The 467th Bombardment Group is an inactive
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
unit. Its last assignment was to the
Strategic Air Command, being stationed at
Clovis Army Airfield,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
. It was inactivated on 4 August 1946.
During World War II, the group was an
Eighth Air Force B-24 Liberator unit in England assigned to
RAF Rackheath
Royal Air Force Rackheath or more simply RAF Rackheath is a former Royal Air Force station located near the village of Rackheath, approximately north-east of Norwich, England.
History
Airfield construction began in 1943 for the United States ...
. The group set unsurpassed record for bombing accuracy on 15 April 1945, holding the record for
bombing accuracy in the Eighth Air Force. They destroyed a German
battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
at
Pointe de Grave, on the west coast of France and scored a 100 per cent strike. The group commander, Colonel Albert J. Shower, was the only group commander to stay with the same group from beginning to the end of the war. Returned to the United States in July 1945, converted to
B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
es and trained for deployment to the
Pacific Theater. Deployment to
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
cancelled with the end of the Pacific War in August 1945.
After training completed, assigned to Clovis AAF, New Mexico and was one of the original ten USAAF bombardment groups assigned to
Strategic Air Command on 21 March 1946. The group was inactivated on 4 August 1946 due to the Air Force's policy of retaining only low-numbered groups on active duty after the war, and its B-29 aircraft, personnel and equipment were reassigned to the senior
301st Bombardment Group
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
at
Smoky Hill Army Airfield
Salina Regional Airport , formerly Salina Municipal Airport, is three miles southwest of Salina, Kansas, United States. The airport is owned by the Salina Airport Authority. It is used for general aviation, with service by one passenger airline, ...
,
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
.
History
Established as a
B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment group in mid-1943 at
Mountain Home Army Air Field
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...
,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
, and activated on 8 September. Transferred to Kearns Center, Utah for personnel assignment and organization then sent to
Wendover Field
Wendover is a market town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road a ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
for combat training on 1 November.
In January the group received deployment orders for the
European Theater of Operations (ETO). On 12 February 1944 the ground unit went by train to
Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks was a United States Army installation in the Orangetown, New York area. Named after Major General David C. Shanks, it was situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River. The camp was the largest U.S. Army embarka ...
, New York. They sailed on the on 28 February 1944 and arrived in Clyde on 10 March 1944. The aircraft left Wendover on 12 February 1944 and took the southern Atlantic ferry route. One B-24 was lost with all the crew over the Atlas mountains. Moved to
RAF Rackheath
Royal Air Force Rackheath or more simply RAF Rackheath is a former Royal Air Force station located near the village of Rackheath, approximately north-east of Norwich, England.
History
Airfield construction began in 1943 for the United States ...
, Norfolk in England, February–March 1944, and was assigned to the
VIII Bomber Command
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of ...
. The group was assigned to the 96th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-P".
The mission of the 467th was to engage in very long range strategic bombardment operations over
Occupied Europe
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
and
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. The group began operations on 10 April 1944 with an attack by thirty aircraft on an airfield at
Bourges in central France. In combat, the unit served chiefly as a strategic bombardment organization, attacking the harbor at
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
, chemical plants at
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
, textile factories at
Stuttgart, power plants at
Hamm, steel works at
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
, the aircraft industry at
Brunswick, and other objectives.
In addition to strategic operations, engaged occasionally in support and interdictory missions. Bombed shore installations and bridges near
Cherbourg Naval Base
Cherbourg Naval Base is a naval base in Cherbourg Harbour, Cherbourg, Manche department, Normandy. The town has been a base of the French Navy since the opening of the military port in 1813.
History Early works
Cherbourg had been a stronghold ...
on
D-Day, 6 June 1944. Struck enemy troop and supply concentrations near
Montreuil on 25 July 1944 to assist the
Allied drive across France.
In September, over two weeks the bombers flew gasoline from Rackheath to
Clastres Airfield (A-71) France for use by the US mechanized forces. Attacked German communications and fortifications during the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
, December 1944 – January 1945. Hit enemy transportation to assist the
Allied assault across the Rhine in March 1945.
After the German Capitulation in May 1945, the group was ordered back to the United States for B-29 transition and redeployment to the
Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO). Redeployed to the US June/July 1945. The air echelon departed Rackheath on 12 June 1945. The ground units sailed from Greenock on the Queen Mary on 6 July 1945. They arrived in New York on 11 July 1945. Upon arrival, most of the group was demobilized due to their combat service in Europe; a cadre of officers and men was formed at
Sioux Falls Army Air Field
Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a public and military use airport three miles northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is named in honor of aviator and Sioux Falls native Joe Foss, who later served a ...
,
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
on 25 August.
At Sioux Falls, the unit was redesignated as the 467th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in August and was reformed with newly trained pilots, aircrews and ground personnel. The reformed group was sent to
Harvard Army Airfield
Harvard State Airport (Harvard State Airfield) is two miles northeast of Harvard, in Clay County, Nebraska. It has no airline flights.
History
Harvard Army Airfield was built in 1942 as a United States Army Air Forces training airfield. It is ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
for initial
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
training then on to Phase II training at
Alamogordo Army Airfield,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
where the group trained on worn
II Bomber Command
The II Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command heavy bomber units assigned to Second Air Force. Following the entry of the United St ...
B-17s and some pre-production YB-29s used for aircrew training. The Japanese Capitulation in early August canceled the planned deployment to the Pacific, however the group continued to train
Due to the advanced training state of the unit, it was reassigned to
Harvard Army Airfield
Harvard State Airport (Harvard State Airfield) is two miles northeast of Harvard, in Clay County, Nebraska. It has no airline flights.
History
Harvard Army Airfield was built in 1942 as a United States Army Air Forces training airfield. It is ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, where the group received new
B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
es and completed training. In December 1945 was assigned to a permanent base at Clovis AAF, New Mexico as part of
Continental Air Forces
Continental Air Forces (CAF) was a United States Army Air Forces major command, active 1944–1946. It was tasked with combat training of bomber and fighter personnel, and for Continental United States (CONUS) air defense after the Aircraft Wa ...
.
Engaged in strategic bombardment training operations on a reduced scale upon arrival at Clovis, as many personnel were being demobilized. On 21 March 1946, was assigned as one of the initial units of the new
Strategic Air Command. The unit, however was inactivated on 4 August due to personnel shortages and funding reductions in the immediate postwar Air Force. The equipment and remaining personnel were reassigned to other SAC units, primarily the
301st Bombardment Group
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
at
Smoky Hill Army Airfield
Salina Regional Airport , formerly Salina Municipal Airport, is three miles southwest of Salina, Kansas, United States. The airport is owned by the Salina Airport Authority. It is used for general aviation, with service by one passenger airline, ...
,
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
.
Lineage
* Constituted as 467th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 May 1943
: Activated on 1 August 1943
: Redesignated 467th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in August 1945
: Inactivated on 4 August 1946, aircraft/personnel/equipment redesignated
301st Bombardment Group
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
Assignments
*
II Bomber Command
The II Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command heavy bomber units assigned to Second Air Force. Following the entry of the United St ...
, 1 August 1943
*
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
, 6 October 1943 – 12 February 1944
*
96th Combat Bombardment Wing
The 96th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Tenth Air Force at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
As the 96th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the pri ...
, 7 March 1944 – 12 June 1945
*
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
, 15 July 1945
*
Strategic Air Command, 21 March – 4 August 1946
Components
*
788th Bombardment Squadron
The 788th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. During World War II, as the 788th Bombardment Squadron, it was assigned to the 467th Bombardment Group as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator squadron in 1943. After t ...
(X7), 1 August 1943 – 4 August 1946
*
789th Bombardment Squadron (6A), 1 August 1943 – 4 August 1946
*
790th Bombardment Squadron (Q2), 1 August 1943 – 4 August 1946
*
791st Bombardment Squadron (4Z), 1 August 1943 – 4 August 1946
Stations
*
Wendover Field
Wendover is a market town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road a ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, 1 August 1943 – 8 September 1943
*
Mountain Home Army Air Field
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...
,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
, 8 September 1943 – 17 October 1943
*
Kearns Army Airfield
South Valley Regional Airport is a public airport located in West Jordan, Utah, West Jordan, southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Established as a Utah World War II Army Airfields, Utah World War II army airf ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
17 October 1943 – 1 November 1943
*
Wendover Field
Wendover is a market town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road a ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, 1 November 1943 – 12 February 1944
*
RAF Rackheath
Royal Air Force Rackheath or more simply RAF Rackheath is a former Royal Air Force station located near the village of Rackheath, approximately north-east of Norwich, England.
History
Airfield construction began in 1943 for the United States ...
(AAF-145), England, 11 March 1944 – 12 June 1945
*
Sioux Falls Army Air Field
Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a public and military use airport three miles northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is named in honor of aviator and Sioux Falls native Joe Foss, who later served a ...
,
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
, 15 July 1945
*
Fairmont Army Airfield
Fairmont State Airfield is three miles south of Fairmont, Nebraska, Fairmont, in Fillmore County, Nebraska. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 FAA airport categories, categorized it as a ''general aviation'' facilit ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, 25 July 1945
*
Alamogordo Army Airfield
: Elements trained at
Albuquerque Army Airbase,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
, 22 August 1945
*
Harvard Army Airfield
Harvard State Airport (Harvard State Airfield) is two miles northeast of Harvard, in Clay County, Nebraska. It has no airline flights.
History
Harvard Army Airfield was built in 1942 as a United States Army Air Forces training airfield. It is ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, 8 September 1945 – December 1945
*
Clovis Army Airfield,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
, December 1945 – 4 August 1946
Aircraft
*
B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945
*
B-17 Flying Fortress, 1945–1946
*
B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
, 1946
References
* Freeman, Roger A. ''Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now''. After the Battle, 1978. .
* Freeman, Roger A. ''The Mighty Eighth: The Colour Record''. Cassell & Co., 1991. .
* Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. .
* Watts, Perry. ''The 467th Bombardment Group (H) in World War II: in Combat with the B-24 Liberator over Europe''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2006. .
External links
467th Bomb Group Home Page
{{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II
Bombardment groups of the United States Army Air Forces
Units and formations of Strategic Air Command
Military units and formations established in 1943
Bombardment groups of the United States Air Force