Beginning operations in April 1942 with a shoestring flight of four
Lockheed F-4 Lightnings (the photo-recon version of the famed P-38), the
8th Photo Squadron gave the American Army Air Forces its only aerial
reconnaissance coverage of the Southwest Pacific during the first part
of the war. From the first days over New Guinea until the final sweeps
over Japan the squadron struggled with the world's most treacherous
weather and faulty equipment as well as a resolute Japanese enemy to
write an astounding record of keeping the 5th Air Force pictorially
informed. The 8th Photo Squadron participated in every campaign from
Buna to Hollandia, Lae to Rabaul, the Philippines to the invasion of
Okinawa. The squadron played a part in such famous battles as the Coral
Sea and Bismarck Sea. Its first commander was Karl Polifka, who went on
to be listed in the first rank of American reconnaissance. This book is
comprised of over 500 photos - most of which have never been published
before - many from the archives of squadron veterans. Many new facts are
added to the annotated squadron diary that was kept when the 8th
operated almost singlehandedly during 1942 and 1943.