Oregon Chapter
8th Air Force
Historical Society

Preserving the history of the Mighty 8th

Note:
The 8thAF Oregon Historic Archives contain copyrighted material which is owned and controlled by their respective copyright holders. Memorial histories by WWII veterans include specific permissions for their use.
The 8thAFHS Oregon Chapter does not own or manage these copyrights, and does not and cannot grant permission for their use or reproduction. The Oregon Chapter may be able to assist locating or contacting copyright holders, contact Treasurer-Secretary

The Archive Project

Accounts of Duty In World War II & Other Archived Research Material

Oregon Chapter Archive Index - members of the chapter who have donated materials.

Non-Oregeon Chapter members research material index - other materials donated / collected that the chapter has from people who were not members of the local Oregon 8th AFHS.

The Oregon Chapter started this "memories" project back in the late 1990s. Each member was sent a request to write down their memories of their time served in the Eighth Air Force during World War Two. Some cover from the time they joined, their training, and their combat experiences to VJ day. Some items are just a paragraph. Original documents like log books have been donated.

"Twenty-five doesn't sound like much until you start flying them."
Capt Robert Morgan, pilot of the "Memphis Belle."

Researching History

To learn history you have only a few choices: talk to a participant, read their written documents, or read what others have who may - or may not - have talked to people or looked at source documents.

You can find at this link Eighth Air Force Specific Research Sites

The best is always to talk to the original participants. In learning about who have died since the war. This is true for any historical study and not unique to the study of war.

If you cannot talk to a person then seeing original written documents, items that they collected themselves during the war, items that were given to them, or that they obtained during the war but was officially not allowed to be published, provides invaluable insight. Some items included in these archives you will have never seen before - or even knew existed.