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This Remembrance Profile was originally created by Sgt Stephen Willcox - Deceased
Casualty Info
Home Town Rock Hall, Maryland
Last Address Kadena AB, Okinawa
Casualty Date Jan 29, 1953
Cause MIA-Died in Captivity
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Korea, North
Conflict Korean War
Wall/Plot Coordinates Died as POW, Body Not Recovered
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.
486th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
Group Callsign: "Oboe (B-24s)/William (B-17s)" 487th BG >
Aircraft ID Code
Square-W Group Aircraft
B-24 and B-17
Converted from B-24s to B-17s in Summer 1944. At that time, the Group ID was changed from Square-O to Square-W, perhaps to avoid confusion with the Square-D on B-17s of the 100th Bomb Group. The 486th was the only group to change its ID.
The group flew both the Consolidated B-24 Liberator and the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign and operated chiefly against strategic objectives in Germany until May 1945. Targets included marshalling yards in Stuttgart, Cologne, and Mainz; airfields in Kassel and Münster; oil refineries and storage plants in Merseburg, Dollbergen, and Hamburg; harbours in Bremen and Kiel; and factories in Mannheim and Weimar.
Other missions included bombing airfields, gun positions, V-weapon sites (total of nine "No Ball" missions beginning June 20),[1] and railway bridges in France in preparation for or in support of the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; striking road junctions and troop concentrations in support of ground forces pushing across France, July-August 1944; hitting gun emplacements near Arnheim to minimize transport and glider losses during the airborne invasion of Holland in September 1944; and bombing enemy installations in support of ground troops during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945) and the assault across the Rhine (March-April 1945).
The 468th Bomb Group returned to the Drew AAF Florida during August 1945 and was deactivated on 7 November 1945.
8th Air Force - 3rd Bombardment Division
D-Day - Order of battle
8th Air Force: Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle
James H. Doolittle
3rd Bombardment Division: Major General C. E. Le-May
4th Bombardment Wing: Brigadier General Frederick W. Castle
94th Bombardment Group (Bury St. Edmunds airfield): Colonel Charles B. Dougher
331st Bombardment Squadron
332nd Bombardment Squadron
333rd Bombardment Squadron
410th Bombardment Squadron
385th Bombardment Group (Great Ashfield airfield): Colonel Elliot Vandevanter
548th Bombardment Squadron
549th Bombardment Squadron
550th Bombardment Squadron
551st Bombardment Squadron
447h Bombardment Group (Rattlesden airfield): Colonel Hunter Harris, Jr
708th Bombardment Squadron
709th Bombardment Squadron
710th Bombardment Squadron
711th Bombardment Squadron
13th Bombardment Wing: Brigadier General Colonel Edgar M. Wittan
95th Bombardment Group (Horham airfield): Colonel Karl Truesdell
334th Bombardment Squadron
335th Bombardment Squadron
336th Bombardment Squadron
412th Bombardment Squadron
100th Bombardment Group (Thorpe Abbotts airfield): Colonel Thomas S. Jeffrey
349th Bombardment Squadron
350th Bombardment Squadron
351st Bombardment Squadron
418th Bombardment Squadron
390th Bombardment Group (Framlingham airfield): Colonel Frederick W. Ott
568th Bombardment Squadron
569th Bombardment Squadron
570th Bombardment Squadron
571st Bombardment Squadron
45th Bombardment Wing: Brigadier General Archie J. Old Jr
96th Bombardment Group (Snetterton Heath airfield): Colonel James L. Travis
337th Bombardment Squadron
338th Bombardment Squadron
339th Bombardment Squadron
413th Bombardment Squadron
388th Bombardment Group (Knettishall airfield): Colonel William B. David
560th Bombardment Squadron
561st Bombardment Squadron
562nd Bombardment Squadron
563rd Bombardment Squadron
452nd Bombardment Group (Deopham Green airfield): Colonel Thetus C. Odom
728th Bombardment Squadron
729th Bombardment Squadron
730th Bombardment Squadron
731st Bombardment Squadron
92nd Bombardment Wing: Colonel Harold Q. Huglin
486th Bombardment Group (Sudbury airfield): Colonel Glendon P. Overing
832nd Bombardment Squadron
833rd Bombardment Squadron
834th Bombardment Squadron
835th Bombardment Squadron
487th Bombardment Group (Lavenham airfield): Colonel Robert Taylor III
836th Bombardment Squadron
837th Bombardment Squadron
838th Bombardment Squadron
839th Bombardment Squadron
93rd Bombardment Wing: Brigadier General John K. Gerhart
34th Bombardment Group (Mendlesham airfield): Lt. Colonel Ernest F. Wackwitz, Jr
4th Bombardment Squadron
7th Bombardment Squadron
18th Bombardment Squadron
391st Bombardment Squadron
490th Bombardment Group (Eye airfield): Colonel Lloyd H. Watnee
848th Bombardment Squadron
849th Bombardment Squadron
850th Bombardment Squadron
851st Bombardment Squadron
493rd Bombardment Group (Debach airfield): Colonel Elbert Helton
860th Bombardment Squadron
861st Bombardment Squadron
862nd Bombardment Squadron
863rd Bombardment Squadron
"American Beauty."
This is the B-24 "Consolidated Mess" (475:4N:B) in flight over England
"Black Panther" flew her first combat mission on 05/07/44 and her last on 07/09/44. She flew 23 combat missions before her transfer to the 492nd BG. This photo was taken at Worthy Down Airfield in Hampshire, England in about June, 1944. This is a small grass field, which was a training base allocated to the Fleet Air Arm (Royal Navy) for training purposes. The "Black Panther" came in with full bomb loads. Armorers from the 832nd are unloading the bombs. Worthy Down is in the South of England (near Winchester) about fifteen miles from Southampton and the coast.
The crew of "Pandora's Box" was flying this loaner aircraft on July 4th, 1944. The aircraft was badly damaged, and the pilot (LT Pearson) and co-pilot (LT Orlasky) were badly injured by flak over their target (an airfield in France). The navigator and engineer, coached by the injured copilot, put the aircraft down with wheels up. This plane is #688 from the 832nd BS and would not fly in combat again
"Low Pressure Lulu," #646.
Al Boyle, Navigator for the 835th BS, stands next the the 835th's Hack Ship "Green Hornet". This aircraft served as an airborne communications platform.
This menacing looking B24 was painted by ground crew aircraft mechanics, Don Smith and Al Hopkins (C flight - 833rd). Originally, they were only able to paint the starboard side before the plane began flying operationally, and would only be finished several weeks later. Stories began to circulate about the "Ghost," or "mystery" ship. Other crews, not knowing the aircraft's nose art wasn't finished on both sides would "lose sight" of this B24. The aircraft would seem to "disappear" is it maneuvered in the formation
BOMBS AWAY
This is a formation of Forts from an unidentified bomb group on the way to Köln (Cologne), Germany on October 5, 1944. An impressive sight even in black and white.
Col Glendon P. Overing: 20 Sep. 43 to 13 Apr. 1945.
Col William B. Kieffer: 13 Apr. 45 to Jul. 1945.
First Mission: 7 May 1944
Last Mission: 21 Apr 1945
Missions: 188
Total Sorties: 7,086
Total Bomb Tonnage: 14,517 Tons
Aircraft MIA: 33
Major Awards:
None
Claims to Fame
834 BS lost no planes or personnel on first 78 missions.
Early History:
Activated on the 20 September 1943 at McCook AAFd, Neb. The unit then moved to Davis Monthan Fd, AZ. on the 9 November 1943, and completed training in March of 1944. The aircraft moved overseas early in March of 1944 via southern ferry route.
Subsequent History:
Redeployed to the US on July/August 1945. The aircraft left Sudbury on the first week of July. The ground unit sailed from Southampton on Queen Elizabeth 25 August 1945, and arrived in New York on the 31st August 1945. The group established at Drew Fd, Fl. on 3 September 1945 and inactivated there on the 7 November 1945.
