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Constituted as 486th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943 and activated on 20 Sep. Moved to England in Mar 1944 and assigned to Eighth AF. Entered combat in May 1944 with B-14 aircraft but soon converted to B-17's. Operated chiefly against strategic objectives in Germany until May 1945. Targets included marshalling yards in Stuttgart, Cologne, and Mainz; airfields in Kassel and Munster; oil refineries and storage plants in Merseburg, Dollbergen, and Hamburg; harbors in Bremen and Kiel; and factories in Mannheim and Weimar. Other missions included bombing airfields, gun positions, V-weapon sites, and railroad bridges in France in preparation for or in support of the invasion of Normandy in Jun 1944; striking road junctions and troop concentrations in support of ground forces pushing across France, Jul-Aug 1944; hitting gun emplacements near Arnheim to minimize transport and glider losses during the airborne invasion of Holland in Sep 1944; and bombing enemy installations in support of ground troops during the Battle of the Bulge (Dec 1944-Jan 1945) and the assault across the Rhine (Mar-Apr 1945). Returned to the US in Aug 1945. Inactivated on 7 Nov 1945.
Squadrons. 832d: 1943-1945. 833d: 1943-1945. 834th: 1943-1945. 835th: 1943-1945.
Stations. McCook AAFld, Neb, 20 Sep 1943; Davis-Monthan Field, Ariz, 9 Nov 1943-Mar 1944; Sudbury, England, Mar 1944-Aug 1945; Drew Field, Fla, 3 Sep-7 Nov 1945.
Commanders. Col Glendon P Overing, 20 Sep 1943; Col William B Kieffer, c. 13 Apr 1945; Lt Col J James Grater, Jul 1945-unkn.
Campaigns. Air-Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe.
Decorations. None.
Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986
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Historical Artifacts: We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms and gear of the 8th Air Force in World War II as well as other units and commands. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material.
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