453rd Bombardment Group
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| 453d Bombardment Group | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1943 - 1945 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Part of | Eighth Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | European Theatre of World War II |
The 453d Bombardment Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the European Theatre of World War II.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Operational Units
- 732d Bomb Squadron (E3)
- 733d Bomb Squadron (F8)
- 734th Bomb Squadron (E8)
- 735th Bomb Squadron (H6)
[edit] Aircraft Flown
[edit] Stations Assigned
- Wendover Field, UT 1 Jun 1943
- Pocatello AAFld, ID 29 Jul 1943
- March Field, CA 30 Sep-2 Dec 1943
- RAF Old Buckenham, England 23 Dec 1943-9 May 1945 144
- New Castle AAFld, DE 25 May 1945
- Fort Dix AAB, NJ 18 Jun-12 Sep 1945
[edit] Operational History
Constituted as 453rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 May 1943. Activated on 1 Jun 1943. Trained with B-24's. Moved to RAF Old Buckenham England, Dec 1943-Jan 1944, and assigned to Eighth Air Force. The group was assigned to the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-J".
The 453d BG entered combat on 5 February 1944 with an attack against an airfield at Tours. Throughout combat, the unit served chiefly as a strategic bombardment organization. Targets included a fuel depot at Dulmen, marshalling yards at Paderborn, aircraft assembly plants at Gotha, railway centres at Hamm, an ordnance depot at Glinde, oil refineries at Gelsenkirchen, chemical works at Leverkusen, an airfield at Neumunster, a canal at Minden, and a railway viaduct at Altenbeken.
The group took part in the concentrated attack against the German aircraft industry during Big Week, 20-25 February 1944. Besides strategic operations, the group engaged in support and interdictory missions. Bombed V-weapon sites, airfields, and gun batteries in France prior to the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; on 6 June hit shore installations between Le Havre and Cherbourg and other enemy positions farther inland. Attacked enemy troops in support of the Allied breakthrough at St Lo in July. Bombed German communications during the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945. Ferried cargo on two occasions: hauled gasoline, blankets, and rations to France in September 1944; dropped ammunition, focal, and medical supplies near Wesel during the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.
James "Jimmy" Stewart, the Hollywood movie star, was Group Operations Officer at Old Buckenham during the spring of 1944.
The 453d Bomb Group flew its last combat mission in April. Initially it was prepared for possible redeployment to the Pacific theatre using B-29 Superfortresses. However hostilities in Europe had ceased before the group had time to start its movement. It returned to New Castle AAFld, Delaware on 9 May 1945 and was inactivated on 12 September 1945.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0900913096
- Freeman, Roger A. (1991) The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record. Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35708-1
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
