494 Bombardment Group
1 September 1943 – The 494th Bombardment Group (H) was CONSTITUTED – became available for activation. ASSIGNED – the ADJUTANT GENERAL turned over responsibility for its future to the Second Air Force in Colorado Springs, commanded by Major General St. Clair Streett.
ACTIVATION was scheduled for Wendover Field, UT, 1 December 1943.
2 December 1943 – On this date the 494 Bombardment Group (H) was ACTIVATED – a day late and without assignment of personnel or equipment.
Although the 494th Bombardment Group (H) had been a paper organization for several months in the TOP SECRET files of G-3, it was not until December, 1943 that it began to assume physical reality. From all quarters of the compass, by train and bus, airplane and automobile, an apparently casual collection of individuals began to assemble in that Garden Spot of the Old West, Wendover, UT.
On 30 January 1944, fifty three B-24 Bomb crews were ordered to leave HQ 18th REPLACEMENT WING, Salt Lake City UT, by troop train or private auto to report on or before 2400 1 February 1944 to the 32nd Bombardment Training Squadron at Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson AZ. There they were to receive their Phase I training and add a Navigator to the crew.
On 4 March 1944, fifty one crews were ordered to leave their Phase I training post by troop train or private auto as Provisional Group TU-3-5 and report for assignment to the 494th Bomb Group (H) at Wendover Field not later than 7 March 1944
.“Our crew was on that train. And we traveled in one of those new Pullmans designed for cattle cars and army troop movements without springs or padded seats. We slept from Tucson to Mojave CA, played cards, read, dozed all the way to Salt Lake City and arrived in Wendover in the middle of the night.” ( )
The 489th Group was training at Wendover when the first members of the 494th Bombardment Group arrived. The 489th BG pulled out from Wendover AAF for the European Theatre and left the 494th BG with whatever equipment and facilities that they felt was not worth taking with them.
The newly arriving 494th BG members debarked usually in flurries of snow, or a steady drizzle of cold rain, jostled each other in the muddy and salt-encrusted streets of the Area, lost and found their personal gear in the growing mounds of baggage, and lines up for everything, from going to a latrine to delivering “name, rank, & serial number” to anyone who required this information. “Eventually, the above noted individuals found their belongings, their quarters, messhalls and plumbing, signed all their forms, and awoke one morning to discover that they were in fact the 494th Bombardment Group (H), equipped with a Headquarters Squadron, four other squafrons (the 864th, 865th, 866th, & 867th) and very little else.
11 March 1944 – There was meeting in the Wendover base theatre of all officers who were connected with the flying training activity. They were addressed by Colonels MORGAN and DAWSON of the 2nd Air Force Trainmg Section. The object was to appraise those present of the appalling accident record of the Second Air Force. Twelve hundred men had lost their lives and more than 250 planes had been destroyed. Estimating that 56% of these accidents were due to pilot error, the speakers emphasized the fact that about 30% of the pilots in 2nd phase are so “strenuous and psychologically constituted” that too tough a training schedule may induce fatigue dangerous to pilots reactions at a critical moment in flight. Those in charge of training were accordingly directed to apply the schedule with this in mind. This is proving difficult in view of specific directions of Second Air Force for the rapid accomplishment of training schedules.
1 April 1944
–PERSONNEL: 341 Officers 1625 Enlisted men
April 30 291 Officers 1671 Enlisted men
Authorized 291 Officers 1497 Enlisted men
MOVE TO MOUNTAIN HOME AAF, UTAH
12 April 1944 – An advance echelon of the 494BG departed from AAB, Wendover, UT, on 12 April 1944, arriving at Mt. Home on 13 April 1944. The advance echelon consisted of key personnel of the Group and Squadrons who were to get their respective units on an operational basis pending
arrival of the main party
April 23, 1944 – A high altitude camera bombing mission from Mt. Home to Sacramento CA and return, developed engine trouble. The crew was forced to bail out over the high desert near McDermitt, NV and the plane, B-24J #42-100139, was destroyed.
APRIL 1944
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= AAB [MOUNTAlNHOME JDA 2k 152P =
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= 252 BAKER AVE { SYRACUSE NY )= ^
= rMTH G778 PD THIS HEADQUARTERS REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT
THE AIRPLANE IN WHICH YOUR SON SGT CARL A CLARK THREE TWO
EIGHT THREE EIGHT THREE TWO FIVE COMA EIGHT SIX SEVEN
BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON FOUR NINE FOUR BOMBARDMENT GROUP
THIS STATION COMA WAS PERFORMING A COMBAT TRAINING AND REPORTED AS OVERDUE AND MUST BE ASSUMEDI ON COMA HAS BEEN REPUKitu
CONSIDERED r-n^n MISSING s STOP l ur A m ^
COMPLETE SEARCH OF THE ENTIRE
– AREA IS BEING CONDUCTED BY THIS STATION AND OTHER ARMY
AIR FORCES STATIONS IN THIS VICINITY STOP YOU WILL BE
NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY OF ANY DEVELOPMENTS STOP =
BARNHILL STA COMDT MOUNTAIN HOME IDAHO,=
JTH 0776 PD.’
April 30th 1944 – This day found the Group and its Squadrons stationed at Mt. Home Army Air Base, Mt. Home ID. This movement was carried on by air and rail transportation from April 13 to
April 16 inclusive. .. The main body of the ground echelon left Wendover on 14 April 1944,
by train, and arrived at Mt. Home on 15 April. Most of the Air Echelon made the trip by plane
on 14 April. This was a permanent change of station.
Twenty four B-24s were ferried from Wendover for use in training at the new station. The
movement was accomplished with veiy little loss of training time.
The principal reasons for change of station was because of better maintenance facilities and better
weather for flying at Mt. Home. Subsequent activities have proven the move well worthwhile.
1 June 1944 – the Ground Echelon departed Mt. Home for Fort Lawton WA. They
remained there for seven days. On 8 June, the Ground Echelon and selected members of the Flight Echelon embarked from the Seattle Port of Embarkation on the S.S. “Mexico”.
15 June 1944 – The Ground Echelon and selected members of the Flight Echelon arrived at Port
Allen, Kauai, TH and proceeded to Barking Sands AAB, Kauai, TH, by truck, arriving at the
final destination that same day.
June 9th to June 22nd 1944 – The Flight Echelon flew from AAB, Lincoln, NE, to Fairfield/Suisun Army Air Base CA,leaving as ordered for overseas flight to Hickam Field, Oahu. The flyaways started arriving at Barking Sands Field, Hawaii on June 15th 1944. All but two of them had arrived by the end of the month. (The first two of the flyaways to be lost to the Group are #44-40758, Pilot WALLACE, 866th Squadron crashed in Nebraska, and #44-40655, 865th Squadron crashed on arrival on Oahu at Wheeler Field. Pilot MEROZ and crew survived to fly a fast 40 mission tour in the 865th Squadron plane called CRASH KIDS.) Because of the lack of equipment, there was very little flying.
“Our crew and fourteen other crews including that of Lt. WALLACE was scheduled to depart
from Lincoln NE the morning of 7 June 1944 enroute to Fairfield/Suisun Army Air Field CA. We took
off at about 0200. We were about 20 minutes out of Lincoln, climbing on course, when crew members in the waist of our plane reported that 100 octane gasoline was saturating the aft section of our plane. From my co-pilot position I played a flashlight over the right wing, and sure enough, a plume of vapor streamed back from near the rear of No. 3 nacelle. We contacted Lincoln tower, declared an emergency and reversed course back to base. Fortunately we landed without incident and no fire. On inspection of the fuel caps, it was determined by crew chief, JAMES PETTY and Flight Engineer, JAMES MOTHERSHED, that the cap on the leaking gas port had not been properly safetied. In retrospect, we can only speculate what caused #40758 to explode, but one possibihty could be a situation similar to what happened to us.”
Lt. WALLACE and his crew left Lincoln at 0330, cleared to fly to California at 15,000 feet in a
new B-24 J #44-40758 bound for a combat tour with the Seventh Air Force in the Central Pacific theatre. It is believed that they were penetrating a line of thunderstorms near Chappel NE. On the ground, heavy rain and lightning was reported. WALLACE had a real problem, possibly a lightning strike, that led him to descend to about 500 feet above Chappel where he circled for about five minutes before an explosion scattered the airplane and its people over a square mile of farmland All ten aboard were killed instantly.
All but one plane arrived at Barking Sands AAB by the end of April 1944 and plans were
underway for the resumption of training as per directives of the VII Bomber Command. The last combat crew, from the 865th Bombardment Squadron, arrived from the USA on 2 July 1944.
Most of the navigators got their first experience overwater with the hop firom the mainland to Oahu. Plans to give added instructions in overwater missions were not carried out due to the lateness of the arrival of flyaways. Every crew had a least one 1000-mile celestial navigation mission and at least two 1000-mile cross country flights during their training. As the compasses were not calibrated on the flyaways at the modification center, this presented a big problem to the navigation section. (“We all just had to do it ourselves!” ) Celestial navigation was stressed during the training period.
June 30 1944 – Found the Group and its squadrons based at Barking Sands AAB with the address of APO 966, c/o Postmaster, San Francisco CA. Assignment to the 7th Air Force was in
accordance with (SECRET) Section I, General Order 199, HQ. United States Army Force,
Central Pacific Area, APO 958, dated 22 Jime 1944. By Section II of this same order, the Group
was authorized a total of 24 combat crews to a Squadron, with the additional crews to be supplied
by 7th Air Force. In accordance with letter HQ Army Air Forces, Subject: Allotment of grades for AAF units, dated 7 October 1943, each Squadron is authorized one officer and 26 enlisted men for radar work.
Facilities on BARKING SANDS are regarded as excellent for an overseas establishment. Group
Headquarters and the 864th and 866th Squadrons have ample working and living quarters on the
base. It was necessary to house the 867th Squadron in a camp formerly used by a Security
Detachment at the Northwest end of the runway. The 865th Squadron took over a bivouac area
and is operating from tents. Due to the lack of sufficient transportation, the 865th and 867th
have some difficulty in maintaining liaison with the other imits. This situation is being worked
on.
Group Headquarters, 864th and 866th Squadron personnel have fine barracks and BOQs. The
867th personnel live in hutments with outside latrines. (Sorry friends, we never knew!)
Messing facilities are good with most personnel eating from mess kits.
There is one theatre and one officers’ club. A small exchange operates, as does a post office.
Laundry service is offered through the Quartermaster and is considered adequate. Dry cleamng
is taken to nearby towns.
Private quarters are provided for the Commanding Officer and key members of his staff.
During the movement overseas, all navigators showed excellent knowledge of their work despite
the lack of previous over-water experience. The ETAs on the hop to Oahu were especially good
in all cases. No navigation trouble of a major nature was reported by any of the flyaways which
made the trip. Ground school training in celestial navigation has been given at this base for the past two” weeks. Navigators have been recalibrating their octants and astro compass.
On 20 July 1944 the Squadron’s fiirst airplane accident occurred. The operations officer directed 2nd Lt THOMAS CLAYCOMB, Pilot of Combat Crew #9 to take 2nd Lt. LAWRENCE J. HEPNER up in tail #717 for a routine practice transition flight ( Lt. HEPNER had joined the Group at Lincoln. NE as a last minute replacement pilot, but had little or no B-24 flying experience.) Lt. HEPNER took off in the left pilot’ s seat and came around the pattern to bring his plane in for a landing. He slightly oveershot the approach. To correct this he brought the plane down slightly to the left of the runway, u ^ keep it within the limits of the runway. The plane kept side slipping to the right. At 0 crashed to the right and into a B-24 of the 866th Squadron, #44-40741, parked to the right of the runway, It was glancing blow. Lt. CLAYCOMB’s plane instantly caught fire and then hit another 866th parked plane, #4440753, cutting off the rear end from the bomb bay back, and killing an 866th mechanic, Corporal ALFRED R. DOOR, airplane electrician, working on the parked plane. He is the first member of the 494th to die overseas. Burning furiously, Lt. CLAYCOMB’s plane came to a stop about 150 yards further on. The acting pilot, Lt. HEPNER, and Lt. CLAYCOMB, acting co-pilot, escaped with some third degree burns and will make complete recoveries. The rest of the crew were miraculously uninjured except or completely burned The 866th lost two planes.
ir> mits •? #4 -ua’ engme. little The fire red, was promptly was close extinguished.
866th Bombardment Squadron (H), July 1944
More hurry up and wait.
Major JACKSON LEWIS and Chaplain MILTON DOWDEN shared in conducting the funeral service in the base theatre. (Cpl. DOOR now rests in the National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.)
During the crash on the 20th of July, Captain ROBERT L. EDWARDS, Pilot of Combat Crew 35
and at that time Acting Commander of this squadron, displayed exceptional presence of mind and good judgment. Through his efforts the B-24 #44-40693 was saved from destruction by fire and proximity to the burning 864th air plane. This accident caused a further niche in our dwindling ground crew manpower, since it required us to put men to work to guard it, dismantle the wrecked planes, and to repair the B-24 that was damaged. One redeeming factor was that we were able to salvage parts off the wrecked planes to help keep our other aircraft in flying condition. Supply of parts has been a sore point since our arrival here. 867th Bombardment Squadron (H), July 1944
Even more. Let’s go!
Captain CHANNING STOWELL became Acting CO per VOCO on 3 July, relieving Captain
CALLOW. Major WILLIAM W. PERRY assumed command on arrival on 7 July 1944. The staff crew
also came with Major PERRY.
As of 31 July, 24 airplanes had been completely modified and returned to their respective
Squadrons, of which eight were for the 867th Squadron. Ehie to the receipt of movement orders, it became necessary to terminate the modification program with the 24th plane. Those remaining will be modified at Hawaiian Air Depot. It is estimated that 300 man hours per plane were expended to complete all modifications. Approximately 135 men from the Group were engaged in the modification work of which about 35 were from this Squadron. All supphes were flown in from HAD by ATC or C-47s. Two mobile machine shops and two mobile sheet metal shops were used as supplied from HAD. Tools were supphed by HAD and all available tools from the Squadrons were also used.
Officers and radio operators of each combat crew were sent to Radar School at the same base.
Two Link Trainers are available and have been in constant use. There is no bomb trainer.
MORALE: The morale can be classed as fair. The base offers few diversions for officers and enlisted men. Those available are practically inaccessible due to lack of transportation. Supervised tours of the island helped to fill the gap.
NAVIGATION SECTION: Celestial proficiency flights were made by each crew to Johnston Island and return, non-stop. Landfall procedure by the single Line of Position method was used. Results
were in general, excellent, with several superior missions. Star identification classes were held
throughout the month on a time band rotation systems, so that all available stars were seen
during the month. Geography of the Philippine Islands was studied intensively. Twenty of our
Navigators completed a 12 hour course in Loran Navigation.
The 494th Bombardment Group (H) was alerted on 15 August 1944 at 2400 hours
for change of station. The Postal Address was changed from APO 966 to APO 264 for all
personnel. The ground echelon commanded by Lt. Col. DELAVAN H. DAVIS, embarked by
Army Transport at Port Allen, Kauai, TH, on the 17th August. The ground Echelon consisted of
six (6) officers and thirty-se\en enlisted men. The remaining officers and men will proceed by
air at the proper time to the new station.
The nose wheel of plane 44 0472, FLYING FIFER, collapsed on landing on 15 August 1944.16 August 1944, this happened at Barking Sands. The night before, we were shooting night landings when we had the nose wheel fold up. With some men outside and some inside, the tail was brought down, the nose wheel was kicked out and clamped. Then someone flew it over to Honolulu where it was repaired. It wasn’t ready when the group pulled out for Angaur. My crew, without an airplane, was going to be left at Barking Sands. Then Lt. PACKARD, pilot of B-24 #738, PILOT ERROR, fell off the tmck on the way out to the plane and fractured his skull. So they unloaded all their stuff and reloaded it with our stuff. We took off in #738 the next day. We were the second 865th crew to land on Anguar, minutes after Lt. JOE WEST. We flew our first five missions in #738. #742 was brought to Angaur in time for our 6th mission on 21 Nov ’44. We flew 17 of our 40 missions in #742, FLYING FIFER.”
AUGUST 1944
864th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON
STRENGTH. PERSONNEL: 74 Officers 574 Enlisted men.
MISSION: The ground echelon left by’ boat on 17 August, leaving an air echelon detachment of 67
Officers and 173 Enlisted men. At the end of the month 56 Officers and 61 Enlisted men were
on Detached Service at the gunnery school at Hickam Field.
865th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON
ORGANIZATION: The ground echelon left by boat on 17 August under the command of Major
GORRELL. 7 Officers and 184 Enhsted men of this Squadron were thus destined to be among
those crossing the Equator before their next duty station is reached.
PERSOTWrT.- Total strength on 1 August was 74 Officers and 372 Enlisted men.
866th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON
ORGANIZATION AND PERSONKEL: On 17 August 5 Officers and 187 enlisted men departed this
station for an unkno\Mi destination. 62 Officers and 165 enlisted men remained at this station for
further training.
Dunng August, the below listed officers and enlisted men were awarded letters of commendation
b\’ the Commanding Officer of this Group for their valiant efforts in the airplane crash occurring
on 20th July 1944: Captain R. L. EDWARDS, S/ Sgt. W. G. McKEE, Sgt. H. C. KRINKE,
Sgt. L. M. BOWERS, Cpl. O. F. WIELAND, Pfc. M. G. McFARLAND.
OPERATIONS: During the month 110 crew hours were flown. Flights were night transition, searchlight,
formation, individual night navigation, and individual day bombing missions. The degree of
proficienc}’ was high because of the exceptional abilit>’ of the crew members and good weather.
867th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON
ORGANIZATION: On 17 August the squadron ground echelon left Barking Sands Air Field. This
consisted of seven Officers and 192 enlisted men. The Air Echelon or 867th Detachment will
proceed to the new station by air when so ordered. 63 Officers and 174 enlisted men make up the
Air Echelon.
PERSONNEI.- Strength at the end of August was 70 Officers , 366 Enlisted Men. This is a shortage of 45 Officers and 66 Enlisted men from the authorized Squadron strength.
The ground echelon lay in port for seven days after leaving this station with inadequate facilities for recreation or utilization of leisure time., which seemed to indicate poor planning to some degree. A goodly portion of the non-commissioned officers of the air echelon which remained behind were of the opinion that a well coordinated training program shotild have been started to not only utilize the excess time on hand after the departure of the ground echelon, but also to prepare the air echelon physically as well as mentally with the various aspects and problems which will be encountered with the imminent movement.
NAVIGATION: One Loran Navigation set was installed in the staff airplane, B-24J # 44-40791 All
Navigators have received two hours instruction, one hour of film and six hours of practical use in
the Loran System of Navigation.
3 Nov 1944 – Entered combat with attacks against Japanese airfields on Yap and Koror. Conducted.strikes on other bypassed enemy installations in the Pacific and against the Japanese in the Philippines. Late in 1944 hit gun-emplacements, personnel areas, and storage depots on Corregidor and Caballo at the entrance to Manila Bay; bombed radio installations and power plants at Japanese bases in the Philippines; and attacked enemy-held airfields, including
Clark Field on Luzon. Early in 1945 struck airfields on Mindanao and ammunition and supply dumps in the Davao Gulf and Illana Bay areas.
June 1945 – Moved to Okinawa. Engaged primarily in attacks against enemy airfields on Kyushu until V-J Day. Also participated in incendiary raids, dropped propaganda leaflets over urban areas of Kyushu, and struck airfields in China, in southern Korea, and around the Inland Sea of Japan. Transported personnel and supplies from Manila to Tokyo after the war.
December 1945 – Returned to the US.
4 January 1945 – Inactivated on 4 Jan 1946.
SQUADRONS.
864th Bombardment Squadron: 1943-1946
865th Bombardment Squadron: 1943-1946.
866th Bombardment Squadron: 1943-1946.
867th Bombardment Squadron:
STATIONS.
Wendover Field, Utah, I Dec
1943;
Mountain Home AAFld, Idaho, 15
Apr-1 June 1944;
Barking Sands, TH, 15
Jun 1944;
Angaur, 30 Sep 1944;
Yontan, Okinawa, 24 Tun-8 Dec 1945;
Ft Lawton, Wash, 2-4 Jan 1946.
COMMANDERS. Unkn, Dec 1943-Feb 1944;
Col Laurence B Kelly, 24 Feb 1944-
unkn.
CAMPAIGNS. Air Offensive, Japan ;
Eastern Mandates; Western Pacific; Luzon ; Southern Philippines; Ryukyus;
China Offensive.
DECORATIONS. Philippine Presidential
(AFHRD)