The 489th Bomb Group is a unit of the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. It is assigned to the
307th Bomb Wing, and is stationed at
Dyess Air Force Base
Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas.
The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...
, Texas. The group is a reserve associate unit of the
7th Bomb Wing
The 7th Bomb Wing (7 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is also the host unit.
The 7 BW is one of only two B-1B Lancer strate ...
at Dyess.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the 489th Bombardment Group was a
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
unit. After training in the United States, it moved to England as an element of
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
, stationed at
RAF Halesworth
Royal Air Force Halesworth or more simply RAF Halesworth is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of the town of Halesworth, Suffolk, England and west of Southwold.
United States Army Air Forces use
Halesworth was built in 19 ...
, England. Lieutenant Colonel
Leon Vance
Leon Robert Vance Jr. (August 11, 1916 – July 26, 1944) was a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
Early life and family
Leon Robert Vance Jr. was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. Van ...
of the group was awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
for his bravery and actions on the day before
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
over
Wimereux, France. It was the only Medal of Honor awarded to a B-24 crewman for a mission flown from England.
[Freeman, p. 261][Enid Air Force Base, Oklahoma was renamed ]Vance Air Force Base
Vance Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in southern Enid, Oklahoma, about north northwest of Oklahoma City. The base is named after local World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient, Lieutenant Colonel Leon Robert Va ...
in memory of Col. Vance on 9 July 1949. Mueller, p. 567. The group returned to the United States in November 1944 and converted to a
Boeing 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 Fl ...
group, but the war ended before the group could deploy to the Pacific.
In October 2015, the group was reactivated in the
Air Force Reserve
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
.
History
World War II
Training in the United States
The 489th Bombardment Group, Heavy was activated as a
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
heavy bomber
group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
on 1 October 1943 at
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.
[Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 358–359] Its original squadrons were the
844th,
845th,
846th and
847th Bombardment Squadron
The 847th Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit that was originally activated as the 421st Bombardment Squadron. Its last assignment was with the 489th Bombardment Group at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas where ...
s.
[Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 778–779][Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 779][Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 779–780] Shortly after organizing, key personnel left for training with the
Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
in Florida, where it flew simulated combat missions in company with the
491st Bombardment Group leadership, which was at a similar point in its training. The group completed combat training and departed Wendover on 3 April 1944.
[ The air echelon flew to the UK via the southern ferry route along the northern coastline of South America and across the Atlantic to Africa before heading North to England.][ The ground echelon sailed from Boston on board the on 13 April 1944, reaching ]Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
on 21 April. The group moved to RAF Halesworth
Royal Air Force Halesworth or more simply RAF Halesworth is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of the town of Halesworth, Suffolk, England and west of Southwold.
United States Army Air Forces use
Halesworth was built in 19 ...
, England in May 1944, where it became part of Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
.[
]
Combat in Europe
The group entered combat on 30 May 1944 with an attack on Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to:
Places
*Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica
*Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany
**Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony
*Olde ...
, Germany.[ It then concentrated on targets striking in France to prepare for ]Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...
, the invasion of Normandy. In an attack against coastal defenses near Wimereux, France on 5 June, the group's lead plane was seriously crippled by enemy fire, its pilot was killed, and the deputy group commander, Lt Col
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Leon Vance
Leon Robert Vance Jr. (August 11, 1916 – July 26, 1944) was a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
Early life and family
Leon Robert Vance Jr. was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. Van ...
, who was commanding the formation, was severely wounded. Although his right foot was practically severed, Vance took control of the plane and led the group to a successful bombing of the target. He flew the damaged Liberator near the English coastline where he ordered the crew to bail out. Under the belief that one wounded crewmember could not jump, Vance ditched the plane in the English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
and was rescued. For his action during this mission, Vance was awarded the Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
.[In late July Lt Col Vance was evacuated back to the United States for medical treatment. The plane he was on disappeared over the Atlantic and all aboard were lost. Mueller, p. 567.]
The group supported the landings in Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
the following day, and afterward bombed coastal defenses, airfields, bridges, railroads, and V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...
and V-2 rocket
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develop ...
launch sites (Operation Crossbow) in the campaign for France. It participated in the saturation bombing of German lines just before Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the United States First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take adv ...
, the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô (, ; br, Sant Lo) is a commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy. in July. The group dropped food to liberated French and to Allied forces in France during August and September, and carried food and ammunition to the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
later in September.[ For these missions, a loadmaster from ]IX Troop Carrier Command
The IX Troop Carrier Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946. As a component command of the Ninth ...
directed the drops from the bombers. On other missions, group aircraft flew into Orleans/Bricy Airfield to deliver supplies.
The 489th began flying strategic bombing missions to Germany in July, and engaged primarily in bombing strategic targets such as factories, oil refineries
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...
and storage areas, marshalling yards, and airfield
An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
s in Ludwigshafen
Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning " Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it form ...
, Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
, Brunswick, Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...
, and other cities until November 1944.[ At that time it was the first group in Eighth Air Force selected for redeployment to the Pacific theater and became non-operational on 14 November 1944 and most of its B-24s were assigned to other groups in England. It was relieved of assignment to the theater on 29 November 1944, and returned to the United States.][
]
Redeployment for the Pacific
The 489th Bomb Group returned to Bradley Field Connecticut at the end of December 1944, where most returning personnel were reassigned to other units[ while the group moved to ]Lincoln Army Air Field
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
, Nebraska. At Lincoln it again became part of 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 defended ...
on 22 January 1945, they were informed that previous plans for refresher training had been cancelled and instead the group and its associated 369th Air Service Group were retrained as Boeing 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 Fl ...
combat and support units. However Second Air Force did not receive redesignation orders for the group until 17 March, until which time they were compelled to maintain duplicate rosters and tables of organization, one for a heavy bombardment group of four squadrons, and one for a very heavy bombardment group of three squadrons. The readiness date for the group air echelon was set back from 1 March to 1 August 1945. The group moved to Great Bend Army Air Field
Great Bend Army Air Field is a closed United States Air Force base. It is located west-southwest of Great Bend, Kansas, and was closed in 1946. Today it is used as Great Bend Municipal Airport.
Great Bend Army Air Field (AAF) is significantly ...
, Kansas in mid-February to re-equip with the B-29,[ and was redesignated the 489th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy in March.][
The group was alerted for movement overseas in the summer of 1945, but with the ]Japanese surrender
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
, the group was inactivated on 17 October 1945.[
]
Air Force reserve
The Air Force reactivated the group as the Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
's 489th Bomb Group on 17 October 2015, exactly 70 years after it was inactivated.[ The 489th operates from ]Dyess Air Force Base
Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas.
The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...
near Abilene, Texas, flying Rockwell B-1 Lancer
The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It is commonly called the "Bone" (from "B-One"). It is one of three strategic bombers serving in the U.S. Air Force fleet along with ...
s and is an associate unit of the Regular Air Force's 7th Bomb Wing
The 7th Bomb Wing (7 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is also the host unit.
The 7 BW is one of only two B-1B Lancer strate ...
, operating the same aircraft. The 489th is assigned the 307th Bomb Wing, a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
unit at Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...
, Louisiana. Both the 489th and the 307th are "operationally-gained" by Air Force Global Strike Command when mobilized
Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...
.[
]
Lineage
* Constituted as the 489th Bombardment Group, Heavy on 14 September 1943
: Activated on 1 October 1943
: Redesignated 489th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 17 March 1945
: Inactivated on 17 October 1945[Lineage and station information through 1945 in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 358–359]
* Redesignated 489th Bomb Group on 8 October 2015
: Activated in the Air Force Reserve on 17 October 2015[
]
Assignments
* Second Air Force, 1 October 1943 – April 1944
* 95th Combat Bombardment Wing, 5 April 1944[
* ]20th Combat Bombardment Wing
The 20th Bombardment Wing is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force at MacDill Field, Florida, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1946. It was later disbanded in October 1948
History
The ...
, 14 August – 29 November 1944[
* Second Air Force, 12 December 1944 – 17 October 1945
* 307th Bomb Wing, 17 October 2015 – present][Assignment and station information in Haulman, except as noted.]
Components
; Operational squadrons
* 345th Bomb Squadron, 17 October 2015 – present[
* 844th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 17 October 1945][
* 845th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 17 October 1945][
* 846th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 17 October 1945][
* 847th Bombardment Squadron, 13 October 1943 – 28 March 1945][
; Support units
* 489th Maintenance Squadron, 17 October 2015 – Present][
* 489th Aerospace Medical Flight, 17 October 2015 – Present][
* 1st Photographic Laboratory (Bombardment Group, Very Heavy), 17 March 1944 – 17 October 1945
]
Stations
* Wendover Field, Utah, 1 October 1943 – 3 April 1944
* RAF Halesworth (AAF-365),[Station number in Anderson] England, c. 1 May – November 1944 (Station 365)
* Bradley Field, Connecticut 12 December 1944
* Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska, c. 17 December 1944
* Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas c. 18 February 1945
* Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona, 3 April 1945
* Fairmont Army Air Field
Fairmont State Airfield is three miles south of Fairmont, in Fillmore County, Nebraska. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a ''general aviation'' facility. It has no scheduled airline service.
...
, Nebraska c. 13 July 1945
* Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton was a United States Army post located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acres of Fort Lawton, was given to the city of Seattle and dedicated as ...
, Washington 23 August 1945
* March Field
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...
, California 2 September – 17 October 1945
* Dyess Air Force Base 17 October 2015 – present[
]
Aircraft
* Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1944[
* Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1945][
* Rockwell B-1B Lancer, 2015–present][
]
Campaigns
See also
* B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces
This is a list of United States Army Air Forces B-24 Liberator combat units during World War II including variants and other historical information. Heavy bomber training organizations primarily under II Bomber Command in the United States and ...
* List of B-1 units of the United States Air Force
This is a List of B-1 Units of the United States Air Force by wing, squadron, location, features, variant, and service dates. During the 1980s, squadrons were transferred regularly to different wings and bases temporarily, and sometimes permane ...
* List of B-29 Superfortress operators
This is a list of B-29 Superfortress units consisting of nations, their air forces, and the unit assignments that used the B-29 during World War II, Korean War, and post war periods, including variants and other historical information
Delivery ...
* List of United States Air Force Groups
This is a list of Groups in the United States Air Force that do not belong to a host wing.
The last level of independent operation is the group level. When an organization is not part of the primary mission of the base it will be made an independ ...
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*
* Freeman, Roger A. (1978) ''Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now''. After the Battle
* Freeman, Roger A. (2001) ''The Mighty Eighth: The Colour Record''. Cassell
*
External links
*
* (Repeats information in Maurer, ''Combat Units''. Illustrated by picture of B-24 in group markings.)
* (Includes map showing location of RAF Halesworth)
*
*
{{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II
Military units and formations in Texas
Bombardment groups of the United States Air Force
Military units and formations of the United States Air Force Reserves