TIME LINE
DECEMBER 1944
2 Dec 1943 – 494BG activated Wendover Field, UT. No personnel or aircraft assigned
JANUARY 1944
30 Jan 1944 – Fifty three B24 bomb crews were ordered to leave HQ 18th Replacement Wing, Salt Lake City, UT by troop train or private auto and to report on or before 2400 1 Feb 1944 to the 32nd Bombardment Training Squadron at Davis-Montham Field, Tucson AZ where they would receive Phase 1 training and add a navigator to the crew
FEBRUARY 1944
MARCH 1944
4 Mar 1944 – Fifty one B24 crews were ordered to leave their B24 Transition training at Davis-Montham Field AZ as Provisional Group TU-3-5 and report to the 494BG at Wendover Field not later than 7 Mar 1944
APRIL 1944
13-16 Apr 1944 the 494BG moved to Mountain Home AAB, ID. Twenty four B24s were ferried from Wendover to Mountain Home. The purpose of the move was because of better maintenance facilities and better flying weather.
23 Apr 1944 B24J 42-100139 developed engine trouble on a high altitude camera bombing training mission to Sacramento. The crew was forced to bail out near McDermitt NV
30 April 1944: Strength: 291 officers, 1671 enlisted. The group carried 10 combat crews over the aurthorized strength.
May 1944
Authorized strength on a 12 crew basis was 291 officers and 1497 enlisted. The unit was assigned 10 extra crews.
The 494th BG received 60 new B24js in May 1944 at Mountain Home Field. The first flight of three reached Mt Home from the Tucson AZ modification center 24 May 1944. (pg 23) Due to this delay in receiving aircraft, the crews were unable to get in any overwater or shakedown flights prior to leaving. They made the flight overseas with no prior overwater training.
By 31 May 1944 the Air Echelon of the group proceeded to Lincoln AAF NE for final overseas processing. The Ground Echelon would leave Mt Home 1 June 1944 for Fort Lawton, WA.
June 1944
8 Jun 1944: The 494BG ground echelon and selected members of the flight echelon embarked from the Seattle port of embarkation aboart the SS MEXICO.
9-22 Jun 1944: The flight echelon left Fairfield/Suisun AAF for Barking Sands AAF (APO 966). All but one plane had arrived by 30 Jun 1944.
B24 44-40758 crashed in Nebraska (866 BS/WALLACE)
B24 44-40655 crashed on arrival at Wheeler Field, Oahu (865 BS/MEROZ)
The 494th BG was authorized a total of 24 combat crews to a squadron. Each squadron was authorized one officer and 26 enlisted men for radar training.
AUGUST 1944
Officers and radio operators of each combat crew were sent to Radar School at Hickam Field. Twenty navigators completed a 12 hour course in LORAN navigation. One LORAN navigation set was installed in teh staff airplane, B24J 44-40791. All navigators received two hours of instruction, one hour of film, and six hours of practical use in LORAN.
17 Aug 1944 – The 494BG ground echelon left by the ship ss SEA STURGEON for Anguar Island. They were not able to land on Anguar until 30 Sep 1944 and there was a delay in taking the island from the Japanese. They ship had to hold off the north end of Palau for 7 days until the island was taken.
OCTOBER 1944
The 865 and 867 BS arrived at Anguar (APO 264) between 21-24 Oct 1944 with a total of 28 B24Js. The 864 and 866 BS and their 28 aircraft were still at Barking Sands, Hawaii. The group commander, Col Kelley, arrived 27 Oct 1944 in the group’s C87.
NOVEMBER 1944
The air echelons of the 864 and 866 BS arrived on Anguar 23-25 Nov 1944. By 30 November, 1944 a total of 54 B24Js and one B24L was on Anguar Island, along with their C-87.
DECEMBER 1944
JANUARY 1945
Fifty nine LORAN installation kits designed for the B24D were received. They were found to be unsuitable for installation on the B24J. Modification work was begun to adapt them to our B24J.
B24L 44-41470 was transferred to the 11th Bomb Group as no radar air or ground personnel, other than the Group radar officer, had been assigned to the 494th BG.
22nd Bomb Group left Anguar.
Six new B24Js replacement aircraft were received this month.
The 864th BS, 865th BS, and 867th BSs were each authorized 114 officers and 426 enlisted. The 866th BS was authorized 114 officers and 463 enslisted. 16-18 aircraft per squadron.
FEBRUARY 1945
494th BG Strength: As of 28 February 1945, 57 B24Js, 6 B24Ls, 6 B24Ms, and 1 B24D. 469 Officers assigned, 17 attached. 1815 Enslisted assigned, 33 attached. The group received 15 additional aircraft in February.
Installation of LORAN equipment in Group aircraft was completed.
Received six B24Ms first week of February 1945
Nine radar equipped planes (6 x B24Js and 3 x B24Ls) and crews arrived in the last week of February 1945.
MARCH 1945
Strength per squadron – 18 aircraft/30 crews (March 1945)
Critical engine shortage developed with no replacement engines available.
APRIL 1945
Group was authorized two radar equipped squadrons with a total of twenty radar equipped (H2X) airplanes. Radar maintained by Group Radar Section.
One hundred fifty B24 engines arrived on Anguar by 20 April 1945.
27 April 1945 – The 865BS, 866BS and 867th BS sent planes and crews to augment the 11th BG on Guam.
Six 865BS crews and planes departed Anguar at noon 27 April 1945 for Guam in support of the 11th BG. On 28 April 1945, six more 865BS crews and three more B24s were sent to Guam. LtCol Karsokas commanded the detached unit. Nine B24s from the 866th BS were also sent to Guam. The detachment flew 7 combat missions against Marcus Island and Truk and stood on several one hour alerts. They returned to Anguar on 15 May 1945.
MAY 1945
15 May 1945 – The aircraft and crews attached to the 11BG on Guam returned to Anguar. 29 may 1945 – Lt Col Delevan H. Davis departed Anguar for Okinawa via Saipan to pave the way for the arrival of the 494th ground echelon on Okinawa. On 26 May 1945, the Liberty ship JEREMIAH DALY arrived and was loaded with cargo and a few group personnel. It left for Okinawa on 31 May 1945. On 31 may 1945, the troop transport USS CROCKETT arrived.
Only 13 combat missions were flown in May.
The group received eight aircraft equipped with the H2X radar and trained crews for operation. The radar section also received three complete H2X sets to be ued for training.
One B25 was assigned to the group to be used for tow target gunnery practice.
JUNE 1945
3 Jun 1945 – The USS Crokett left Anguar with the Ground Echelon of the 494th BG for Okinawa. They joined a convoy at Ulithi on 21 June 1945 and arrived at Okinawa on 24 June 1945.
10 Jun2 1945 – B24J 44-40730 crashed and burned during an aborted takeoff at Anguar. The pilot and copilot were killed.
21 Jun 1945 – Part of the air echelon embarked on the USS ALKAID and departed Anguart. Stopping in Ulithi, they had to wait until July for a convoy to Okinawa.They arrived on Okinawa on 11 July 1945
29 Jun 1945 – The USS JEREMIAH DAILY carrying the general cargo of the 494th BG arrived in Okinawa.The cargo had been pilfered and many personal items were missing.
JULY 1945
1 July 1945 – Forty eight airplanes of the air echelon departed Anguar for Okinawa. The remaining aircraft would arrive throughout the month.
9 July 1945 – B24M 44-41475, 866BS, piloted by Harry McKee crashed two minutes after takeoff from Anguar. Four crewmembers are listed as MIA and are assumed to have gone down with the aircraft. Eight survived the crash
17 july 1945 – B24J 44-40711 SITTIN’ PRETTY of the 865BS was shot down by anti aircraft fire over Chiangwan Field, Shanghai, China. All 10 crew members bailed out. Three became POWs. One was killed while trying to evade. Six rescued by Chinese guerillas.
The 373rd BS, of the 308th BG, 14th AF was assigned to the 494th BG and arrived on Okinawa on 22 July 1945.They had the secret low level night antishipping mission to prevent the Japanese from bringing troops back to Japan or the Philippines from China.
30 July 1945 – B24M 44-50289 od rhw 373rd BS took off from Yontan and immediately crashed in rough terrain off the end of the runway. There were no survivors.
30 July 1945 – B24 44-50289 crashed on takeoff from Yontan Air Field.
31 July 1945 – B24M 44-51010 of the 373rd BS crash landed at Yontan after receiving battle damage while attacking Japanese shipping. It ended up on the side of the runway on an embankment, with several crewmembers killed. A little later, two US Navy F6Fs were taking off when one lost control. It settled down on the B24 with its belly tank spewing burning gasoline all over. Several armorers were inside the B24 trying to defuse some bombs.
AUGUST 1945
13 August 1945 – B24M 44-43118 of the 373rd BS aborted a takeoff at Yontan and skidded tail first into an embankment.
JANUARY 1946
4 January 1946 – The 494th Bombardment Group (H) was officially inactivated at Ft Lawton, WA.
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864 Bombardment Squadron (H)
B24 42-109941 Sent back to Hawaii from Anguar after 61 missions April 1945
B24M 44-42055 THE NORMAN S MACKIE Flew its first combat mission on 13 feb 1945. Christened The Norman S Mackie on 17 April 1945, who was the squadron Intelligence officer. Crashed on takeoff for Marcus Island from Harmon Field, Guam on 1 May 1945. Four crew members were killed and six injured.
B24L 44-41470 Transferred to 11 BG in Jan 1945
B24M 44-41027 THE SENATOR On 24May 1945 a taxi accident damaged a wing tip. Severly damaged by Japanese fighter in the 25 July 1945 attack on Tsuiki Airfield, Kyushyu. Control cables were severed and had to be patched back. With not brakes or hydraulics, parachutes were used to slow it down on landing at Yontan Airfield, Okinawa where the pilot (James Hurley) swerved it off the runway into soft ground to stop it. It was repaired and flown back to the US for salvage.
B24M … 047 FINAL OBJECTIVE New aircraft, built by Ford, had APS-15A radar, and Glide Bomb radar. Damaged in typhoon Louise Okinawa but repaired and flown back to the US for salvage.
B24J 44-40716 Shot down 28 July 1945 while attacking battleship Haruna in Kure Harbor, Hiroshima. Seven crew killed. Four bailed out and became POWs. Killed by the Hiroshima atomic bomb (MACR 14990)
B24J 44-40717 Crashed during landing practice at Barking Sands AAF 20 July 1944 and was destroyed by fire (CLAYCOMB/HEPNER)
B24J 559
B24J 44-40660 HELL’S BELLE; scrapped at Biak, New Guinea
B24 44-40559 KUUIPO Shot down by 10-20 Japanese fighters after leaving the target of Tsuiki Airfield, Kyushu on 25 July 1945. Pilot:John C. Anderson, 864BS. Two hours and eighteen minutes after being hit, the aircraft blew up 100 miles NNE of Yontan Air Field, Okinawa, just NW of Amami Island. (N28 40 E129 05) Seven parachutes were seen but only two crewmembers were found and picked up by a PBY. The PBY crashed on takeoff from the water due to high waves. A four engine Navy PBY landed and picked up the crew successfully. (Charles D. McLaughlin & Elliot J. Deutsch)
B24J 44-40690 HORRIBLE MONSTER Crashed on takeoff from Tacloban 25 Jan 1945. All 11 crewmembers killed. (Morris/MACR 12178)
B24J 44-40704 BLACK CAT aka BLACK PANTHER aka EEFUS GEEFUS, Destroyed during landing accident at Anguar 15 May 1945. Crew survived. Pilot Capt Edwin Sturm.
B24J 44-40706 Lost on 10 Nov 1944 at Barking Sands
B24 44-40707 BUGS BUGGY
B24J 44-40712 PLUNDERBUS Flown back to US and scrapped at Kingman, AZ 1947.
B24J 44-40713 THE BULL SNOOKER Arrived from Barking Sands 13 Jan 1945. Flew at least 34 combat missions. Was flown back to the US and was salvaged.
B24 715
B24 735
B24 736
B24J 44-40 739 CONTRARY MARY Flown back to US and salvaged at Kingman AZ
B24 745
B24J 44-40746 BLUNDERING BEN Lost 2 engines over Leyte, crew bailed out (Yearly)
B24J 44-40647 LADY EVE In takeoff accident at Angaur Airfield,6 Apr 1945. All crew survived, aircraft badly damaged, unknown if repaired.
B24 755 RIOT CALL. Transferred to 90th BG on Okinawa.?
B24J 44-40757 BIG TIME OPERATOR Landing accident Anguar 26 mar 1945 Returned to US after the war with Col Kelley as a passenger
B24 027
B24 44-41758
B24J 44-40743 I’LL GET BY Crashed at Ising Mindanao in the Philippines after aircraft caught fireShot down Mindanao 17 Feb 1945. All crew members bailed out and were rescued. (Lamke/MACR 13084)
B24J 44-40739
B24 44-41495
B24 672 TINY MAC
B24 … 063
B24 44-45996 Transferred into the squadron May 1945. It was built by Ford and no parts were available on Anguar and it was grounded for about a month waiting on parts.
HELL’S BELLE
OVER LOOKED
CONTRARY MARY
BLUNDERING BEN
TIME OFF
865th Bombardment Squadron (H)
B24 44-40472 FLYING FIFER Nose wheel collapsed on landing at Barking Sands on 15 Aug 1944
B24M 44-42056 Received 8 Feb 1945
B24M 44-42057 BULL II Received 8 Feb 1945
B24J 44-40561 assigned 10 Jan 1945. Later flown to Biak after Okinawa to make room for the B29s of 8th AF.
B24J 44-40563 DOUBLE TROUBLE. Flown back to the US after completing 40 combat missions.
B24M 44-51580
B24J 44-40645 SUPERCHICK Flown back to USA after the war.
B24J 44-40660 HELL’S BELLE
B24J 44-40688 Crashed NW of Peleliu after two engines failed 13 Dec 1944 (MACR 10595)
B24J 44-40705 THE SNIFFIN GRIFFIN
B24J 44-40711 SITTIN’ PRETTY – on 25 MAY 1945, a fuel truck parked at the front of the aircraft caught fire and schorched the nose of the aircraft. It was shot down by anti aircraft fire over Chiangwan Field, Shanghai, China 17 July 1945. All 10 crew members bailed out. Three became POWs. One killed while trying to evade. Six rescued by Chinese guerillas. (MACR 14864)
B24J 44-40715 THE MISSOURI MULE Nose gear damaged by anti-aircraft fire, damaged while landing Anguar 10 April 1945. Also assigned to 864BS at one time. Landing accident on Anguar 31 Mar 1945.
B24J 44-40730 Crashed Anguar 10 July 1945, destroyed.
B24J 44-40731 TIL THEN Undershot landing Anguar 18 May 1945
B24J 44-40732 FLYIN’ PAY
B24J 44-40733 INNOCENCE A BROAD 494BG 865BS Returned to US Oct 1944.
B24L 44-41574 Flew only 5 combat missions and was damaged beyond repair on 9 April 1945 while taxxing back to her regular parking stand. The right landing gear broke through the coral surface into a Japanese pill box that had been inadequately filled and compacted during airport construction.
B24 44-40730 Crashed and burned on attempted takeoff on 10 Jun 1945. They were on a navigational mission to the Philiippines and made it half way down the runway when the pilot cut power and attempted to stop the plane. The plane left the runway and ran off into rough ground at the northeast corner of the airfield. The plane was destroyed by fire. The pilot and copilot were crushed and trapped in the aircraft and were killed. Nine of the remaining crew members were able to escape, with injuries.
B24 738 PILOR ERROR (Transferred to 866 BS on or about 20 Nov 1944)
B24 742
B24J 44-40748 THE EARLY BIRD Led the squadron with 53 missions with no aborts in May 1945
B24 44-40750 SLUGGIN’ SAL Completed 64 missions by the end of the war in August 1945.
B24J 44-40751 POLISH EAGLE Landed with a heavy load of gas and ran off the end of the runway at Anguar 22Nov1944. Written off and turned over for salvage. (TOMCZAK)
B24 44-40752 ROVER BOYS BABY
B24 756
B24 CRASH KIDS
B24 …. 761
B24 … 496
THE EARLY BIRD
866th Bombardment Squadron (H)
B24M 44-42052 LIQUIDATOR Left Yontan Field on 19 September 1945 to take former POWS to the Philippines. Pilot: Lt Charles C. Scruggs with four other crewmembers and twenty former POWS ( 11 US Army, 1 Dutch sailor, 3 Dutch soldiers, and 5 Australian soldiers) were aboard. The plane crashed into a mountain top in central Taiwan with no survivors.
B24M 44-42061 HEAVEN CAN WAIT Flew one mission with the 865BS in February 1945. Two days later, it was assigned to the 866th BS where it flew about 26 combat missions. It was returned to the US by pilot Dale Adams on 21 October 1945,
B24J 44-40355 MISS ALINE Crashed enroute Tacloban after left target, fuel starvation. Only one crewmember survived
B24 44-41475 Crashed into the ocean two minutes after a night takeoff from Anguar on 9 July 1945. Four crewmembers are MIA and assumed to have gone down with the aircraft. Eight survived.
B24J 44-40355 Crashed near Biliran Island in the Samar Sea, Philippines 28 Jan 1945. Nine crew members killed, one bailed out and survived. (MACR 16255)
B24 716 TALOA Shot down over Hiroshima in the attack on the Japanese battleship 28 July 1945 (Dubinsky) Nine crewmembers died in the crash.
B24J 44-40666 LES MISERABLES One of the original planes assigned to the 866tg BS at Mountain Home, ID in May 1944.The aircraft left Yontan Field on 10 September 1945 to ferry former POWs to Manila by Lt Robert A. Armacost and four other crewmembers. Their passengers were 15 soldiers from the British Army, one sailor from the Dutch Navy, and four soldiers from the US Army. Leveling off at 10,000 feet for the journey to Nichols Field in Manila, they encountered weather from a typhoon over Taiwan. One hundred miles southwest of Taiwan, they lost #1 engine and it would not feather and was windmilling out of control. They sighted a ship below (a British destroyer escort) and decided to have everyone bail out over it. Thirteen were saved and twelve were lost (Nine British soldiers and three American soldiers)
B24 672 TINY MAC
B24J 44-40680 LONESOME LADY Shot down by anti-aircraft fire during the attack on the Japanese battleship HARUNA anchored at Kure harbor near Hiroshima on 28 July 1945 (Pilot: Cartwright -MACR 14758) Five of the crewmembers were POWs in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped and were killed. For more information go to this website: ( https://hiroshima-pows.org/mori-book-index ) Two of the crew were taken to another place outside of Hiroshima and survived the war.
B24J 44-40684 RIP SNORTER Crashed Clark AB after being hit by flak (Winnar – Maj Rowe MACR 11263)
B24 685
B24 44-40693 LITTLE RED
B24J 44-40709 BOMB BABE Was flown on a mission on 10 July 1945 where they entered a frontal weather boundary over Kyushu and control was lost due to instrument failure. They broke out of the clouds in a vertical dive with an indicated airpspeed well over 400 mph. They flew back to Okinawa at 50 to 100 feet to avoid clouds.The plane was scrapped after inspection showed that all the rivets on the main spar were sprung.
B24J – 44-40731 TIL THEN On 18 may 1945, Lt FLANAGIN, CP on Dubinsky’s crew, undershot the Anguar runway during transition check and completely washed out the aircraft but with no crew injuries.
B24 44-40738 PILOT ERROR Flown back to the US Oct 1945
B24 44-40741 Destroyed at Barking Sands AAF when 864 BS aircraft 717 crashed into it during landing practice.
B24J 44-40744 EIGHT BALL Damaged in landing accident at Anguar 15 May 1945
B24 44-40753 Destroyed at Barking Sands AAF when 864 BS aircraft 717 crashed into it during landing practice.
B24 747 OLD GEORGE
B24J 44-40685 QUEEN OF HEARTS Assigned 24 May 1944@ Mountain Home Field
B24 794
B24J 44-40796 SACK TIME SAL II
B24M 44-50980 assigned to 866BS on 6 may 1945.
867th Bombardment Squadron (H)
B24J 44-40758 Destroyed from explosion while penetrating a thunderstorm near Chappel, Nebraska 7 Jun 1944 (WALLACE)
Fourteen B24Js were assigned during Sept 1944.
B24D 42-109948 PARK N’ STRIP PATTY Assigned 1 Mar 1945. Declared “war weary” and flown back to Hawaii in May 1945.
B24 609
B24L 44-41610 STARDUST received from 30 BG 4 mar 1945
B24 44-40647 LADY KAYE
B24 44-40686 SHORT RUN
B24 668 PIOUS PLUNDERER
B24 688 THE BULL Ditched 90 miles west of Anguar on return from mission to Lahung Airfield, Cebu on 13 Dec 1944. Four crewmembers survived.
B24J 44-40689 OUR BABY
B24J 44-40729 HAYMAKER The first B24 of the group to land at Anguar on 21 Oct 1944 at 1730. (ZIMMERMAN)
B24J 44-40737 WOLF
B24J 44-40740 ARMED VENUS
B24J 44-40749 BOXCAR
B24J 44-40750 SLUGGIN’ SAL
B24 754 HAWAIIAN WOMAN
B24J 44-40759 SHACK BUNNY
B24J 44-40760 BLACK SHEEP
B24J 44-40761
B24 44-40790
B24J 44-40791 PLAYMATE
B24 795 NEAR MISS
B24 – 44-40760
B24J 44-40868 MY IDEAL
B24 COW BIRD
B24 HAYMAKER
B24M 44-42058 BRIEF Part of a 22 airplane B24 formation, shot down by flak over Koror 4 May 1945. One crewmember parachuted out, Lt William Kaufman, Navigator. He was captured by the Japanese and beheaded. They had a passenger, Sgt Floyd C. Bennett, who was a cook on Anguar and had wanted to see what a mission was like. And, the radio operator, TSgt James R. Tenney, was on his last mission (40th).
B24 44-50959 DOG PATCH DELIGHT Came into squadron May-Jun 1945. Flew 11 missions before the end of the war.
B24 44-51048 Assigned in May 1945. Flew 18 missions before the end of the war.
B24J 44-42120 Came into the squadron in May 1945. It was used in the Guam deployment of 494BG planes.
B24 …. 994 Came into the squadron in May 1945
PACIFIC VAMP
PLAYMATE
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Engines averaged 300-350 hours before change
B24D 42-40101 RUPTURED DUCK
CB24D 41-24168 PACIFIC SCAMP Assigned 4 Mar 1945 (867 BS)
B24 711 SITTING PRETTY
B24 BOMB SHELL
B24 HAWAIIAN DREAMS
B24 773 INNOCENCE A’BROAD
B24 DOUBLE TROUBLE
B24 SITTING PRETTY
B24M 980 Radar equipped
B24 ARMED VENUS
B24 PLAYBOY
B24 SHORT RUN
B24 BLACK SHEEP
B24J 42- 109838 PARK AND STRIP PATTY Obtained from 30 BG when they left for Hawaii. Declared war weary and flown back to Hawaii depot 27 April 1945 by crews going on R & R. .
B24J 42-109941 Obtained from 30 BG when they left for Hawaii. Declared war weary and flown back to the Wheeler Field Hawaii depot 27 April 1945 by crews going on R & R. Had flown a total of 61 combat missions. 59 of these missions were with the 30th BG, 2 with the 494th BG.
B24J 42-109838 WAR WEARY Obtained from 30 BG when they left for Hawaii. Declared war weary and flown back to Hawaii depot 27 April 1945 by crews going on R & R.
B24J 44-40794 Damaged on landing 24 April 1945 and salvaged for parts.Two crewmembers injured.