Somewhere in England: American Airmen in the Second World War

World War II represented the height of the close relationship between America and Britain, as they banded together to defend the British Isles and attempt to roll back the Axis armies on the continent. A key component of both efforts was the nascent United States Army Air Force. At its peak strength in 1944, the USAAF employed 450,000 Americans in Britain, a huge force that served alongside British RAF pilots and soldiers to help protect the island and project force throughout Europe.

Somewhere in England celebrates the Americans who served as part of the USAAF in England, offering an unprecedented look at that group of airmen and support staff, and their effects on the communities in which they were stationed. Drawing on the 15,000 photographs in the Roger Freeman collection, the Imperial War Museum has assembled a book that shows us the USAAF at work and play, including a large number of photographs in color. The resulting book is a testament to the power—and success—of the US-British partnership in the darkest days of World War II. In May 2016, the IWM will be re-opening the American Air Museum at IWM Duxford after a major refurbishment, and the publication of this book will coincide with that event.