens, American fighter pilots then took the battle to treetop level. Hunting their quarry during hazardous strafing attacks, they swept enemy territory securing aerial supremacy and shielding both air and ground offensives. Their contribution is revealed through individual accounts detailing dramatic events from a personal level, but building to ultimate victory attained by tremendous spirit and teamwork.