70th anniversary of the Eighth Air Force

On Jan. 28, 2012, the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum will be celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the Eighth Air Force in Savannah, Ga. Exclusive guided tours of the Museum will be offered at 10 a.m. and 1 pm.. History will come to life as World War II Eighth Air Force Veterans will be meeting and greeting visitors.

Free Children’s introductory model airplane building classes will be held at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. Participants will also receive a free child’s admission to the Museum with the purchase of their model airplane. Spaces are limited so to save your spot in the building class or reserve your guided tour, contact Heather at 912-748-8888 or at education@mightyeighth.org.

The Museum will be presenting the History Channel’s, “World War II in HD – The Air War”. The showing will take place at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m .in the DeCicco Theater included in the Museum’s admission rate.

Told through the gripping, first person accounts of three American airmen and Stars & Stripes reporter Andy Rooney, The Air War showcases breathtaking aerial combat – original, color footage, never before seen by most Americans – of the B-17s “Flying Fortresses”, P-47 “Thunderbolts” and P-51 “Mustangs” on missions such as Regensburg, Schweinfurt and Berlin. Never-before-seen 8mm footage of the airmen on the bases, the devastation inGermany, and the Luftwaffe perspective is also highlighted. Flying 25,000 feet above the earth in oxygen-devoid air, and temperatures as low as 50 below zero, the 8th Air Force fought a war unlike anything ever before experienced. By the end, they would suffer more than 26,000 combat deaths – more than the U..S Marines lost in all of World War II.

Seventy years ago this month, the 8th Air Force was activated in Savannah in what is now the American Legion Post on Bull Street at the south end of Forsyth Park. A historical marker marks the founding. The Eighth Air Force was a critical strike element in World War II and remains an active force today. The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum is one of the word’s most powerful Museum experiences as it honors the Mighty Eighth’s proud legacy by preserving the stories of courage, character and patriotism displayed by the men and women of the Eighth Air Force from World War II to present.

For more information, please visit http://www.mightyeighth.org or call 912-748-8888.