Western Front Archives - Air War Publications

9 September 1944: II. Jagdkorps attempts to intervene

by Adam Thompson | Sep 9, 2026 | 366th FG, 78th FG, Bf 109, Frontline, Fw 190, II. Jagdkorps, Jagdgeschwader 11, Jagdgeschwader 2, Jagdgeschwader 53, Jagdgeschwader 76, Jagdgeschwader 77, Luftwaffe, Luftwaffe Units, P-47 Thunderbolt, Pilots, Research, USAAF, USAAF Units, Western Front

IntroductionOn Saturday 9 September 1944, things were looking very grim for the Germans. In Bulgaria the Otechestven Front (Fatherland Front) overthrew Konstantin Muraviev’s government, shifting that nation away from the Axis powers. Along the East Prussian border,...

Pushing to Rocroi: 16 May 1940

by Adam Thompson | May 16, 2026 | 2.(H)/14, A Little Bit of Everything, France 1940, Frontline, Hs 126, Luftwaffe, Luftwaffe Units, Pilots, Potez 63, Research, Western Front

IntroductionThe German invasion of France and the Low Countries that began on 10 May 1940 caught the British, French, Dutch and Belgians off guard. With troops and tanks of the Heer sweeping through the Ardennes, Allied forces found themselves out of position. With...

Over Sea and Land: A History of Küstenfliegergruppe and Kampfgruppe 806

by Adam Thompson | Oct 21, 2022 | Battle of Britain, eArticles, Eastern Front, Frontline, He 111, Ju 88, Kampfgeschwader 54, Kampfgruppe 806, Küstenfliegergruppe 806, Leningrad, Luftwaffe, Luftwaffe Units, Mediterranean, Pilots, Publications, Research, Sicily, Western Front

It has been a while since the last Air War Publications eArticle release, but we now have a brand new story available: ‘Over Land and Sea – A History of Küstenfliegergruppe and Kampfgruppe 806’ When Germany went to war in September 1939, it did so...

A Little More Weirdness

by Adam Thompson | Jan 29, 2021 | A Little Bit of Everything, Jagdgeschwader 2, Luftwaffe, Western Front

Recently, we posted about the weird things you come across in researching the Luftwaffe. As Morten, Andrew and Adam continue to sift through the various primary sources in the Air War Publications’ archive, we thought we would update you on a few more items that...

9 October 1942 Raid on Lille eArticle Available

by Andrew Arthy | Oct 9, 2020 | 301st BG, 9 October 1942 Raid on Lille, 93rd BG, 97th BG, Aces, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, Bf 109, eArticles, Frontline, Fw 190, Jagdgeschwader 2, Jagdgeschwader 26, Luftwaffe, P-38 Lightning, Pilots, Publications, RAF, Research, Royal Air Force Units, Spitfire, USAAF, USAAF Units, Western Front

Now available from the Air War Publications website is our latest eArticle An Ever-Increasing Might – The 9 October 1942 Bombing Raid on Lille, the story of the Eighth Air Force’s raid on factories in northern France in the autumn of 1942. Based on...

The Liberator Debuts with the Mighty Eighth Air Force – 9 October 1942

by Andrew Arthy | Aug 17, 2020 | 9 October 1942 Raid on Lille, 93rd BG, B-24 Liberator, eArticles, Frontline, Pilots, Publications, Research, USAAF, USAAF Units, Western Front

The 93rd Bombardment Group (93rd BG) had the distinction of taking the Consolidated B-24 Liberator into combat with the Eighth Air Force on 9 October 1942, during a mission by 108 American heavy bombers against industrial targets in the French city of Lille. However,...