US Air Power in Europe

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With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the US forces' arrival in Britain during World War Two, Key.Aero has collated a collection of articles that honour the key role American air power has played in European skies for eight consecutive decades. 

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NATO AIRPOWER: THE FIRST 20 YEARS

Andrew Thomas reviews air power during the first 20 years of NATO’s existence

An F-86D-50-NA of the 513th Fighter Interception Squadron at Manston. Note the many vortex generators, including those on one of the NACA flush intakes for tailpipe cooling. All “Aeroplane” photographs Feature Premium

Revealing insights into UK-based USAF F-86D Sabres

A detailed report on the new capabilities provided by the F-86D from the April 22, 1955 issue of The Aeroplane

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The birth of The Eighth Air Force

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver charts the arrival and operations of The Eighth Air Force in the European theatre of World War Two

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The Eighth Air Force vs The Flakwaffe

Donald Nijboer examines the use of flak in World War Two – the greatest combat hazard to bombers operating in European skies

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The tragic crash of an Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress

The valiant actions of an American B-17 pilot saved the lives of his crew – but at the expense of his own. Anthony Moor details the tragic crash of an Eighth Air Force Flying Fortress

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US Army Mohawks peeking behind the Iron Curtain

Doug Gordon outlines the border surveillance missions undertaken by the US Army’s Mohawks in West Germany during the Cold War

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RAF Goxhill: the story of the first USAAF station in the UK

Chris Frear reveals how the first RAF station to be handed over to the USAAF has been given a new lease of life, decades after it had closed

C-54 Skymasters on turn-around between airlift sorties, with C-54G 45-532 of the Pacific Division, Military Air Transport Service, in the foreground. KEY COLLECTION Feature Premium

Berlin Airlift - USAF pilots' memories of Operation Vittles

Berlin Airlift pilots from the US Air Force tell the story of their part in one of the greatest humanitarian efforts in aviation history

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Luftwaffe vs Mighty Eighth: The battle to stop US bombers

Robert Forsyth details how the Luftwaffe attempted to defend the Third Reich against the mass daylight formations of US heavy bombers

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A complete overview of USAFE-AFAFRICA

This year US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commemorated its 80th anniversary. The command is the oldest in the USAF, having been originally established as the Eighth Air Force under the US Army during World War Two.

Check out our new bookazine  US Air Forces in Europe: 80th Anniversary 

US Air Forces in Europe chronicles 80 years of America’s flying services, from the arrival of the US Army Air Force in 1942, through the formation of the USAF and up to the present day. It details the Americans’ daylight combat in World War Two, the ‘cold war’ that followed, and the all-important NATO defence duties we see today.

Buy it now