BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCES IN EUROPE
(USAFE)
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCES IN EUROPE (USAFE)
Eighth Air Force
USAFE traces its lineage to the Eighth Air Force. When the War
Department (WD) activated 8th Air Force
headquarters at Savannah, Georgia, on 28 January 1942 , it intended the
new organization to act as the
air component of a task force to invade northwest Africa. After the
combined Chiefs of Staff postponed
that operation in early March, the WD designated 8th AF as headquarters
(HQ) for the air portion of
"Bolero," the US buildup in the United Kingdom.
"Bolero," the US buildup in the United Kingdom
As plans matured, Bolero’s momentum began to build. An advanced echelon
of the 8th arrived in
London in May; the HQ itself, commanded by Major General Carl A.
Spaatz, followed in June. The
first aircraft, a B-17 arrived in Britain on 1 July 1942. This was the
modest beginnings, because the 8th
lacked the strength to strike the enemy’s "vital centers" until well into
1943.
As the buildup continued, the Army Air Force (AAF) reorganized its
forces. To provide centralized
control of bomber operations against the European Axis, the WD on 22
February 1944 redesignated 8th
AF as "United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe" (USSTAF). Gen.
Spaatz was commanding
general.
The European war's end
The European war's end came at a schoolhouse in Reims, France, where the
German surrender was
accepted on 7 May 1945. Fittingly, General Spaatz was there. It had
taken 994 bitter, hard-fought days
since the first raid the 8th had mounted on 17 August 1942 on
Rouen-Sotteville, France to bring down
Hitler’s vaunted 1000-year Reich. Victory had come at a high cost:
280,000 Americans killed and
670,000 wounded, captured, or missing. The totals included 35,000 AAF
officers and airmen killed,
13,700 wounded, and 39,000 missing, captured, or interned. Twenty-five
aviators in the European and
Mediterranean theaters won the Medal of Honor (sixteen of them
posthumously).
Following Germany’s unconditional surrender, USSTAF’s mission became
disarming the Luftwaffe,
enforcing the surrender terms, transferring American air power to the
Pacific, and desposing of surplus
war materiel. Because the command was no longer engaged in strategic
bombing, the WD on 7 August
1945 deleted the word "strategic" from its title, which became the United
States Air Forces in Europe
(USAFE). On 13 August 1945, Lt Gen. John K. Cannon became the first
commanding general of
USAFE.
USAFE has changed
USAFE has changed in many ways since its creation in 1942. Despite
changes, its mission has
remained constant: to defend freedom and democracy in Europe. Political
and economic ties with the
US make Europe an area vital to American national security. Twice in
this century, Americans went to
war to restore the European balance of power; later, they helped Western
Europe preserve free
institutions against a new challenge. As the 1990s began, European peace
and stability still required
hard work and dedicated effort, and USAFE stood ready to make its
contribution. As the command
looks toward the 21st century, it builds on the achievements of thousands
of people who served in its
ranks.
USAFE INSIGNE
The War Department approved a USAFE shoulder sleeve
insigne on 24 July 1947; and the USAFE Commanding General authorized it for
wear from 20 April 1948 to 30 June 1952. Description: On an
ultramarine blue disc, 2 5/8 inches in diameter, a white star 1 inch in
diameter charged with a red disc in the center and with golden orange
stylized wings; issuant behind upper point of star, a sword erect proper
flamant red.
The sword was copied from the insigne of the United States Forces
in the European Theater (USAFET), USAFE's parent command in 1947. Its
use with the insigne of the Army Air Forces indicated USAFE's
relationship to USFET and the AAF. The upright position of the flaming
sword symbolized readiness to strike in the nation's defense.
Although the Air Force later deleted shoulder patches from its
uniforms, the USAFE insigne continued to be the official emblem of
record at Headquarters USAF. The background color changed to blue
applique and the size of the star increased in a version adapted to the
organizational flag on 22 April 1954.
USAFE MOTTO: Headquarters USAF approved "Vigilance for Freedom"
as the command motto on 15 June 1965. It is not part of the insigne.