Until World War II aircraft had played only a minor role in combat, but with the RAF and Luftwaffe fiercely dueling in the Battle of Britain it was apparent that air superiority would be the deciding factor in the war. The Eighth Air Force quickly grew from its first modest effort into the mightiest aerial armada in history, eventually launching thousand-plane raids. While Fortresses and Liberators attacked factories, fuel supplies, and transportation networks, Lightnings, Thunderbolts, and Mustangs shot enemy fighters from the skies. But the road to victory was paved with sacrifice. From its inaugural mission on July 4, 1942, until V-E Day, the Eighth Air Force lost more men than did the entire United States Marine Corps in all its campaigns in the Pacific. The Mighty Eighth chronicles the testimony of the pilots, bombardiers, navigators, and gunners who daily put their lives on the line. Their harrowing accounts recall the excitement and terror of dogfights against Nazi aces, maneuvering explosive-laden aircraft through deadly flak barrages, and fending off waves of enemy fighters while coping with subzero temperatures. Beginning with the opening salvos from a mere dozen planes, crewmen describe the raids on Berlin and Dresden, the fiasco at Ploesti, Romania, and Black Thursday over Schweinfurt. They fell to the terror of seeing aircraft destroyed--helplessly watching as comrades crash and burn, or parachute over enemy territory, where they will attempt to evade enemy capture through the underground. Others tell of mourning downed airmen murdered by vengeful citizens and soldiers, and of those who endured captivity in POW camps.