Meet the American pilots who defied their country's neutrality to fly for the RAF in WW2.

In this Wings of Defiance episode, we tell the story of the Eagle Squadrons – American volunteer pilots who joined the Royal Air Force before the USA joined the war.

We explain how pilots were recruited and how what they did was technically illegal because the USA was neural in the conflict.

We take a trip to Little America and the site of the former US embassy in London's Mayfair.

And we follow in the footsteps of the Eagle Squadron pilots at an airfield in England – still working today after 80 years.

With thanks to Peter Gardner and Jack Holloway of North Weald Airfield Museum – well worth a visit.

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Visit the Mighty Eighth Podcast website: mighty8thpodcast.com

To contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.uk

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It was one of the most audacious air attacks of World War II – a low-level raid designed to cut off Hitler's fuel supply by bombing the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania.

Taking place on Sunday, August 1, 1943, Operation Tidal Wave saw five B-24 Liberator bomb groups take off from Libya and fly in complete radio silence across the Mediterranean towards their target.

In this episode, we tell the story of the mission – from conception to completion.

We delve into the tactics, get to grips with the personalities involved and look at the effectiveness of one of the most daring and ambitious raraids carried out by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF).

For photos and more information about Operation Tidal Wave, visit the episode page on the Mighty Eighth Podcast website.

With special thanks to David Pratt, Kerry Wilmot, Paul Thrower, the Woodrow family and Hardwick Airfield Museum.

Please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit the Mighty Eighth Podcast website: mighty8thpodcast.com

To contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.uk

Follow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on X - @mighty8thpod

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A special bonus episode about Ops Normal – the authorised operational history of Britain's Army Air Corps by John Greenacre and Mike Peters, co-host of the Mighty Eighth Podcast.

Since its formation in 1957, the Army Air Corps has played a prominent role in almost every British Army operation in modern times.

A comprehensive operational history of the Army Air Corps experience, the book provides a unique insight into the aircraft deployed and the experiences of the men and women involved.

Covering the years 1957 to 2017, it captures the pace of change and turbulence as a small embryonic corps of aviators evolved into the fully fledged combat arm of today.

The book Ops Normal can be purchased from:

• Helion & Company (UK Publishers)
• Army Flying Museum (UK)
• Amazon

For regular listeners, further episodes of the Mighty Eighth Podcast are in the pipeline and due to be released in early 2025.

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