A total of 76 bombers from the Eighth Air Force are dispatched for a raid on Kiel, Germany, without fighters. Sixty make it to the target, but 22 are shot down, highlighting the need for fighter escorts. Among those killed that day was Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest III, the first American general killed in combat during the war in Europe.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.