Air Force Combat Units of WWII

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3 58 AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR I1German industries, refineries, and communicationsduring the period May-Aug1944, but operated almost solely againststrategic targets from Aug 1944, when conversionto B-17’s was completed, until Mar1945. Attacked oil refineries in Merseburg,Mannheim, and Dulmen; factoriesin Nurnberg, Hannover, and Berlin; andmarshalling yards in Cologne, Munster,Hamm, and Neumunster. Aided groundforces during the Battle of the Bulge, Dec1944-Jan 1945, and turned again to supportand interdictory operations in Mar 1945 asthe Allies crossed the Rhine and made thefinal thrust into Germany. Returned tothe US, Aug-Sep 1945. Inactivated on 7NOV 1945.SQUADRONS. 836th: 1943-1945. 837th:1943- 1945. 838th : 1943-1945. 839t h :1943-1945-STATIONS. Bruning AAFld, Neb, 20Sep 1943; Alamogordo AAFld, NM, 15Dec 1943-c. 13 Mar 1944; Lavenham, England,5 Apr 1944-c. 26 Aug 1945; DrewField, Fla, 3 Sep-7 Nov 1945.COMMANDERS. Lt Col Charles E Lancaster,4 Oct 1943; Lt Col Beirne Lay Jr, 28Feb 1944; Col Robert Taylor 111, 12 May1944; Col William K Martin, 28 Dec 1944;Lt Col Howard C Todt, May 1945; ColNicholas T Perkins, 3 Jun 1945-unkn.CAMPAIGNS. Air Offensive, Europe;Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland;Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe.DECORATIONS. None.INSIGNE. None.488th BOMBARDMENT GROUPConstituted as 488th BombardmentGroup (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943. Activatedon I Oct 1943. Assigned to SecondAF; reassigned to Third AF in Nov 1943.Equipped with B-17’s. Served as a replacementtraining unit. Disbanded on1 May 1944:SQUADRONS. 828th (formerly 840th) :1943-1944. 842st: 1943-1944. 842d: 1943-1944. 843d: 1943-1944-STATIONS. Geiger Field, Wash, I Oct1943; MacDill Field, Fla, I Nov 1943-1May 1944.COMMANDERS. Lt Col Rudolph BRobeck, I Oct 1943; Maj George H Goody,12 Oct 1943; Lt Col Ansley Watson, 25Oct 1943; Col Gerry L Mason, 11 Dec1943; Lt Col Ansley Watson, 11 Feb 1944;Lt Col Robert K Martin, 15 Mar-1 May1944.CAMPAIGNS. None.DECORATIONS. None.INSIGNE. None.489th BOMBARDMENT GROUPConstituted as 489th BombardmentGroup (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943. Activatedon I Oct 1943. Trained with B-24’s.Moved to England, Apr-May 1944, andassigned to Eighth AF. Entered combaton 30 May 1944, and during the next fewdays concentrated on targets in France inpreparation for the Normandy invasion.
AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS-GROUPS 359In an attack against coastal defenses nearWimereaux on 5 Jun 1944, the group’slead plane was seriously crippled by enemyfire, its pilot was killed, and the deputygroup commander, Lt Col Leon R VanceJr, who was commanding the formation,was severely wounded; although his rightfoot was practically severed, Vance tookcontrol of the plane, led the group to asuccessful bombing of the target, and managedto fly the damaged aircraft to thecoast of England, where he ordered thecrew to bail out; believing a wounded manhad been unable to jump, he ditched theplane in the Channel and was rescued.For his’ action during this mission, Vancewas awarded the Medal of Honor. Thegroup supported the landings in Normandyon 6 Jun 1944, and afterwardbombed coastal defenses, airfields, bridges,railroads, and V-weapon sites in the campaignfor France. Began flying missionsinto Germany in Jul, and engaged primarilyin bombing strategic targets such asfactories, oil refineries and storage plants,marshalling yards, and airfields inLudwigshafen, Magdeburg, Brunswick,Saarbrucken, and other cities until Nov1944. Other operations included participatingin the saturation bombing of Germanlines just before the breakthrough atSt Lo in Jul, dropping food to the liberatedFrench and to Allied forces in France duringAug and Sep, and carrying food andammunition to Holland later in Sep. Returnedto the US, Nov-Dec 1944, to preparefor redeployment to the Pacifictheater. Redesignated 489th BombardmentGroup (Very Heavy) in Mar 1945.Equipped with B-29’s. Alerted for movementoverseas in the summer of 1945, butwar with Japan ended before the groupleft the US. Znactivated on 17 Oct 1945.SQUADRONS. 844th: 1943-1945. 845th:1943- I 945. 846t h : 1943-1945. 847th :1943-1945-STATIONS. Wendover Field, Utah, I Oct1943-3 Apr 1944; Halesworth, England, c.I May-Nov 1944; Bradley Field, Conn, 12Dec 1944; Lincoln AAFld, Neb, c. 17 Dec1944; Great Bend AAFld, Kan, c. 28 Feb1945; Davis-Monthan Field, Ariz, 3 Apr1945; Fairmont AAFld, Neb, c. 13 Jul1945; Ft Lawton, Wash, 23 Aug 1945;March Field, Calif, 2 Sep-17 Oct 1945.COMMANDERS. Col Ezekiel W Napier,20 Oct 1943; Lt Col Robert E Kollimer, 5Feb 1945; Col Paul C Ashworth, 11 AprI 945-un kn.CAMPAIGNS. American Theater; AirOffensive, Europe; Normandy; NorthernFrance; Rhineland.DECORATIONS. None.INSIGNE. None.490th BOMBARDMENT GROUPConstituted as 490th BombardmentGroup (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943. Activatedon I Oct 1943. Trained for combatwith B-24’s. Moved to England in Apr1944 for operations with Eighth AF.Entered combat in Jun 1944, bombing airfieldsand coastal defenses in France
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AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS-GROUPS 261CO
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FIRST AIR FORCEAIR FORCESConstitute
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AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS-AZR FORCES 4
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AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS-AIR FORCES 4
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APPENDIXES
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APPENDIX 11:THEATERS AND CAMPAIGNSU
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48 2 AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORL
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APPENDIX 111:Air Force units, like
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INDEX OF UNITSAn asterisk (") indic
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INDEX OF UNITS 49742d Bombardment,"
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INDEX OF UNITS 499123d Fighter-Bomb
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INDEX OF UNTTS 501406th Bombardment
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INDEX OF UNITS17th Bombardment, 385
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INDEX OF UNITS309th Air, 4Ig310th A
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Air Force Combat Units of WWII

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