| Research Accelerator |
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What do you know? - Capture what you know, and what you have. As little or as much as you know - write it all down. Look in closets and attics, check for documents including letters, photos, official forms and orders. All information is valuable, even if it lacks precision. It is useful to know if the person you are interested in served early or late in the war, in a particular year, or the exact dates. For instance, I have my father's official USAAF flying logs, which give dates, flying time, combat or non-combat mission, and duty, but it does not give mission numbers or targets (I got a lot of that from other websites and personal contacts - see next item). Do you know the group and/or squadron? How about the base, or bases. Do you have names, anecdotes, letters, photos, records, etc.? Gather it all - write it down.
Stop and Consider... - You can, at this point, enlist professional assistance such as William Beigel, or forge ahead on your own... Fill gaps - Use on-line resources to fill in blanks. This website provides a way to find out where a group fit into the overall 8th AF structure, and where it was based. There are also links to specialty sites - such as for a bomb or fighter group - that may contain information of value. For personal help, there is the Mighty 8th Message Board. For guidance on retrieving government records, click on the "Research" link at The United States Army Air Forces in W.W.II. That site also has a great deal of information. |
| Books? - There are a lot - A LOT - of books! Search on e-Bay or abebooks.com for various combinations of words that relate to your interest area. Also check the library, being sure to do an interlibrary search. |
| Museums! - Did I mention museums? Of course, there is the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE US AIR FORCE at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and the MIGHTY EIGHTH AIR FORCE MUSEUM in Savannah (Pooler), GA. Also the 390th BG Museum in Tucson, AZ has a very active research program. Most museums have some on-line presence, so try some searches and add 'museum' at the end. |
| There must be more... - There are other things to try. People usually are able to sustain their research once they become acquainted with the resources available and start networking. I am personally indebted to many people I met thru the net, who only asked what they could do to help... |
| Pass it on - I was shocked at how quickly people started turning to me for help. It will happen - just smile and do what you can. Point them to the internet, the libraries, the people - and smile, because you are keeping history alive. |