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About the Collection
The Eighth Air Force, the largest of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, was based in East Anglia, England and was operational from May 1942 to June 1945. It flew strategic bombing missions over Western Europe and Germany, aiming to defeat the Luftwaffe (the German air force) and destroy industrial, transportation, and military targets under a doctrine of daytime precision bombing. At its peak in mid-1944, the “Mighty Eighth” could send two thousand bombers and a thousand fighters on missions over the continent. However, this success came at a devastating cost as more than 26,000 airmen were killed and another 21,000 wounded, about forty percent of all U.S. Army Air Forces casualties worldwide during World War II. These missions helped clear the skies of German aircraft, enabling Allied ground forces to make successful beach landings—most notably on D-Day and push towards Germany. They also crippled German infrastructure, limiting the enemy’s ability to produce and transport weapons to the front lines.
The Eighth Air Force Archive at Penn State is mainly due to the efforts of James Hill, editor of the 8th AF News from 1991 to 1998 and the 8th Air Force Memorial Museum Foundation (8AFMMF) as they coordinated the acquisition and transfer of historical materials from veterans of the 8th Air Force to the Archive. In 1998, donors Sherry Petska Middlemas and George Middlemas Jr. established the Albert M. Petska Libraries Endowment to honor the memory of their fathers, both Air Force veterans. This endowment provides for acquisitions and preservation of the collection.
The Eighth Air Force Archive preserves the history of bomber, fighter, and support groups stationed in England during World War II. The collection features original documents, photographs, maps, audio-visual materials, artifacts, and memorabilia donated by veterans and their families, as well as a cataloged book collection housed in the Eighth Air Force Reading Room. Also included are records and publications from veterans’ organizations from the 1970s to the 2000s
For researchers interested in applying for a travel grant, visit the Special Collections Research Grants page to find the Albert M. Petska Eighth Air Force Archives Research Award and application form.