9th AAF Operations?

[SteveB]

Does anyone know of a published source (book/internet) that provides comprehensive daily details of 9AAF operations during 1943-45 especially those of the Bomber Groups?

Steve

[Nick Beale]

Kenn C. Rust's The 9th Air Force in World War II is probably as close as you'll get.

If it took Shores & Thomas four volumes to cover the 2nd TAF, I dread to think how many a similar chronicle of the 9th AF would need.

Also, it's always worth searching the web for the sites on individual USAAF Groups. Some of them have comprehensive mission reports.

[Brian Bines]

Steve,

Try this site for the 394th http://www.ww2buddies.com/BG394.html unit histories were also printed as follow ' The Annihalators 322nd.BG', 'The Crusaders 386thBG', '344th BombGroup', 'The Bridges Busters 394th.BG. There was also a more recent history of the 410th BG but I cannot remember the title. East Anglia Books who advertise in Flypast may be able to help if any of these are available second hand, might be pricey,

Regards

Brian Bines


410th BG history 'Attack Bombers We need You' by Ralph Conte one on amazon

[DavidIsby]

A google search on the web should direct you to the USAF's combat chronology in pdf form, which, along with their unit history book, accessible the same way, is a basic source for the USAAF and its operations.

But among the reasons that there are not a lot of reference books on the Ninth Air Force (or the Twelfth or Fifteenth) is that fact that they did not keep records like the Eighth Air Force.

[SteveB]

Gentlemen

Thank you for your prompt responses. I find that on TOCH! and RAF Commands I am often irritated by posts that provide only half of someone's story/question and of course now I have done it myself!

My particular interest is the contribution of the 9AAF to the campaign against the V-1 sites. So I need to say that I have the 2TAF series and there are some references in there; I also have the John Foreman "Fighter Command Diaries" and again there are clues in there especially where RAF Sqns provided escort to medium bomber missions. Ken Rust's history is a treasured volume on my shelves but there is no sense in which it could be described as "comprehensive" I am not sure if it even mentions the operations against V-1 sites.

I have been searching on Google and I can only say that so far I had not found "the USAF's combat chronology in pdf form" but I will try again on that search phrase. Although I have followed up a number of leads/links to BG Associations I have not yet found anything that pretends to be a complete list of targets/operations flown.

I am sorry to say my interest in this matter can't possibly justify the purchase of a series of separate books. I was hoping that there might be a single volume, something like "Mighty Eighth War Diary", that had escaped my attention.

Steve

PS thank you David the USAAF Combat Chronology http://www.usaaf.net/chron/index.htm does get me a lot closer to the info I hoped for.

[Brian Bines]

http://www.387bg.com/ = site for 387th BG might have some info. for you.