489th Bombardment Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 489th Bombardment Group


caption= 489th Bombardment Group Insignia
dates= 1943 - 1945
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Army Air Forces
type=
role= Bombardment
size=
command_structure= Eighth Air Force
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
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anniversaries=The 489th Bombardment Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces organization. It served primarily with the Eighth Air Force in Europe.

History

Operational Units

* 844th Bomb Squadron (4R)
* 845th Bomb Squadron (T4)
* 846th Bomb Squadron (8R)
* 847th Bomb Squadron (S4)

Aircraft Flown

* Consolidated B-24 Liberator

Stations Assigned

* Wendover Field, UT 1 Oct 1943-3 Apr 1944
* RAF Halesworth, England c. 1 May-Nov 1944 (Station 365)
* Bradley Field, CT 12 Dec 1944
* Lincoln AAF, NE c. 17 Dec 1944
* Great Bend AAFld, KS c. 18 Feb 1945
* Davis-Monthan Field, AZ 3 Apr 1945
* Fairmont AAFld, NE c. 13 Jul 1945
* Fort Lawton, WA 23 Aug 1945
* March Field, CA 2 Sep-17 Oct 1945

Operational History

World War II

Constituted as 489th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943. Activated on 1 Oct 1943. Trained with B-24's. Moved to RAF Halesworth, England, Apr-May 1944, and assigned to Eighth Air Force. The group was assgned to the 20th Combat Bombardment Wing and the group tail code was a "Circle-W".

The group entered combat on 30 May 1944, and during the next few days concentrated on targets in France in preparation for the Normandy invasion.

In an attack against coastal defenses near Wimereaux on 5 June 1944, the group's lead plane was seriously crippled by enemy fire, its pilot was killed, and the deputy group commander, Lt. Col. Leon R. Vance Jr., who was commanding the formation, was severely wounded; although his right foot was practically severed, Vance took control of the plane, led the group to a successful bombing of the target, and managed to fly the damaged aircraft to the coast of England, where he ordered the crew to bail out; believing a wounded man had been unable to jump, he ditched the plane in the English Channel and was rescued. For his action during this mission, Vance was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The group supported the landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, and afterward bombed coastal defenses, airfields, bridges, railroads, and V-weapon sites in the campaign for France. Began flying missions into Germany in July, and engaged primarily in bombing strategic targets such as factories, oil refineries and storage plants, marshalling yards, and airfields in Ludwigshafen, Magdeburg, Brunswick, Saarbrucken, and other cities until November 1944.

Other operations included participating in the saturation bombing of German lines just before the breakthrough at St Lo in July, dropping food to the liberated French and to Allied forces in France during August and September, and carrying food and ammunition to Holland later in September.

The 489th Bomb Group returned to Bradley AAF Connecticut in November 1944 to prepare for redeployment to the Pacific theater. Redesignated 489th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in March 1945 and was re-equipped with B-29 Superfortresses. The group was alerted for movement overseas in the summer of 1945, but war with Japan ended before the group left the US. Inactivated on 17 October 1945.

See also

* Eighth Air Force

References

* Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0900913096
* Freeman, Roger A. (2001) The Mighty Eighth: The Colour Record. Cassell ISBN 0304357081
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.

External links