494 Bombardment Group (H)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 494th Bombardment Group was the last B24 group to be sent overseas in World War 2.  It was first CONSTITUED (Given a name and placed on an inactive list) at Headquarters, US Army Air Forces.) on 1 September 1943. In World War 2, the bomber Group was the typical independent operating entity of the AAF. The GROUP consisted of a

1) Command Echelon, commanded by a full colonel.

 

 

1 September 1943 – In the Top Secret files of G-3, the 494th Bombardment Group (H) was CONSTITUTED (named and placed on an inactive paper list) and became available for activation. The ADJUTANT GENERAL  ASSIGNED (turned over responsibility for its future) to the Second Air Force in Colorado Springs, commanded by Major General St. Clair Street. 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, a casual collection of individuals began to assemble at Wendover, UTAH.

14 January 1944 – Selected officers and enlisted crewmembers began a course at the Orlando based Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics. These men would be the nucleus of trained and experienced crew members around which the newly assigned crewmember would be organized.

20 January 1944 – Colonel Laurence B. Kelly arrived in Orlando and took command of the 494th Bombardment Group. He had additional officers and men assigned to the 494th from personnel available in the local area.

26 January 1944 –  The Orlando crewmembers were transferred by truck to Brooksville AAF in Tampa, Florida. (Brooksville AAF became the Hernando County Airport in late 1945 after the war was over and is now the location of the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional airport.)  There they began training in a B24  Tactical Bombing school operated under the direction of the Orlando Air Base. Bombing training missions, usually flown in a formation of six aircraft, were flown to simulated “targets” around the south eastern United States.  (Memphis, Charleston, Miami, and Whale Rock off the coast of Yucatan were among these targets. The purpose was to train these men into a cadre of “model crews”.

30 January 1944 – Fifty-three B-24 bomb crews, minus the navigators,  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 pick up a navigator to the crew. B24 crews normally consisted of two pilots, a navigator, a bombardier,  and 4-5 aerial gunners.

 

 

2 February 1944 –  Approval for the reorganization of the 494th Bombardment Group was approved by  Second Air Force.

6 February 1944 – The officers and men of the cadre “Model Crews” in Orlando completed their training and returned to Wendover AAF, UTAH, with 15 days delay enroute authorized.

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 Bombardment 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, mess halls 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 squadrons (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 Training 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.

494 BG – Telegram 24APR1944

APRIL 1944
/,A. N. WIUUtAM vaesiocNT WESTERN,.
*9 UNION NCWCOMB CARUTOM J. C. W

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j. c. wiucrvc
tBT VIC C-^MC a
The flight log time shown to the date line of telegrams and day latten U STANDARD TIME at point of origin. Time of receipt S Tiili:
\VUSY,PZNA2°4 N.CEAC?
LOiiG RXVJUVE2?CC { TWO) 95 f^OVT 5 EXTRAS
= AAB [MOUNTAlNHOME JDA 2k 152P =
:^^RS MARION -C CLARK=
= 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 wel-used B-24s were ferried from Wendover for use in training at the new station. The group would received new B24 J models in June to take over seas with them

May 1944 –  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 their first overwater training flights while deployed to the Pacific. The movement was accomplished with very 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. Back at Mountain Home AAF, the 494th Bomb Groups new B24Js (referred to as “flyaways”) that they would take overseas began arriving. All but two had arrived by the end of June.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With the introduction of the B-24J, all five members of the B24 production pool (both primary manufacturers and sub-assemblers) converted to the production of this version.

Since Liberator production rates were extremely high, it became difficult to introduce changes dictated by field experience onto the production line in a timely fashion. Consequently, newly-constructed Liberators were often already obsolescent as soon as they rolled off the line. For this reasons, a series of modification centers were established for the incorporation of these changes into new Liberators following their manufacture. There were seven known modification centers: Consolidated/Fort Worth, Oklahoma City Air Materiel Center, Tucson Modification Center, Birmingham Depot, Northwest Airlines Depot, Martin-Omaha, and Hawaiian Air Depot.

B24J tail numbers (Known as “Flyaways) taken overseas by the 494th Bombardment Group.

A problem which made the B-24J unpopular with its crews was its excessive weight. By the time that the B-24J had been introduced on the production line, the empty weight of the Liberator had increased by 8000 pounds and the aircraft typically grossed somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 pounds when on combat missions. Unfortunately, the Liberator’s engines had not undergone a corresponding increase in power, and performance suffered. There was now very little reserve power for takeoff when the aircraft was fully loaded, and takeoff accidents were frequent. As compared to the B-24D, the rate of climb and the airspeed were slower, range was more limited, and the fuel consumption rates were higher. The weight increases had also made the aircraft less stable and more difficult to fly, particularly at high altitudes. As compared to the D, the J was much heavier on the controls and the response was much more sluggish, which made the Liberator more dangerous to fly in tight defensive formations, and midair collisions due to momentary loss of control by the pilot were a very real danger. The weight increases also made it more difficult for damaged Liberators to return safely to their bases, particularly if parts of the wing got holed or severely damaged. Aircraft damaged in such a fashion would often rapidly fall out of control, a recovery usually proving impossible.

Control was particularly poor when the retractable ventral ball turret was extended. In the effort to shed weight and to improve the handling, USAAF commanders in the South West Pacific ordered that the ball turret be removed and replaced by a pair of manually-operated 0.50-inch machine guns firing through a floor hatch. From September 1943 onward, most B-24Js destined for the Pacific had their ball turrets removed at modification centers in the US before being dispatched to the front. In Europe, the ball turret was discarded during the spring of 1944, when the increased availability of long-range escort fighters made the danger of Luftwaffe fighter attacks from below less likely.

One of the more remarkable examples of a modified B-24J (serial number 42-73130) was one upon which was grafted the complete nose of a B-17G in an attempt to improve the forward visibility. Only one such example was produced.

A total of 6678 B-24Js were built. 2792 were built by Convair/San Diego, 1558 by Convair/Fort Worth, 1587 by Ford/Willow Run, 536 by North American/Dallas, and 205 by Douglas/Tulsa. Ford actually built 1849 B-24Js, but they delivered 205 of these to Douglas/Tulsa and 57 to Convair/Fort Worth. Most of the Fort Worth B-24J production was devoted to Lend-Lease, and much of the US Navy Liberator patrol bomber allocation came from San Diego production.

The B-24J was replaced on the production lines at Ford and Convair/San Diego by the B-24L in September of 1944. During mid-1944, the USAAF had decided that Convair/San Diego and Ford/Willow Run would by themselves be able to meet all future needs for Liberator production, and ordered that assembly of the Liberator at Douglas, North American, and Convair/Fort Worth be discontinued. The last B-24J rolled off the line at Douglas in July of 1944. However, production of the B-24J at North American and Consolidated/Fort Worth continued until November and December of 1944 respectively, mainly fulfilling contracts for Lend-Lease to Britain.

Although thousands of B-24Js were manufactured, most were scrapped shortly after the end of the war and very few of them survive today.

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864 Bomb Squadron – Assigned: 15 B24Js (as of Sept 1944)

44-0704 BLACK CAT  Destroyed landing Accident May 15, 1945 at Anguar Airfield, Anguar Island, in The Palau Islands. All (10) Crew Survived.

44-40707 BUGS BUNNY  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40712 PLUNDERBUS  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40717 “______________ ”  pilot HEPNER (Crashed while practicing landings at Barking Sand 20 July 1944) B-24J-180-CO

44-40739 CONTRARY MARY  Flown to RFC at Kingman, AZ after the war. B-24J-180Consolidated -CO

44-40743 I’LL GET BY  (pilot: Lampe) Crashed near at Ising, Mindanao in the Philippines after it caught fire in flight. MACR 13084. All eleven crew bailed out and were rescued.  B-24J-180Consolidated -CO

44-0757 BIG TIME OPERATOR  Landing accident 26Mar1945 at Anguar AAF All 10 crew survived. Aircraft badly damaged. Believed destroyed in Typhoon Louise on Okinawa Oct 1945.   Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

 

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865 Bomb Squadron –  Assigned: 14 B24Js (as of Sept 1944)

 

44-40655  pilot MEROZ (Crashed on arrival at Wheeler Field, Oahu)

44-40705 SNIFFIN’ GRIFFIN  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40715  THE MISSOURI MULE.    Nose gear damaged by Japanese AAA 10 Apr 1945, landed with main gear only on return to Anguar Island. Also reported as being with the 864th BS and involved in a landing accident 31 MAR 1945 at Anguar.

44-40730 ___________ Crashed from unknown causes at Anguar AAF 10 Jun 1945. Aircraft reported destroyed and unknown number of crew members killed. Consolidated B-24J-180-CO.

44-40738 PILOT ERROR Second 865 BS crew to land at Anguar

44-40742 FLYING FIFER

44-40750 SLUGGIN SAL  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

40715 “The Missouri Mule” with 494th BG, 865th BS, nose gear damaged by Japanese AAA and forced to land with main gear only on return to Anguar Island, Caroline Islands Apr 10th 1945. Also reported as being with 864th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF, based at Angaur Airfield, Angaur Island, in The Palau Islands involved in Landing Accident Mar 31, 1945 at Angaur Airfield, Angaur Island in The Palau Islands. All (10) Crew Survived. Aircraft Was Destroyed.

40711 (865th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF) shot down by AAA over Chiangwan Airfield, Shanghai, China Jul 17, 1945. MACR 14864. All 10 crew bailed out, 3 became POS, 1 killed while trying to evade capture, 6 crew rescued by Chinese guerillas.

44-40748 THE EARLY BIRD  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40761 __________  Shot down by AAA over Chiangwan Airfield, Shanghai, China on  1 Jul 1945. All ten crewmembers bailed out. Three capture and one killed by Japanese while trying to evade. Six crewmember rescued by Chinese guerillas. Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

 

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866 Bomb Squadron – Assigned: 13 B24Js (as of Sep 1944)

 

44-40685 QUEEN OF HEARTS  pilot EDWARDS Left Mountain Home AAF 30 May 1944 for Lincoln, NE for  final overseas processing

44- 40693 LITTLE RED  (Damaged while parked on the ground at Barking Sand on 20 July 1944 by aircraft 44-  717. Corporal Alfred R. Door was killed on the ground)

44-40709 BOMB BABE Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-  715

44-40716 ___________ Shot down 28 July 1945 while attacking battleship HARUNA in Kure Harbor, Hiroshima, Japan. Crashed in Hiroshima. MACR 14990. Seven crewmembers killed, four bailed out and became POWs. Two reported to have been killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40741

44-40744 EIGHT BALL Damaged in landing accident at Anguar AAF 15 May 1945. Also flown by 864  BS. All crew survived.  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40758 pilot WALLACE (Left Lincoln NE at 0330 on 7 June 1944 enroute to to Fairfield/SuisunAAF, CA (Travis AFB). Penetrating a line of thunderstorms near Chappell Nebraska, the aircraft exploded and all 10 crewmembers died)

44-40753

 

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867 Bomb Squadron – Assigned:  14 B24Js (as of Sept 1944)

44-40729 HAYMAKER Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40737 WOLF  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40740 ARMED VENUS Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40759 SHACK BUNNY 

44-40760 BLACK SHEEP

44-40791 _________________   Staff airplane, had LORAN set installed in August 1944 to train navigators

44-40749 BOXCAR  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40759 SHACK BUNNY Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

UNKNOWN SQUADRON

44-40753 W/O 20JUL1944 Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

44-40731 TIL THEN Undershot landing at Anguar. 18 May 1945.  Consolidated B-24J-180-CO

__________________________

				
				40706 (17th Tow Target Sq) crashed after takeoff from Wheeler
					Field, Oahu, Hawaii Jul 28, 1945.  Aircraft burned.  Also reported as having crashed at Barkings Sands,
					Kauai, Hawaii Nov 22, 1944.  
				 				
				40717 w/o 20 Jul 1944  Location?				
				
				40741 w/o 20 Jul 1944  Location ?
								
44-40749/40848		Consolidated B-24J-180-CO Liberator
				MSN 4685/4784
								
				40753 w/o 20 Jul 1944  Location ?
				
				40761 with 865th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF

40705 (494th BG, 865th BS, *Sniffin' Griffin*) 40706 (17th Tow Target Sq) crashed after takeoff from Wheeler Field, Oahu, Hawaii Jul 28, 1945. Aircraft burned. Also reported as having crashed at Barkings Sands, Kauai, Hawaii Nov 22, 1944. 40707 “Bugs Buggy” with 494th BG, 864th BS c1945 40708 30th BG, 819th BS, "Liberty Belle" crew flew 40 missions from Aug 10, 1944 to Jan 30, 1945 in central Pacific and crew rotated back to the States. Plane presumably scrapped. 40709 “Bomb Babe” with 494th BG, 866th BS c1945. 40711 (865th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF) shot down by AAA over Chiangwan Airfield, Shanghai, China Jul 17, 1945. MACR 14864. All 10 crew bailed out, 3 became POS, 1 killed while trying to evade capture, 6 crew rescued by Chinese guerillas. 40712 (494th BG, 864th BS "Plunderbus") seen at Kingman, AZ Apr 1947. 40715 “The Missouri Mule” with 494th BG, 865th BS, nose gear damaged by Japanese AAA and forced to land with main gear only on return to Anguar Island, Caroline Islands Apr 10th 1945. Also reported as being with 864th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF, based at Angaur Airfield, Angaur Island, in The Palau Islands involved in Landing Accident Mar 31, 1945 at Angaur Airfield, Angaur Island in The Palau Islands. All (10) Crew Survived. Aircraft Was Destroyed. 40716 (866th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF) shot down Jul 28, 1945 while attacking battleship Haruna in Kure Harbor, Hiroshima, Japan and crashed in Hiroshima, Japan. MACR 14990. 7 crew killed, 4 bailed out and became POW. 2 POWs killed by atomic bomb as POW camp was in Hiroshima of crew died in the crash but the rest died from the atomic bomb. 40717 w/o 20 Jul 1944  Location? 40718 Named "Short Arm"  25BG-652BS 40721 (90th BG, 400th BS) crew forced to bail out while returning from mission to Indo China when ran out of gas returning to McGuire May 27, 1945, SW Pacific. Crew picked up by a Catalina, but two of the crew were lost. MACR 14523 40722 (19th BS, 22nd BG, 5th AF) in forced landing at Laoag airfield, Luzon, Philippines May 16, 1945 and landing gear collapsed. All crew survived, but aircraft DBR. 40725 (319th BS, 90th BG, 5th AF) Shot Down Sep 30, 1944 By Gunfire From Japanese Mitsubishi A6M5 (Zero) and Aircraft Exploded into (4) Pieces and Both Wings Broke off and Crashed into The Water 100 Miles West of Balikpapan, Indonesia While on a Bombing Mission to Balikpapan, Indonesia in The Makassar Strait. All (10) Crew Were Killed. MACR 9147. 40726 (408th BS, 22nd BG, 5th AF) crashed on takeoff off Owi Airfield, Schouten Islands, Indonesia Oct 25, 1944. 5 crew killed, 5 survived and were rescued. 40728 Named "Boise Bronc"   90BG-320BS 40729 Named "Hay Maker"   494BG-867BS 40730 (865th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF) crashed from unknown cause at Angaur Airfield, Angaur Island in Palau Islands in Pacific Jun 10, 1945. Unknown number of crew killed. Aircraft was destroyed. 40731 Named "Til Then"  w/o 18 May 1945  Undershot landing at Angaur, Palau 40733 Named "Virgin For Short, But Not For Long"  w/o 24 Feb 1944 On mission to Gotha, Germany, shot down by fighter & crashed near Stadtlengsfeld, Germany.  9 crew survived & became POWs, 1 crew killed, 389BG-567BS     MACR 2939 40737 Named "Wolf"  494BG-867BS 40738 Named "The Oklahoman"  w/o 5 Dec 1943  On a mission to Cognac,France, hit by flak over Nantes, Aircraft exploded, 9 crew killed, 1 crew survived & became a POW.389BG-566BS     MACR 2351 40739 (494th BG, 864th BS, "Contrary Mary") to RFC at Kingman, AZ 40740 Named "Armed Venus"    494BG-867BS 40741 w/o 20 Jul 1944  Location ? 40743 (864th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF) crashed at Ising Mindanao in Philippines after aircraft caught fire in flight Feb 17, 1945. MACR 13084. All 11 crew bailed out and were rescued. 40744 “8 Ball” with 494th BG, 866th BS c1945. (864th BS, 49th BG, 7th AF) in landing accident at Angaur Airfield, Angaur Islan in Palau Islands May 15, 1945. All crew survived, aircraft badly damaged, unknown if repaired. 40748 Named "The Early Bird"   494BG-865BS 44-40749/40848 Consolidated B-24J-180-CO Liberator MSN 4685/4784 40749 (867th BS, 494th BG) named "Boxcar" 40750 Named "Sluggin Sal"   494BG-865BS 40753 w/o 20 Jul 1944  Location ? 40757 (864th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF "Big Time Operator", based at Angaur Airfield, Angaur Island, in The Palau Islands) Landing Accident Mar 26, 1945 at Angaur Airfield Angaur Island in The Palau Islands Due to Mechanical Failure. All (10) Crew Survived. Aircraft Badly Damaged. Unknown if Repaired. Believed Aircraft Destroyed in Typhoon Louise on Okinawa in October 1945. 40758 (494th BG, 866th BS) caught fire while flying in thunderstorm, exploded in midair and crashed 2 mi SE of Chappell, Nebraska Jun 7, 1944. All 10 onboard killed. 40759 (494th BG, 867th BS, "Shack Bunny") 40760 “Black Sheep” nose art with 494th BG, 867th BS c1944-45. 40761 with 865th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF

 

 

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 possibility 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 from 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 June 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 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 limits. 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 cleaning 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 first 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 overshot 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 supplies 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 supplied 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-seven 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 Anguar. 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 Anguar 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 Enlisted men of this Squadron were thus destined to be among those crossing the Equator before their next duty station is reached.
PERSONNEL – Total strength on 1 August was 74 Officers and 372 Enlisted men.

866th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON
ORGANIZATION AND PERSONNEL: On 17 August 5 Officers and 187 enlisted men departed this station for an unknown destination. 62 Officers and 165 enlisted men remained at this station for further training. During August, the below listed officers and enlisted men were awarded letters of commendation by 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 proficiency was high because of the exceptional abilities 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 should 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

 

Sources:

494th Bombardment Group (H) History WW2

Air Force Historical Research Division at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. (AFHRD)

The Army Air Forces in World War 2,  VI – Men and Planes: Chapter 18, COMBAT CREW AND UNIT TRAINING (https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/VI/AAF-VI-18.html)

https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_bombers/b24_9.html