Us Official Photographs

8th AF fighters over Germany

BACK FROM ATTACK - In the greatest attack of the war, in which 8th AF struck at fighter production centers in Germany, American fighters who escorted the bombers established a new record by destroying 61 Nazi planes for a loss of only three. Photo shows Maj. Herbert E. Johnson of Los Angeles, Calif., a Lockheed P-38 squadron commander who recently won the Distinguished Flying Cross for action over enemy territory. He scored a double victory in the latest Brunswick raid when he bagged a pair of Focke Wulf 190's near the target area. The Lightning pilot, who already had a Dornier 217 to his credit, possesses the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.