491st Bombardment Group
491st Bombardment Group | |
---|---|
Distinguished Unit Citation | |
Insignia | |
491st Bombardment Squadron emblem[1] |
The 491st Bombardment Group is a former
History
Training in the United States
The 491st Bombardment Group was activated 1 October 1943 at
In January, the air echelon moved to
Combat in the European Theater of Operations
The 491st's air and ground echelons were assembled at
In August 1944, the
The group was occasionally diverted from the strategic bombing campaign. it supported ground forces during
Return to the United States and inactivation
During its combat tour, the 491st flew 187 missions, comprising over 5,000 sorties, the highest operational rate for Liberator units in Eighth Air Force. It lost 47 aircraft,
Lineage
- Constituted as the 491st Bombardment Group, Heavy on 14 September 1943
- Activated on 1 October 1943
- Inactivated on 8 September 1945[2]
Assignments
- II Bomber Command, 1 October 1943 – February 1944
- 95th Combat Bombardment Wing, c. 5 May 1944[8]
- 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, 15 August 1944 – c. 17 July 1945[12]
- Second Air Force, 17 July-8 September 1945
Components
- 852d Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 8 September 1945[3]
- 853d Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 8 September 1945[4]
- 854th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 8 September 1945[5]
- 855th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 8 September 1945[5]
Stations
- Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona, 1 October 1943
- El Paso Army Air Field, Texas, 11 November 1943 – 1 January 1944
- Ketteringham Hall (Sta 147),[13] England (ground echelon), 1 January 1944[8]
- RAF North Pickenham (Sta 143),[13] England (ground echelon), March 1944[note 6]
- Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, (air echelon) 1 January 1944[8]
- RAF Metfield (Sta 366),[13] England, c. 25 April 1944
- RAF North Pickenham (Sta 143),[13] England, 15 August 1944 – 5 July 1945
- McChord Field, Washington, 17 July-8 September 1945[14]
Aircraft
- Consolidated B-24 Liberator[2]
Awards and campaigns
Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Distinguished Unit Citation |
26 November 1944 | Misburg, 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Air Offensive, Europe | 25 April 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] | |
Air Combat, EAME Theater | 25 April 1944 – 11 May 1945 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] | |
Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] | |
Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] | |
Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] | |
Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] | |
Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
See also
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Aircraft is Consolidated B-24J-55-CF Liberator, serial 44-10492 of the 853d Bomb Squadron.
- 39th Bombardment Groupas well.
- 448th Bombardment Groups. Blue, p. 82.
- ^ The squadron's assigned target was obscured by cloud cover and it returned to base without bombing. Blue, p. 85.
- ^ Fifteen of these were lost on the Misburg raid. Freeman, p. 182.
- ^ Ketteringham Hall and North Pickenham were apparently only nominal bases. Ketteringham Hall was station headquarters for the 2d Bombardment Division. Ground personnel for the 491st Group were actually located at the four stations of the division's groups. Although North Pickenham was selected to be the 491st Group's initial station in England, this choice was revoked and the squadron ground echelons did not move until April, when they gathered at Metfield. Freeman, p. 261.
- Citations
- ^ Watkins, pp. 118–119
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 360–361
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 782
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 782–783
- ^ a b c d Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 783
- ^ a b Blue, p. 80
- ^ Blue, p. 81
- ^ a b c d e f g h Freeman, p. 261
- ^ Blue, p. 82
- ^ Blue, p. 83
- ^ Blue, p. 90
- ^ "Factsheet 14 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d Station number in Anderson.
- ^ Station information in Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 360–361, except as noted.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- Blue, Alan G. "Ringmasters: A History of the 491st Bombardment Group (H)" (PDF). AAHS Journal. 9 (2). American Aviation Historical Society. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Watkins, Robert (2008). Battle Colors: Insignia and Markings of the Eighth Air Force in World War II. Vol. I (VIII) Bomber Command. Atglen, PA: Shiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-1987-7.
External links
- Media related to 491st Bombardment Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons
- 491st Bombardment Group (Heavy) Website