38th Bombardment Group
Encyclopedia
The 38th Bombardment Group is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force
. It was most recently assigned as the operational (flying) component of the 38th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Laon-Couvron Air Base
, France, where it was inactivated on 8 December 1957.
During World War II
the 38th Bomb Group was a medium bombardment group
and one of the first combat organizations of the United States Army Air Forces
to be deployed to the Pacific Theater
. Elements took part in the June 1942 Battle of Midway
using the Martin B-26 Marauder
medium bomber. The remainder of the group operated in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) as a B-25 Mitchell
unit assigned to Fifth Air Force
and was re-organized in 1943 into a standardized unit. The group was awarded four Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat service in Papua
(Buna and Gona, 23 July 1942 to 23 January 1943); New Britain
(Cape Gloucester, 24–26 December 43); New Guinea
(Jefman-Samate-Sorong, 16–17 June 1944); and Leyte
(Ormoc Bay, 10 November 1944). It also received recognition from the government of the Philippines
with an award of the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
During the early years of the Cold War
, the unit operated in France as a NATO tactical bombardment group flying Martin B-57B Canberras
. The group formed the "Black Knights" aerial demonstration team that performed at several air shows in Western Europe, including the 1957 Paris Air Show
. The Black Knights were the only tactical bomber show team in the world.
* Group ground echelons only, no aircraft or crews
The 38th Bombardment Group (Medium) was constituted on 20 November 1940 by War Department
General Order AG 320.2, and activated on 15 January 1941 at Langley Army Air Base, Virginia
, by the 2nd Wing
, GHQ Air Force. Its original cadre consisted of seven officers and 112 enlisted men transferred from the 22d Bombardment Group to administratively organize the group. Its original assigned flying squadrons were the 69th
, 70th
and 71st Bomb Squadrons
, with the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron activated at the same time and attached.
In the first week of June 1941 the group transferred to Jackson Army Air Base
, Mississippi
to receive an influx of personnel just graduated from technical schools and to train a large levy of drafted enlisted men, mostly from Pennsylvania, fresh out of basic training
. The first combat crews joined the group on 2 September, consisting of 30 newly-commissioned pilots of Randolph Field Pilot Training Class 41-F, who began group training in seven B-18s and two PT-13 Kaydets. The next month the group began receiving new B-26 Marauder
s, and by 1 December 1941 each bomb squadron had 13 assigned. The first loss of an aircraft was 69th BS B-26 40-1472 in a landing accident at Jackson AAB, with all six crewmen killed, on 21 December 1941.
The German U-boat
threat to Allied shipping earmarked the group for assignment to anti-submarine warfare
patrols from a base in South America. Orders were cut to transfer the group to Savannah AAB
, Georgia
, as the first step in the process, but were rescinded when the United States was drawn into the war on 7 December 1941. Instead the group remained at Jackson until 18 January when its ground echelon entrained for movement to a port of embarkation at San Francisco, California, where it was quartered in the Cow Palace
.
On 29 January the ground echelon boarded the Army transport USAT Tasker H. Bliss
, formerly the Dollar Liner SS President Cleveland. The Bliss left in convoy from San Francisco on the 31st and arrived at Brisbane
, Australia on 25 February 1942. On that date the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron was assigned as the group's fourth squadron, and re-designated the 405th Bomb Squadron
on 22 April 1942.
The ground personnel of the group were employed as service and construction troops, working at various bases until assignment to Charters Towers on 2 August. The advance party, however, found that the 3rd Bomb Group
and its A-20 Havocs occupied all the desirable space and established a camp at Breddan
on 7 August. The ground element of the 71st BS moved to Batchelor Field, Darwin, on 1 May to act as a service squadron for the 19th Bomb Group
, which had been compelled to evacuate its B-17s from the Philippines
by Japanese advances. On 12 August it rejoined the group at Breddan.
The air echelon did not accompany the sea movement and was quartered at Fort McDowell, California, until 6 April, when it moved by train to Patterson Field, Ohio
, to continue B-26 training. On 8-7 May, the 69th and 70th BS flew new B-26Bs to California for movement to Hawaii, while the 71st and 405th began receiving B-25 Mitchell
bombers for training. The 71st moved to MacDill AAB
where it traded its experienced B-26 crews with those of the 21st Bomb Group (a unit converting to B-26s), which were entirely pilots from Shafter Field
Pilot Training Class 42-E, and had graduated on 21 May. The 405th flew to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, to do the same with the 17th Bomb Group
, which was converting to B-26s because a large portion of its B-25s had been lost on the Doolittle Raid
. These novice pilots and crews became the core of the group's combat crews for the next 15 months.At least one anecdotal narrative by a 38th combat veteran recalled that, in addition to the inter-group crew swaps described in the 38th's official history, the B-26 crews of the 69th/70th were "swapped" internally with the B-26 crews of the 71st/405th just prior to the 7 May detachment of those squadrons from the group. The designated commander of the 38th's air echelon, 405th BS commander Lt. Col. Millard Lewis, was detached at Barksdale to command the 335th Bombardment Group
, a new B-26 training group.
On May l9th the first flight of three B-26 Marauders left Hamilton Field, for Hawaii. From 22 May to 10 June the 69th and 70th Bomb Squadrons ferried 26 Marauders to Hickam Field
without a single mishap.
Two aircraft of the 69th BS in Hawaii took part in the Battle of Midway
as part of Seventh Air Force
. Together with two Marauders from the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron
of the 22nd Bomb Group, they were modified to each carry a Mark 13 torpedo
and practised torpedo runs for ten days before being deployed to Midway Island. All four took off on the morning of 4 June 1942, in an attempt to attack Japanese aircraft carrier
s. The bombers began their long torpedo runs at 800 feet altitude, and two were lost before they could release. The remaining B-26s then dropped down to only ten feet above the water under heavy attack from Japanese fighters and antiaircraft fire. Neither hit the carriers. The two Marauders lost included one with a 69th BS crew, while the two survivors were heavily damaged.Capt. James J. Collins of the 69th BS led the attack and received one of the two Distinguished Service Crosses awarded.
On 13 June the 69th received orders to proceed to New Caledonia
. Equipped with only ten B-26s and based at Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield
, New Caledonia, it became the first medium bombardment squadron in the South Pacific Area. The 70th Bombardment Squadron arrived at Nandi Airfield
on Fiji
one week later.
Both squadrons conducted search and bombing missions in the Solomon Islands
from McDonald Field on Efate
during the Guadalcanal campaign
, and the 69th staged twice with torpedoes for strikes against the Japanese fleet that never materialized. The 70th was briefly based on Guadalcanal in mid-November
. The 69th arrived at Guadalcanal on 31 December and immediately bombed the Japanese airfield under construction at Munda. It remained at Henderson Field
until 12 January, flying eleven missions against Munda and the Japanese seaplane base at Rekata Bay
, where it lost two Marauders to antiaircraft fire on 7 January 1943.
The 69th was advised at the end of September that it would be converting to B-25s, but it was November before the first five were received. It turned over its surviving B-26s to the 70th BS in March 1943 when it received 10 new Mitchells and began three months of conversion training. On 26 February 1943, the 69th and 70th squadrons were reassigned from the 38th Bomb Group. In March they were assigned to the 42nd Bombardment Group
based on Fiji and the 70th also began conversion to B-25s.
The two B-25 squadrons picked up 37 new B-25C and B-25D aircraftThe types were identical. The designations denote their place of manufacture: Inglewood
, California (C) and Kansas City
, Kansas (D). at McClellan Field
, California, on 28 July 1942, flew them to Hamilton Field, and began movement to Hawaii in early August. These were the first B-25s to be flown to their overseas bases.Between 20 and 40 B-25Cs had been in combat with the 3rd Bomb Group
since 6 April, but were from a consignment shipped in crates to Australia for use by the Dutch Air Force. These had been returned to (or retained by) the USAAF because the Dutch did not have pilots to fly them. Stripped of all armament (shipped separately by sea) to reduce weight and navigated without radio beacon aids, they continued on from Hickam Field to Breddan via Christmas Island
, Canton Island, Fiji, and New Caledonia
. During the ferry operation, five bombers of the 405th BS became lost over New South Wales
after a navigation error trying to find Amberley, Queensland
, on 14 August and ran out of fuel. One was abandoned near Lismore
, one crash-landed at Casino
, and two others crash-landed at Grafton
. The fifth managed to land safely at Evans Head. One crewman was killed bailing out of his aircraft.The navigator's parachute opened inside the aircraft and was useless. He attempted to parachute by hanging onto another crewman, but was torn away by the shock of the chute opening.
All aircraft of 71st BS arrived by 14 August and those of the 405th by 21 August. The remaining 33 bombers of the group were in place at Breddan by 25 August, and the two squadrons began flying training missions from Charters Towers on 29 August.The standard medium bombardment group had four squadrons and 63 aircraft in 1942–43. The group was assigned to the newly activated V Bomber Command, Fifth Air Force
and operated in that command to October 1944, attacking Japanese airfields, shipping, and ground forces in New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago
.Of the original 37 bombers, five were transferred to other units. Seven were lost in combat, fourteen to non-combat accidents, and seven retired from combat by 1 March 1944, to become administrative aircraft ("hacks"). Only four continued flying combat after that date, the last retired in September 1944 with 160+ missions.
On 9–10 September, in preparation for starting operations, the 38th BG was assigned to the Fifth Air Force's Advanced Echelon (ADVON) and a forward echelon moved to Horn Island Aerodrome
. 12 Mitchells flew the first combat mission on 15 September 1942, staging through Port Moresby
, to bomb and strafe Japanese Army positions and an airfield near Buna
, New Guinea
. On 28 September the forward echelon displaced to Laloki airfield
, New Guinea, where it continued reconnaissance and occasional bombing missions, while the remainder of the group moved up to Townsville
. The 38th BG experienced its first combat loss when fighters shot down a B-25 attacking a convoy off Buna on 5 October.
The group had been without a commanding officer for nearly six months,When the air echelon was broken up in May 1942, group commander Lt. Col. Fay Upthegrove (in Australia) returned to the United States and was assigned command of the 99th Bombardment Group. The 38th BG was under the acting command of its executive officer, Lt. Col. Theodore C. Castle, until Col. Brian O'Neill took command. The history compiled by the 38th BG Association in 2005 stated that Castle had been in actual command but was relieved for medical reasons related to a near-air crash. If so, Air Force records do not bear this out. and on 6 November Lt. Col. Brian O'Neill, commander of the 22nd BG's 408th Bomb Squadron
at Reid River Airfield
in Australia, transferred to the 38th BG and took command of the group. O'Neill remained in command for the next year, until a freak ground accident caused him to be transferred for medical treatment in October 1943.Per the group history, O'Neill, known as "Shanty" O'Neill, had a late night fondness for powdered cheese
, which he would scoop from a container kept in the headquarters squadron mess. New cooks, unaware of his habit and without changing the storage location, used the container to store lye
, which O'Neill nearly ingested and which caused severe chemical burns to his mouth. When infection set it, he was sent to Australia for hospitalization. O'Neill returned to Fifth Air Force as a staff officer with the 308th Bomb Wing, the next higher administrative echelon for the 38th BG.
During the month of November, the group staged through Rorona airstrip
, flying a limited number of missions, while the ground echelon completed its move to New Guinea by sea.The 38BG Association published an anecdote in its newsletter, possibly apocryphal, that the scheduled move was advanced before their base was completed because of a tiff in the Officer's Club in Townsville between crewmen of the 405th BS and the base Provost Marshal. The crewmen, returning from a mission to retrieve their personal items, found their quarters reassigned to another unit and their belongings missing. When they attempted to dine at the club, they were threatened with arrest by the Provost for failing to wear ties, and to instigate a protest arrest, destroyed glassware, aware that the commanding general of ADVON, BG Ennis C. Whitehead
, would have them released. A variation in the association's group history (2005) has them arriving after the club had closed, being refused dinner because they were not in Class A uniform, and then arrested for throwing food on the floor. On 26 November it moved into another of Moresby's airfield complex, Durand Airfield
("17 Mile Drome"), from which it would operate for fifteen months. At Durand, as at the five bases which followed, the group lived in dispersed tent cities, was subject to nightly raids on its facilities by Japanese aircraft, and often staged through crude forward strips to extend the range of its combat operations.
The group participated in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea
on 3 March 1943, with the 405th BS engaging in an early example of "mast head" (skip) bombing
.O'Neill flew the morning mission in the lead aircraft of the 405th with Ralph Cheli, and the afternoon mission in the lead aircraft of the 71st BS, earning the Distinguished Service Cross. Following the Bismarck Sea mission, the 38th returned all of its aircraft over a period of months to the 4th Air Depot in Townsville for field modification to the B-25C-1 (405th BS) and B-25D-1 (71st BS) strafer configuration in which the nose compartment was enclosed with sheet metal and eight forward-firing machine guns were mounted in the nose and on the fuselage side below the cockpit in blister packs. The lower turret was also removed and replaced by a 150-gallon fuel tank mounted on bomb racks that allowed it to be jettisoned once fuel was transferred. The 405th made low level strafing attacks its standard operating procedure in March 1943, while the 71st BS commenced such missions in May. The modification process and training needs released the group from most combat operations between April and July.
Major Ralph Cheli
was awarded the Medal of Honor
leading a mission on the second day of the bombing of Wewak
on 18 August 1943. Assigned to lead both the group and the 405th BS in an attack on heavily defended Dagua Airdrome, his C-1 strafer was severely hit by enemy fire while at 150 feet. Cheli remained in formation and led the attack before crash-landing his bomber into the sea. Initially he was believed killed in the crash, but post war evidence indicates that he survived the crash but was executed in March 1944 by the Japanese while a POW on Rabaul
. For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. What are believed to be Major Cheli's and other similarly executed POWs remains are now interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery
in St. Louis
, Missouri.Of the three crews shot down in August 1943, all but one of the twelve survivors captured are believed to have been executed by their captors.
Two weeks later, on 2 September, sixteen strafers attacked shipping reported in Wewak harbor. Attacking in eight two-plane elements with two 1000-pound bombs each, the Mitchells came in just over the crests of low ridges to the south, into a barrage of intense antiaircraft fire at their altitude. 10 to 15 Japanese fighters eluded the P-38 top cover by circling under a 5000-foot ceiling, then attacked the bomber formation vertically and from the rear for 25 minutes. One bomber of the 405th BS was shot up as it released its bombs, then ditched in the bay. A second was pursued after bombing and cartwheel
ed into the Bismarck Sea when hit by fighter attacks. A third was shot down during the attacks of the 71st BS when it "snap rolled
" at wavetop height and crashed inverted into the bay. The crews of all three aircraft were killed. Despite the losses, small barrage balloons anchored to each ship, and a number of overshoots of the bombs, the attack succeeded in hitting several of the vessels.
and 823d Bomb Squadrons
were constituted and assigned to the 38th BG on 20 April 1943 to bring the group to a full strength of four squadrons. Both squadrons were raised in New Guinea using a cadre from the 38th BG to provide group training to a pool of incoming ground personnel, and later to new pilots. The ground personnel landed at Port Moresby on 23 June 1943 after a month at sea, while the air crews trained at Charters Towers until October 1943. 38 new B-25G aircraft began field modifications at Townsville on 24 September and were flown by their crews to Durand on 9 and 10 October. The new squadrons flew their first combat mission on 15 October 1943.
The 822d and 823d BS field-tested the cannon-mounted B-25G bombers, and from 19 November to 25 December they were employed over the northwest coastal areas of New Britain
against barge
traffic between New Guinea and New Britain. The B-25G underwent a thorough combat testing during the period, firing 1,253 rounds of 75 mm ammunition. Five were lost in the first month of combat and a dozen by May 1944. The losses were initially replaced by five B-25Hs, but Fifth Air Force did not prefer this model, and soon after losses were replaced by strafer configured B-25Ds. In early February 1944 the G models began depot conversion to the "B-25G-1" configuration, replacing the cannon with two .50 caliber machine guns. The surviving G-1 models were transferred in September 1944 to the 41st Bomb Group
after new B-25Js were received.
The two veteran squadrons engaged in a series of large strikes mounted by Fifth Air Force against Rabaul
in the latter half of October, attempting to neutralize the Japanese base before Allied landings
on Bougainville
, scheduled for 1 November. On 2 November, the 71st and 405th BS were part of a force of nine understrength squadrons of B-25s and six of P-38 Lightning fighters that attacked Simpson Harbor to cover the landings. In its strafing attack on shipping, the 38th lost three B-25s to antiaircraft fire from numerous Japanese naval vessels in the harbor.The Fifth Air Force lost nine B-25s, three from each of the attacking groups, and nine P-38s at Rabaul on "Bloody Tuesday".
After the neutralization of Rabaul, the group attacked airfields on New Britain in preparation for the landing of the U.S. Marines on Cape Gloucester
, then shifted on 19 December to bombing of defense positions. On D-Day, 26 December, all four squadrons of the group laid smoke screens and strafed the beaches at low altitude, for which the group was awarded its second Distinguished Unit Citation. In January 1944 the group began staging its missions through Dobodura
. On 15 February 1944 the group attacked Japanese shipping in Kavieng
harbor, where a 71st BS B-25 was forced to ditch after being set aflame by antiaircraft fire during its bomb run. The three survivors of the crew were among fifteen rescued by U.S. Navy PBY Catalina
pilot Lt. J.G. Nathan G. Gordon
, who received the Medal of Honor for the exploit. On 4 March the 38th BG moved to a new permanent station at Nadzab Field
.
. "World War II Bomber Crew Buried", AIR FORCE Magazine, February 2010, Vol. 93 No. 2, p. 18. On 16 April 1944, 24 bombers took off to bomb Hollandia
, with two returning to base with engine problems. The remaining 22 bombed their targets without opposition by the Japanese, but on the return flight encountered a massive storm front
. Unable to penetrate the front, the squadron formations dispersed at the coast, with eight planes landing safely at Cape Gloucester
and three others at Finschhafen
. The other 11 attempted to land at Saidor
, but two were severely damaged and four wrecked in crashes or runway collisions with other aircraft. Four airmen were killed. In all the weather front on "Black Sunday" claimed 37 USAAF aircraft lost or destroyed, the biggest weather loss in the history of the United States Air Force.
While based at Nadzab, the group increasingly used forward strips from which to stage missions, including Hollandia, Wakde
, and Borokoe Airfield
on Biak
. In May and June the 38th conducted a month of attacks against Japanese airpower in the Vogelkop to protect Allied amphibious movements along the north coast of New Guinea. The campaign culminated in a two-group attack on Jefman and Samate Dromes at the extreme western tip of New Guinea, led by the 38th BG. The 670-mile mission, the longest to date by medium bombers in the SWPA, required staging through Hollandia and Wakde airfields and the use of 215-gallon fuel tanks mounted in the bomb bays. Strafing and parachute bombing more than forty Japanese aircraft on the fields, in two waves of 11 aircraft abreast, the lead bombers of the 38th claimed five Japanese aircraft shot down attempting to take off, and four others that evaded the P-38 escort and attempted to bomb the group using white phosphorus aerial-bursting bombs. The smoke from fires caused by its attack grew so thick that the last crews through were forced to fly on instruments. One mission report stated: "Col. (Donald P.) Hall led the formation so low over the drome that plane number 233, piloted by Lieutenant Breneman, was forced to pull up to strafe the operations tower." The next day the group returned to attack shipping it had observed in Sorong harbor during the mission against the airdromes. The missions earned the group its third DUC.
By the end of June, attrition and extensive operations had reduced the group to 67 crews, of which only 23 were medically available for missions. As a result nearly 300 air crewmen were sent back to the United States for rest and recuperation.The other B-25 group in the Fifth Air Force, the 345th Bomb Group, had similar personnel problems. During July and August 1944 the group was taken off operations while it received and trained 63 fresh crews in formation flying, practiced bombing, and exchanged its B-25G and C-1/D-1 models for B-25J aircraft. The 823rd BS was the first to become operational with the J, followed soon after by the 405th, which had not received a replacement aircraft in over a year. The group's first combat mission using the B-25J occurred on 5 September 1944.Several B-25G-1s remained with the 71st and 823rd BS and saw combat on "maximum effort" missions as late as 6 December 1944.
The 38th BG supported the Allied landings on Morotai
on the mornings of 15 and 16 September 1944 by conducting low level missions to spray DDT
as an anti-malarial
measure on the vegetation-overgrown Pitoe Airfield
, located just behind Red Beach. 19 of 21 planned sorties were completed, spraying 3,000 gallons of the pesticide-oil mixture, followed by 2,400 more gallons on 29 September. On 15 October the group moved into Pitoe's new dual-strip airfield to support the Allied invasion of Leyte
by bombing airfields, ground installations, harbors, and shipping in the southern Philippines
.
On 10 November the 38th BG was alerted to attack a large Japanese convoy in Ormoc Bay
attempting to land reinforcements. The convoy consisted of three large transports and several smaller merchant vessels, escorted by numerous destroyer
s and other armed surface craft. 32 bombers of the group took off from Morotai at 0800, with two returning for mechanical problems, and picked up its escort of 37 P-47 Thunderbolt
s of the 35th Fighter Group
. At 1135 the convoy was sighted, and the group circled to make its approach from the land side. It attacked at 150 feet in two-plane elements into intense and effective antiaircraft fire from the Japanese naval vessels. In just seven minutes of combat, five of the lead 822nd Squadron's eight bombers were shot down, including the group leader, as were two of the 823rd BS, last over the convoy. The group, which was awarded its fourth Distinguished Unit Citation for the mission, suffered its greatest loss: seven bombers, three complete crews, and 21 dead or missing. While its claims were exaggerated in both tonnage and numbers of vessels sunk, the two largest transportsPer JANAC, Takatsu Maru (5350 tons) and Kashii Maru (8,407 tons). and a frigatePer JANAC, Coast Defense Vessel No. 11. were sunk and serious damage inflicted on much of the rest of the convoy.
The group moved forward to Lingayan Field
on Luzon on 30 January 1945. The next day the 822nd BS redressed its losses at Ormoc by attacking a three-destroyer convoy near Formosa, sinking the 1500-ton Ume
and damaging the other two.
In the first week of February the group provided on-call close air support
to US ground forces, directed by P-40 Warhawks of the 71st Reconnaissance Group acting as forward air controllers.The P-40s were recent hand-downs from fighter groups converting to P-38s. The 71st RG used them briefly while awaiting delivery of new P-51s. On 2 February, it coordinated with SBD dive bombers of Marine Aircraft Group 24
in bombing Japanese positions defending Umingan against attacks by the U.S. 25th Division, then supported the 1st Cavalry Division as it moved into Manila
. The mediums then began a campaign against industries and airfields on Formosa
, and attacked shipping along the southeast China coast. Tactics evolved in which 36-aircraft formations bombed from medium altitudes, while low altitude strafing attacks featured four waves of B-25Js flying nine abreast, such as the attack on the Imperial Japanese Navy
airfield at Taichū (台中), Formosa
, on 2 March.The 34 B-25Js that reached the target expended 104,985 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition. Two bombers of the lead squadron were shot down by a flak tower. The 2 March raid also illustrates the scope of medium bomber operations in the Western Pacific in 1945: two-group wing attacks, each with its own target,The lead 345th BG bombed Toyohara Airdrome to the north to split the defenses. In addition, two Liberator groups and an A-20 group also attacked Formosan airfields. with a total force of 72 B-25s escorted by 24 P-51 Mustang
fighters, and with 2 PBY Catalina
s on station for rescue operations. On 20 March, the group attacked a small convoy of warships escorting a large freighter near Amoy
, China. Flying abreast in four attack waves totalling 22 Mitchells, each squadron lost a bomber in the brief but vicious combat, with two going down in the target area and two others crash-landing at Fourteenth Air Force
fields on the Chinese mainland.
On 13 May, after evaluating two months of strikes against Formosan targets, group commander Lt. Col. Edwin H. Hawes conceived a sustained campaign to eradicate all Japanese sugar mill/ethanol refineries
on Formosa. He formed specially-designated two-crew teams from each squadron, each team selecting and bombing a target every fourth day, to provide daily pressure on the industry. The group became known as the "Alcohol Busters".Aircraft Movement Sheet for mission 158-C-8, 405th Bomb Squadron, of 28 May is the first specific use of the term in official documents. It was also seen in various reporting as the "Alcohol Busters of Formosa" and "Hawes' Alcohol Busters". The campaign ran through the end of May and ultimately attacked 16 targets, destroying 13. 38th Bomb Group Association Part 133 download.
On 21 June 1945 half of the air echelon of 38th BG (30 B-25s) was sent on short notice to Puerta Princesa Airfield, Palawan
, where it was attached to the 42nd Bomb Group of the Thirteenth Air Force
to form a nine-squadron wing.The Palawan tour marked the only time during World War II that the 38th BG flew combat operations with its former 69th and 70th BS. For the remainder of June it conducted preinvasion
low altitude bombing of Japanese installations at Balikpapan, Borneo. Its first mission on 22 June consisted of 54 Mitchells flying 18 abreast in three waves, strafing and dropping air-fused napalm
bombs. On the mission of 29 June, the group was forced to attack through the exploding bursts of bombs dropped by B-24 Liberators flying at much higher altitude, losing one B-25.The 42nd BG and all five of its squadrons received a DUC for this campaign, but the attached squadrons of the 38th did not. This occurred previously in the 2 November 1943 attack on Rabaul, in which only the 345th BG was decorated. In all, the 38th participated in six DUC-awarded missions.
After its return to Lingayen, it conducted training missions until an advanced party flew to Okinawa on 14 July to prepare for the transfer of the group to Yontan Airfield
. The ground echelon boarded LSTs on 26 July and moved to Subic Bay
, where it remained until the end of the month. It reached Yontan by sea on 8 August. The air echelon flew to Yontan on 25 July and began attacks on industries, railways, and shipping in southern Japan and both coasts of Korea. Japanese home defenses proved effective and seven B-25s were lost in combat between 26 July and 10 August, with only one crew surviving.
On the morning of 9 August 1945, ten B-25Js led by Col. Hawes attacked the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaiyo (海鷹)
, beached in Beppu Bay
on Kyushu
. Flying three abreast at low level through a thick haze, six of the ten aircraft struck the carrier with five 1000-pound delayed-action demolition bombs
. Hawes and his crew were killed when a wingtip of their bomber first struck a tree, then the carrier itself, as he maneuvered, although the bomber released its bombs before crashing beside the ship. Hawes' Mitchell was the last lost by the group during World War II.This mission encountered severe haze conditions which the group history speculated might have been part of the atomic cloud of the bombing of Nagasaki that morning, 80 miles to the southwest. However the time over target for the lead squadron was more than an hour before the Nagasaki detonation.
The 38th Bomb Group flew its final combat mission on 13 August 1945, searching for shipping off the east coast of Korea, and the next morning moved its 54 operational bombers back to Morotai to make room for units involved in the imminent occupation.
On 1 November the group was designated for movement to Kyushu, to be based at Itazuke Air base
, near Fukuoka
, as part of the Far East Air Forces occupation force. On 7 November the group divided into advance and rear echelons and began loading five LSTs for the movement. The convoy sailed on 13 November, offloading at Sasebo
by 22 November (it was unable to unload at Fukuoka because the harbor had not been swept of naval mines). On 25 November the aircraft flew from Okinawa to Ashiya Air Base
because Itazuke was not yet serviceable. Their crews were trucked 40 miles to Itazuke, followed two days later by the rear air echelon, which arrived in 18 C-47s. The 38th BG began rehabilitation of the base using groups of Japanese laborers.
The 38th BG returned more than 500 men to the United States for demobilization before the end of 1945. In January 1946, it received 16 A-26 Invader
bombers at Ashiya for orientation and training, assigned to the 405th BS. A lack of engineering personnel in the group resulted in most of the aircraft being grounded until acceptance inspections could be performed. The group was reduced to three squadrons on 12 April 1946 as both the 822nd and 823rd BS were inactivated and the 89th Bomb Squadron
at Itazuke was assigned to the group.The 822nd would not be reactivated until 1953, and the 823rd did not reactivate until 1962. The 89th BS had formerly been part of the 3rd Bomb Group.
The group was redesignated as the 38th Bombardment Group (Light) in May 1946 and reassigned to the 315th Air Division
. Operational surveillance missions began in April, with two A-26s lost in weather-related crashes in April and May. In September 1946 the group moved to Itami, Japan. The 405th BS was reduced to a paper squadron without aircraft or personnel, then relocated at Itazuke between 1 January and 1 May 1947 to be a basic military training unit, after which it returned to Itami as a non-flying labor unit until the establishment of the USAF. The 71st BS discontinued flight operations on 1 November 1946 and went into an unmanned status until 1 May 1947, when it received new personnel at Itami in preparation for resuming operations. The 89th BS became the sole operational squadron of the group between November 1946 and September 1947.
On 18 September 1947 the 38th Bomb Group became part of the independent United States Air Force. Both the 71st and 405th Squadrons were subsequently re-equipped with B-26C Invader and TB-25 Mitchell aircraft, resuming surveillance and training missions. Under the reorganization of the Air Force wing plan, it was made the combat component of the newly-activated 38th Bombardment Wing (Light)
on 18 August 1948. It assisted in the air defense of Japan and participated in tactical
exercises from August 1948 – March 1949. The 38th Bombardment Group was inactivated in the Far East on 1 April 1949.
The group was reactivated on 1 January 1953 as the 38th Bombardment Group (Tactical), again a subordinate component of the 38th Bomb Wing, now part of United States Air Forces in Europe, and based at Laon-Couvron Air Base
, France. The 71st, 405th and 822d Bomb Squadrons were reactivated as the group's flying components. The group absorbed the assets and personnel of the 126th Bomb Group
, an Illinois Air National Guard
unit that was inactivated and returned to state control.
The group flew the B-26 Invader until April 1955, when it converted to the B-57 Canberra
. A total of forty-nine B-57B and eight 2-seat B-57C models were deployed to Laon. The mission of the B-57 was all-weather interdiction, but it was also nuclear weapons-capable and provided a nuclear deterrence. The aircraft at Laon were painted a gloss black. Using five B-57's, the 38th BG formed its own aerial demonstration team
called the Black Knights. They performed at air shows around Western Europe, including the 1957 Paris Air Show
. The Black Knights were the only tactical bomber show team in the world.
In 1958, French President Charles de Gaulle
announced that all NATO nuclear weapons and delivery aircraft had to be removed from French soil by July 1958. Since the parent wing was nuclear capable by NATO policy, it was ordered to depart France. The 38th BG was inactivated at Laon on 8 December 1957 and its three squadrons assigned directly to the wing while aircraft and personnel were transferred to other units. The wing then moved on 18 June 1958 to Hahn Air Base
, Germany, where it was redesignated a tactical missile wing using the TM-61 Matador.
Distinguished Unit Citation, World War II
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Air Combat, Asiatic-Pacific Theater
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. It was most recently assigned as the operational (flying) component of the 38th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Laon-Couvron Air Base
Laon-Couvron Air Base
Laon-Couvron Air Base is a former French and United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Aisne département of France, less than one mile southeast of the village of Couvron and 6 miles northwest of Laon; on the southwest side of the Autoroute des Anglais 1 Mile east of the...
, France, where it was inactivated on 8 December 1957.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the 38th Bomb Group was a medium bombardment group
USAAF bombardment group
A bombardment group or bomb group was a group of bomber aircraft the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was the equivalent of an infantry regiment in the Army Ground Forces, or a bomber wing in the British Commonwealth air forces...
and one of the first combat organizations of the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
to be deployed to the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
. Elements took part in the June 1942 Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
using the Martin B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
medium bomber. The remainder of the group operated in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) as a B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
unit assigned to Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
and was re-organized in 1943 into a standardized unit. The group was awarded four Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat service in Papua
Papua (Australian territory)
The Territory of Papua comprised the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea from 1883 to 1949. It became a British Protectorate in the year 1884, and four years later it was formally annexed as British New Guinea...
(Buna and Gona, 23 July 1942 to 23 January 1943); New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
(Cape Gloucester, 24–26 December 43); New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
(Jefman-Samate-Sorong, 16–17 June 1944); and Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
(Ormoc Bay, 10 November 1944). It also received recognition from the government of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
with an award of the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
During the early years of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the unit operated in France as a NATO tactical bombardment group flying Martin B-57B Canberras
B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
. The group formed the "Black Knights" aerial demonstration team that performed at several air shows in Western Europe, including the 1957 Paris Air Show
Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show is the world's oldest and largest air show. Established in 1909, it is currently held every odd year at Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France...
. The Black Knights were the only tactical bomber show team in the world.
Lineage
- Constituted as 38th Bombardment Group (Medium) on 20 November 1940
- Activated on 15 January 1941
- Inactivated in the Far East on 1 April 1949.
- Activated in France on 1 January 1953
- Redesignated 38th Bombardment Group (Tactical) on 1 October 1955
- Inactivated on 8 December 1957
Assignments
- 3 Bomber (later, III Bomber) CommandIII Bomber CommandThe III Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
, 15 January 1941 – 18 January 1942 - V Bomber CommandV Bomber CommandThe V Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fifth Air Force, based at Irumagawa AB, Japan. It was inactivated on 31 May 1946....
- Air Echelon remained attached to III Bomber CommandIII Bomber CommandThe III Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
, 18 January-1 May 1942 - Ground Echelon assigned to United States Army Forces in Australia, 18 January-25 February 1942
- Ground Echelon assigned to Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area, 1 April 1942
- Two squadrons attached to VII Fighter Command, 1 May-1 August 1942
- V Fighter CommandV Fighter CommandThe V Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fifth Air Force, based at Fukuoka AB, Japan. It was inactivated on 31 May 1946....
(Combined unit), 1 August 1942 - Fifth Air ForceFifth Air ForceThe Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
22 November 1945 - 38th Bombardment Wing 18 August 1948 – 1 April 1949; 1 January 1953-8 December 1957
- V Fighter Command
Components
- 69th Bombardment Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 26 February 1943
- 70th Bombardment Squadron70th Flying Training SquadronThe 70th Flying Training Squadron is Reserve unit of the United States Air Force based at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado....
: 15 January 1941 – 26 February 1943 - 71st Bombardment Squadron71st Flying Training SquadronThe 71st Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 485th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Florennes Air Base, Belgium. It was inactivated on 30 September 1989.-History:...
: 15 January 1941 – 1 April 1949; 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957 - 89th Bombardment Squadron89th Tactical Missile SquadronThe 89th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Wueschheim Air Station, West Germany. It was inactivated on 22 August 1990.-History:...
: 6 May 1946 – 1 April 1949 - 15th Reconnaissance (later 405th Bombardment) Squadron405th Tactical Missile SquadronThe 405th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
: 25 February 1942 – 1 April 1949; 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957 - 822d Bombardment Squadron822d Tactical Missile SquadronThe 822d Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
: 20 April 1943 – 12 April 1946; 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957 - 823d Bombardment Squadron823d Tactical Missile SquadronThe 823d Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
: 20 April 1943 – 12 April 1946
Stations
- Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 15 January 1941* - Jackson AABHawkins Field (airport)Hawkins Field is a city-owned public-use airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Jackson, a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States.-Facilities and aircraft:...
, MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, c. 5 June 1941 – 18 January 1942
- Two squadrons operated from Hickam Field, Hawaii Territory until mid June 1942, then from Plaine Des Gaiacs AirfieldPlaine Des Gaiacs AirfieldPlaine Des Gaiacs Airfield is a former World War II airfield on New Caledonia, Melanesia in the South Pacific. It is located at Plaine Des Gaiacs near the village of Pouembout...
, New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, and Nandi AirfieldNadi International AirportNadi International Airport is the main international gateway for the islands of Fiji. It serves about 1.2 million people per year, and is the main hub of Air Pacific. The airport is 10km from the city of Nadi. In 2009 it handled 1,220,000 passengers on international and domestic...
, Fiji- Doomben Field (Eagle Farm Airport)Eagle Farm AirportEagle Farm Airport was a small airport located south-west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:An area located near Eagle Farm Racecourse was initially used as a landing field in 1922 and Eagle Farm Aerodrome was officially opened in 1925...
, Australia, 25 February 1942* - Ballarat AirportBallarat Airport-Motorsport:The airfield had a brief motor racing career, beginning on Australia Day in 1947 when it held its first motor race meeting. Racing returned in November of both 1950 and 1951, then finally for an International Formula Libre race in February 1961, which was attended by some European...
, Australia, 8 March 1942* - RAAF Base AmberleyRAAF Base AmberleyRAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force base located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland and southwest of Brisbane. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron , No. 33 Squadron and No. 36 Squadron...
, Australia, 30 April 1942* - Doomben Field (Eagle Farm Airport)Eagle Farm AirportEagle Farm Airport was a small airport located south-west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:An area located near Eagle Farm Racecourse was initially used as a landing field in 1922 and Eagle Farm Aerodrome was officially opened in 1925...
, Australia, c. 10 June 1942* - Breddan Airfield, Australia, 7 August 1942
- RAAF Base TownsvilleRAAF Base TownsvilleRAAF Base Townsville is, along with RAAF Base Tindal and RAAF Base Darwin, one of northern Australia's primary defence installations. It is also Headquarters for No...
, Australia, 30 September 1942
- Doomben Field (Eagle Farm Airport)
- Durand AirfieldDurand AirfieldDurand Airfield is a former World War II airfield near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was part of a multiple-airfield complex in the Port Moresby area, located from Port Moresby, to the north of the Waigani swamp....
, Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
, New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, 26 November 1942 - Nadzab Airfield Complex, New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, 4 March 1944 - Borokoe Airfield, BiakBiakBiak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
, Netherlands East Indies, 1 October 1944 - Pitoe AirfieldPitu AirportPitu Airport is a private airport located on the southern coast of Morotai Island, North Maluku, Indonesia.-History:Moratai island was the final island invasion in Netherlands New Guinea before the liberation of the Philippines. The island was recaptured by the 31st Infantry Division on 15...
, MorotaiMorotaiMorotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
, Netherlands East Indies, 15 October 1944 - Lingayen Airfield, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippines Commonwealth, 30 January 1945 - Yontan AirfieldYontan AirfieldYontan Airfield is a former military airfield on Okinawa, located near the village of Sobe on the Okinawa western coast. It was closed and turned over to the Japanese government in 1972...
, Okinawa, 25 July 1945 - Itazuke Airfield, Japan, 27 November 1945
- Itami Airfield, Japan, 26 October 1946 – 1 April 1949
- Laon-Couvron Air BaseLaon-Couvron Air BaseLaon-Couvron Air Base is a former French and United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Aisne département of France, less than one mile southeast of the village of Couvron and 6 miles northwest of Laon; on the southwest side of the Autoroute des Anglais 1 Mile east of the...
, France 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957
Aircraft
- B-18 BoloB-18 BoloThe Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
(1941) - B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
(1941–1942) - B-25 MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
(1942–1945, 1947–1949) - B-26 InvaderA-26 InvaderThe Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
(1945–1949, 1953–1955) - B-57 CanberraEnglish Electric CanberraThe English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
(1955–1957)
Creation, training, and overseas movement
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
General Order AG 320.2, and activated on 15 January 1941 at Langley Army Air Base, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, by the 2nd Wing
2d Bombardment Wing (World War II)
The 2d Bombardment Wing is an inactive organization of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with the Continental Air Forces, based at McChord Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
, GHQ Air Force. Its original cadre consisted of seven officers and 112 enlisted men transferred from the 22d Bombardment Group to administratively organize the group. Its original assigned flying squadrons were the 69th
69th Bomb Squadron
The 69th Bomb Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. After being inactivated on 1 September 1991, it was reactivated on 3 September 2009 at Minot Air Force Base, and assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing...
, 70th
70th Flying Training Squadron
The 70th Flying Training Squadron is Reserve unit of the United States Air Force based at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado....
and 71st Bomb Squadrons
71st Flying Training Squadron
The 71st Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 485th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Florennes Air Base, Belgium. It was inactivated on 30 September 1989.-History:...
, with the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron activated at the same time and attached.
In the first week of June 1941 the group transferred to Jackson Army Air Base
Jackson-Evers International Airport
Jackson-Evers International Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located in Jackson, Mississippi, five nautical miles east of the central business district of Jackson, across the Pearl River....
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
to receive an influx of personnel just graduated from technical schools and to train a large levy of drafted enlisted men, mostly from Pennsylvania, fresh out of basic training
Basic Training
Basic Training may refer to:* Basic Training, a 1971 American documentary directed by Frederick Wiseman* Basic Training , an American sex comedy* Recruit training...
. The first combat crews joined the group on 2 September, consisting of 30 newly-commissioned pilots of Randolph Field Pilot Training Class 41-F, who began group training in seven B-18s and two PT-13 Kaydets. The next month the group began receiving new B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
s, and by 1 December 1941 each bomb squadron had 13 assigned. The first loss of an aircraft was 69th BS B-26 40-1472 in a landing accident at Jackson AAB, with all six crewmen killed, on 21 December 1941.
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
threat to Allied shipping earmarked the group for assignment to anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
patrols from a base in South America. Orders were cut to transfer the group to Savannah AAB
Hunter Army Airfield
Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, as the first step in the process, but were rescinded when the United States was drawn into the war on 7 December 1941. Instead the group remained at Jackson until 18 January when its ground echelon entrained for movement to a port of embarkation at San Francisco, California, where it was quartered in the Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
.
On 29 January the ground echelon boarded the Army transport USAT Tasker H. Bliss
USS Tasker H. Bliss (AP-42)
USS Tasker H. Bliss was a Tasker H. Bliss-class transport. She was acquired from the United States Army by the United States Navy for use in World War II, and was assigned the task of transporting troops to and from battle areas...
, formerly the Dollar Liner SS President Cleveland. The Bliss left in convoy from San Francisco on the 31st and arrived at Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia on 25 February 1942. On that date the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron was assigned as the group's fourth squadron, and re-designated the 405th Bomb Squadron
405th Tactical Missile Squadron
The 405th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
on 22 April 1942.
The ground personnel of the group were employed as service and construction troops, working at various bases until assignment to Charters Towers on 2 August. The advance party, however, found that the 3rd Bomb Group
3d Operations Group
The 3d Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 3d Wing. It is stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force....
and its A-20 Havocs occupied all the desirable space and established a camp at Breddan
Breddan Aerodrome
Breddan Aerodrome is an abandoned aerodrome located north of Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia.The airfield was constructed by the USAAF 38th Bomb Group in August 1942 as a satellite field for Charters Towers Airport, and later used by the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II as a...
on 7 August. The ground element of the 71st BS moved to Batchelor Field, Darwin, on 1 May to act as a service squadron for the 19th Bomb Group
19th Operations Group
The 19th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 19th Airlift Wing, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas....
, which had been compelled to evacuate its B-17s from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
by Japanese advances. On 12 August it rejoined the group at Breddan.
The air echelon did not accompany the sea movement and was quartered at Fort McDowell, California, until 6 April, when it moved by train to Patterson Field, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, to continue B-26 training. On 8-7 May, the 69th and 70th BS flew new B-26Bs to California for movement to Hawaii, while the 71st and 405th began receiving B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
bombers for training. The 71st moved to MacDill AAB
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
where it traded its experienced B-26 crews with those of the 21st Bomb Group (a unit converting to B-26s), which were entirely pilots from Shafter Field
Shafter Airport
Shafter Airport , also known as Minter Field, is a public use airport located four nautical miles east of the central business district of Shafter, in Kern County, California, United States. It is owned by the Minter Field Airport District....
Pilot Training Class 42-E, and had graduated on 21 May. The 405th flew to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, to do the same with the 17th Bomb Group
17th Training Group
The 17th Training Group is a component organization of the 17th Training Wing assigned to the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command. The group is stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas....
, which was converting to B-26s because a large portion of its B-25s had been lost on the Doolittle Raid
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
. These novice pilots and crews became the core of the group's combat crews for the next 15 months.At least one anecdotal narrative by a 38th combat veteran recalled that, in addition to the inter-group crew swaps described in the 38th's official history, the B-26 crews of the 69th/70th were "swapped" internally with the B-26 crews of the 71st/405th just prior to the 7 May detachment of those squadrons from the group. The designated commander of the 38th's air echelon, 405th BS commander Lt. Col. Millard Lewis, was detached at Barksdale to command the 335th Bombardment Group
335th Bombardment Group
The 335th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with III Bomber Command, based at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. It was inactivated on 1 May 1944....
, a new B-26 training group.
69th and 70th Bomb Squadrons
Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
without a single mishap.
Two aircraft of the 69th BS in Hawaii took part in the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
as part of Seventh Air Force
Seventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
. Together with two Marauders from the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron
408th Bombardment Squadron
The 408th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Strategic Air Command 22d Bombardment Wing stationed at March AFB, California...
of the 22nd Bomb Group, they were modified to each carry a Mark 13 torpedo
Mark 13 torpedo
The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 13 torpedo was the U.S. Navy's most common aerial torpedo of World War II. It was designed with unusually squat dimensions for its type: diameter was and length . In the water, the Mark 13 could reach a speed of for up to . The Mark 13 ran slower than the Mark 14 torpedo...
and practised torpedo runs for ten days before being deployed to Midway Island. All four took off on the morning of 4 June 1942, in an attempt to attack Japanese aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s. The bombers began their long torpedo runs at 800 feet altitude, and two were lost before they could release. The remaining B-26s then dropped down to only ten feet above the water under heavy attack from Japanese fighters and antiaircraft fire. Neither hit the carriers. The two Marauders lost included one with a 69th BS crew, while the two survivors were heavily damaged.Capt. James J. Collins of the 69th BS led the attack and received one of the two Distinguished Service Crosses awarded.
On 13 June the 69th received orders to proceed to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. Equipped with only ten B-26s and based at Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield
Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield
Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield is a former World War II airfield on New Caledonia, Melanesia in the South Pacific. It is located at Plaine Des Gaiacs near the village of Pouembout...
, New Caledonia, it became the first medium bombardment squadron in the South Pacific Area. The 70th Bombardment Squadron arrived at Nandi Airfield
Nadi International Airport
Nadi International Airport is the main international gateway for the islands of Fiji. It serves about 1.2 million people per year, and is the main hub of Air Pacific. The airport is 10km from the city of Nadi. In 2009 it handled 1,220,000 passengers on international and domestic...
on Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
one week later.
Both squadrons conducted search and bombing missions in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
from McDonald Field on Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
during the Guadalcanal campaign
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
, and the 69th staged twice with torpedoes for strikes against the Japanese fleet that never materialized. The 70th was briefly based on Guadalcanal in mid-November
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
. The 69th arrived at Guadalcanal on 31 December and immediately bombed the Japanese airfield under construction at Munda. It remained at Henderson Field
Henderson Field
Henderson Field is the name of several airports:* Henderson Field on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands, renamed to Honiara International Airport in 2003....
until 12 January, flying eleven missions against Munda and the Japanese seaplane base at Rekata Bay
Rekata Bay
Rekata Bay, also known as Suavanau, is a bay located on the northeast coast of Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands between Santa Isabel and Papatura Island.-History:...
, where it lost two Marauders to antiaircraft fire on 7 January 1943.
The 69th was advised at the end of September that it would be converting to B-25s, but it was November before the first five were received. It turned over its surviving B-26s to the 70th BS in March 1943 when it received 10 new Mitchells and began three months of conversion training. On 26 February 1943, the 69th and 70th squadrons were reassigned from the 38th Bomb Group. In March they were assigned to the 42nd Bombardment Group
42d Air Base Wing
The 42nd Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Air University. It is stationed at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama...
based on Fiji and the 70th also began conversion to B-25s.
71st and 405th Bomb Squadrons
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
, California (C) and Kansas City
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
, Kansas (D). at McClellan Field
McClellan Air Force Base
McClellan Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California...
, California, on 28 July 1942, flew them to Hamilton Field, and began movement to Hawaii in early August. These were the first B-25s to be flown to their overseas bases.Between 20 and 40 B-25Cs had been in combat with the 3rd Bomb Group
3d Operations Group
The 3d Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 3d Wing. It is stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force....
since 6 April, but were from a consignment shipped in crates to Australia for use by the Dutch Air Force. These had been returned to (or retained by) the USAAF because the Dutch did not have pilots to fly them. Stripped of all armament (shipped separately by sea) to reduce weight and navigated without radio beacon aids, they continued on from Hickam Field to Breddan via Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
, Canton Island, Fiji, and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. During the ferry operation, five bombers of the 405th BS became lost over New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
after a navigation error trying to find Amberley, Queensland
Amberley, Queensland
Amberley is a small community located in South East Queensland, south of Ipswich.The origin of the suburb name is from Amberley in the United Kingdom...
, on 14 August and ran out of fuel. One was abandoned near Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
, one crash-landed at Casino
Casino, New South Wales
Casino is a town in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 9,400 people . It lies on the banks of the Richmond River and is situated at the junction of the Bruxner Highway and the Summerland Way....
, and two others crash-landed at Grafton
Grafton, New South Wales
The city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...
. The fifth managed to land safely at Evans Head. One crewman was killed bailing out of his aircraft.The navigator's parachute opened inside the aircraft and was useless. He attempted to parachute by hanging onto another crewman, but was torn away by the shock of the chute opening.
All aircraft of 71st BS arrived by 14 August and those of the 405th by 21 August. The remaining 33 bombers of the group were in place at Breddan by 25 August, and the two squadrons began flying training missions from Charters Towers on 29 August.The standard medium bombardment group had four squadrons and 63 aircraft in 1942–43. The group was assigned to the newly activated V Bomber Command, Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
and operated in that command to October 1944, attacking Japanese airfields, shipping, and ground forces in New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago
Bismarck Archipelago
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...
.Of the original 37 bombers, five were transferred to other units. Seven were lost in combat, fourteen to non-combat accidents, and seven retired from combat by 1 March 1944, to become administrative aircraft ("hacks"). Only four continued flying combat after that date, the last retired in September 1944 with 160+ missions.
On 9–10 September, in preparation for starting operations, the 38th BG was assigned to the Fifth Air Force's Advanced Echelon (ADVON) and a forward echelon moved to Horn Island Aerodrome
Horn Island Airport
Horn Island Airport is an airport in Horn Island, Queensland, Australia.-World War II:The Civil Constructional Corps and the Department of Main Roads began construction of an advanced operational airbase on the island during World War II, commencing in 1940. The aerodrome was completed in January...
. 12 Mitchells flew the first combat mission on 15 September 1942, staging through Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
, to bomb and strafe Japanese Army positions and an airfield near Buna
Buna
Buna may refer to the official Mbum language of Cameroon, as well as:People:*Buna Lawrie, an Australian Aboriginal musician.Places:*Buna village, a small Bosnia and Herzegovina village at the confluence of the Buna and Neretva rivers...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. On 28 September the forward echelon displaced to Laloki airfield
Schwimmer Airfield
Schwimmer Airfield is a former World War II airfield near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was part of a multiple-airfield complex in the Port Moresby area, located north of the Laloki River....
, New Guinea, where it continued reconnaissance and occasional bombing missions, while the remainder of the group moved up to Townsville
RAAF Base Townsville
RAAF Base Townsville is, along with RAAF Base Tindal and RAAF Base Darwin, one of northern Australia's primary defence installations. It is also Headquarters for No...
. The 38th BG experienced its first combat loss when fighters shot down a B-25 attacking a convoy off Buna on 5 October.
The group had been without a commanding officer for nearly six months,When the air echelon was broken up in May 1942, group commander Lt. Col. Fay Upthegrove (in Australia) returned to the United States and was assigned command of the 99th Bombardment Group. The 38th BG was under the acting command of its executive officer, Lt. Col. Theodore C. Castle, until Col. Brian O'Neill took command. The history compiled by the 38th BG Association in 2005 stated that Castle had been in actual command but was relieved for medical reasons related to a near-air crash. If so, Air Force records do not bear this out. and on 6 November Lt. Col. Brian O'Neill, commander of the 22nd BG's 408th Bomb Squadron
408th Bombardment Squadron
The 408th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Strategic Air Command 22d Bombardment Wing stationed at March AFB, California...
at Reid River Airfield
Reid River Airfield
Reid River Airfield is a World War II airfield located to the south of the Reid River near Townsville, Queensland, Australia.Disused since the war as an airfield, the former base is private property used for mustering cattle and horses. An arch marks the western edge of the strip, easily accessible...
in Australia, transferred to the 38th BG and took command of the group. O'Neill remained in command for the next year, until a freak ground accident caused him to be transferred for medical treatment in October 1943.Per the group history, O'Neill, known as "Shanty" O'Neill, had a late night fondness for powdered cheese
Powdered milk
Powdered milk is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for...
, which he would scoop from a container kept in the headquarters squadron mess. New cooks, unaware of his habit and without changing the storage location, used the container to store lye
Lye
Lye is a corrosive alkaline substance, commonly sodium hydroxide or historically potassium hydroxide . Previously, lye was among the many different alkalis leached from hardwood ashes...
, which O'Neill nearly ingested and which caused severe chemical burns to his mouth. When infection set it, he was sent to Australia for hospitalization. O'Neill returned to Fifth Air Force as a staff officer with the 308th Bomb Wing, the next higher administrative echelon for the 38th BG.
During the month of November, the group staged through Rorona airstrip
Rogers Airfield
Rogers Airfield is a former World War II airfield near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was part of a multiple-airfield complex in the Port Moresby area, located north-west of Port Moresby by air, near Rorona .On November 15, 1942, the airfield was named in honor of Major Floyd "Buck" W. Rogers...
, flying a limited number of missions, while the ground echelon completed its move to New Guinea by sea.The 38BG Association published an anecdote in its newsletter, possibly apocryphal, that the scheduled move was advanced before their base was completed because of a tiff in the Officer's Club in Townsville between crewmen of the 405th BS and the base Provost Marshal. The crewmen, returning from a mission to retrieve their personal items, found their quarters reassigned to another unit and their belongings missing. When they attempted to dine at the club, they were threatened with arrest by the Provost for failing to wear ties, and to instigate a protest arrest, destroyed glassware, aware that the commanding general of ADVON, BG Ennis C. Whitehead
Ennis Whitehead
Ennis Clement Whitehead was an early United States Army aviator and a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II. Whitehead joined the U. S. Army after the United States entered World War I in 1917...
, would have them released. A variation in the association's group history (2005) has them arriving after the club had closed, being refused dinner because they were not in Class A uniform, and then arrested for throwing food on the floor. On 26 November it moved into another of Moresby's airfield complex, Durand Airfield
Durand Airfield
Durand Airfield is a former World War II airfield near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was part of a multiple-airfield complex in the Port Moresby area, located from Port Moresby, to the north of the Waigani swamp....
("17 Mile Drome"), from which it would operate for fifteen months. At Durand, as at the five bases which followed, the group lived in dispersed tent cities, was subject to nightly raids on its facilities by Japanese aircraft, and often staged through crude forward strips to extend the range of its combat operations.
The group participated in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea
Battle of the Bismarck Sea
The Battle of the Bismarck Sea took place in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. During the course of the battle, aircraft of the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force attacked a Japanese convoy that was carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea...
on 3 March 1943, with the 405th BS engaging in an early example of "mast head" (skip) bombing
Skip bombing
Skip bombing was a low-level bombing technique developed by Italian pilot Giuseppe Cenni flying German Junkers Ju 87 Stuka aircraft during attacks on Allied ships off the coast of North Africa, between May and October of 1941...
.O'Neill flew the morning mission in the lead aircraft of the 405th with Ralph Cheli, and the afternoon mission in the lead aircraft of the 71st BS, earning the Distinguished Service Cross. Following the Bismarck Sea mission, the 38th returned all of its aircraft over a period of months to the 4th Air Depot in Townsville for field modification to the B-25C-1 (405th BS) and B-25D-1 (71st BS) strafer configuration in which the nose compartment was enclosed with sheet metal and eight forward-firing machine guns were mounted in the nose and on the fuselage side below the cockpit in blister packs. The lower turret was also removed and replaced by a 150-gallon fuel tank mounted on bomb racks that allowed it to be jettisoned once fuel was transferred. The 405th made low level strafing attacks its standard operating procedure in March 1943, while the 71st BS commenced such missions in May. The modification process and training needs released the group from most combat operations between April and July.
Ralph Cheli
Ralph Cheli was a major in the United States Army Air Forces and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He served as the commanding officer of the 405th Bombardment Squadron in the Fifth Air Force's 38th Bombardment Group, based at Durand Airfield, Port Moresby, New Guinea.On August 18, 1943, while...
was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
leading a mission on the second day of the bombing of Wewak
Bombing of Wewak
The Bombing of Wewak was a series of air raids by the USAAF Fifth Air Force, on 17–21 August 1943, against the major air base of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force on the mainland of New Guinea, at Wewak...
on 18 August 1943. Assigned to lead both the group and the 405th BS in an attack on heavily defended Dagua Airdrome, his C-1 strafer was severely hit by enemy fire while at 150 feet. Cheli remained in formation and led the attack before crash-landing his bomber into the sea. Initially he was believed killed in the crash, but post war evidence indicates that he survived the crash but was executed in March 1944 by the Japanese while a POW on Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
. For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. What are believed to be Major Cheli's and other similarly executed POWs remains are now interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery
- External links :**...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri.Of the three crews shot down in August 1943, all but one of the twelve survivors captured are believed to have been executed by their captors.
Two weeks later, on 2 September, sixteen strafers attacked shipping reported in Wewak harbor. Attacking in eight two-plane elements with two 1000-pound bombs each, the Mitchells came in just over the crests of low ridges to the south, into a barrage of intense antiaircraft fire at their altitude. 10 to 15 Japanese fighters eluded the P-38 top cover by circling under a 5000-foot ceiling, then attacked the bomber formation vertically and from the rear for 25 minutes. One bomber of the 405th BS was shot up as it released its bombs, then ditched in the bay. A second was pursued after bombing and cartwheel
Cartwheel
A cartwheel is a part of a cart. It may also mean:*Cartwheel , an acrobatic maneuver*Cartwheel Galaxy*Cart-wheel hat, worn by women*Slang term for a silver dollar coin -See also:...
ed into the Bismarck Sea when hit by fighter attacks. A third was shot down during the attacks of the 71st BS when it "snap rolled
Flight dynamics
Flight dynamics is the science of air vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions. The three critical flight dynamics parameters are the angles of rotation in three dimensions about the vehicle's center of mass, known as pitch, roll and yaw .Aerospace engineers develop control systems for...
" at wavetop height and crashed inverted into the bay. The crews of all three aircraft were killed. Despite the losses, small barrage balloons anchored to each ship, and a number of overshoots of the bombs, the attack succeeded in hitting several of the vessels.
822d and 823d Bomb Squadrons
The 822d822d Tactical Missile Squadron
The 822d Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
and 823d Bomb Squadrons
823d Tactical Missile Squadron
The 823d Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
were constituted and assigned to the 38th BG on 20 April 1943 to bring the group to a full strength of four squadrons. Both squadrons were raised in New Guinea using a cadre from the 38th BG to provide group training to a pool of incoming ground personnel, and later to new pilots. The ground personnel landed at Port Moresby on 23 June 1943 after a month at sea, while the air crews trained at Charters Towers until October 1943. 38 new B-25G aircraft began field modifications at Townsville on 24 September and were flown by their crews to Durand on 9 and 10 October. The new squadrons flew their first combat mission on 15 October 1943.
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
against barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
traffic between New Guinea and New Britain. The B-25G underwent a thorough combat testing during the period, firing 1,253 rounds of 75 mm ammunition. Five were lost in the first month of combat and a dozen by May 1944. The losses were initially replaced by five B-25Hs, but Fifth Air Force did not prefer this model, and soon after losses were replaced by strafer configured B-25Ds. In early February 1944 the G models began depot conversion to the "B-25G-1" configuration, replacing the cannon with two .50 caliber machine guns. The surviving G-1 models were transferred in September 1944 to the 41st Bomb Group
41st Bombardment Group
The 41st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Seventh Air Force stationed at Manila, Philippines. It was inactivated on 27 January 1946....
after new B-25Js were received.
The two veteran squadrons engaged in a series of large strikes mounted by Fifth Air Force against Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
in the latter half of October, attempting to neutralize the Japanese base before Allied landings
Landings at Cape Torokina
The Landings at Cape Torokina were the beginning of the Bougainville campaign in World War II, between the military forces of the Empire of Japan and the Allied powers...
on Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, scheduled for 1 November. On 2 November, the 71st and 405th BS were part of a force of nine understrength squadrons of B-25s and six of P-38 Lightning fighters that attacked Simpson Harbor to cover the landings. In its strafing attack on shipping, the 38th lost three B-25s to antiaircraft fire from numerous Japanese naval vessels in the harbor.The Fifth Air Force lost nine B-25s, three from each of the attacking groups, and nine P-38s at Rabaul on "Bloody Tuesday".
After the neutralization of Rabaul, the group attacked airfields on New Britain in preparation for the landing of the U.S. Marines on Cape Gloucester
Battle of Cape Gloucester
The Battle of Cape Gloucester was a battle in the Pacific theater of World War II, which took place between late December 1943 and April 1944, on the island of New Britain, part of the Territory of New Guinea....
, then shifted on 19 December to bombing of defense positions. On D-Day, 26 December, all four squadrons of the group laid smoke screens and strafed the beaches at low altitude, for which the group was awarded its second Distinguished Unit Citation. In January 1944 the group began staging its missions through Dobodura
Girua Airport
-History:Girua Airport is located near Dobodura, to the north-east of the Embi Lakes, north-east of Inonda. To the south is Mt. Lamington, a volcano that dominates the skyline. The airport was built during World War II as part of the Dobodura Airfield Complex during late 1942 and early 1943. ...
. On 15 February 1944 the group attacked Japanese shipping in Kavieng
Kavieng
Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2000, it had a population of 10,600....
harbor, where a 71st BS B-25 was forced to ditch after being set aflame by antiaircraft fire during its bomb run. The three survivors of the crew were among fifteen rescued by U.S. Navy PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
pilot Lt. J.G. Nathan G. Gordon
Nathan Green Gordon
Nathan Green Gordon was an American lawyer, politician, and decorated naval aviator. A Democrat, he served as the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas for ten terms, from 1947 to 1967. As a United States Navy officer in World War II, he received the U.S...
, who received the Medal of Honor for the exploit. On 4 March the 38th BG moved to a new permanent station at Nadzab Field
Lae Nadzab Airport
Lae Nadzab Airport is a regional airport located in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is served by regional aircraft with domestic flight.-Airlines and destinations:-History:...
.
Operations in 1944–1945
The group experienced significant non-combat losses of aircraft to New Guinea's volatile climate and rugged terrain.One of the first crews lost on a combat mission fell to this deadly combination and their bodies were not recovered until more than 60 years after the crash. The 405th BS crew of B-25C 41-12907, nicknamed The Happy Legend, crashed into a mountainside in heavy cloud during a mission on 5 December 1942. Although the wreckage was located within weeks, the site remained inaccessible until 2002, and because live bombs were still in the wreckage, the remains of two crewmen could not be recovered until 2006. On 17 November 2009, one of the crewmembers and the personal effects of the remainder were buried in separate coffins at Arlington National CemeteryArlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
. "World War II Bomber Crew Buried", AIR FORCE Magazine, February 2010, Vol. 93 No. 2, p. 18. On 16 April 1944, 24 bombers took off to bomb Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, with two returning to base with engine problems. The remaining 22 bombed their targets without opposition by the Japanese, but on the return flight encountered a massive storm front
Occluded front
An occluded front is formed during the process of cyclogenesis when a cold front overtakes a warm front. When this occurs, the warm air is separated from the cyclone center at the Earth's surface...
. Unable to penetrate the front, the squadron formations dispersed at the coast, with eight planes landing safely at Cape Gloucester
Cape Gloucester
Cape Gloucester is a headland, in the northwest of the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea, at . During World War II, the Japanese captured New Britain, and had driven most of Cape Gloucester's native population out to construct two airfields...
and three others at Finschhafen
Finschhafen
Finschhafen is a district on the northeast coast of the Morobe province of Papua New Guinea. It is named after the port of the same name.The port was discovered in 1884 by the German researcher Otto Finsch. In 1885 the German colony of German New Guinea created a town on the site and named it...
. The other 11 attempted to land at Saidor
Saidor Airport
Saidor Airport is an airport in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. . It is a general aviation airport located at the coast near Saidor, near Saul Point with Dekys Bay to the east and the Bismarck Sea to the north.-History:...
, but two were severely damaged and four wrecked in crashes or runway collisions with other aircraft. Four airmen were killed. In all the weather front on "Black Sunday" claimed 37 USAAF aircraft lost or destroyed, the biggest weather loss in the history of the United States Air Force.
Wakde Airfield
Wakde Airfield is a World War II airfield located on Located on Wakde Island, off the northern coast of New Guinea in West Papua Province, Indonesia. The airfield was abandoned after the war and today is almost totally returned to its natural state.-History:...
, and Borokoe Airfield
Frans Kaisiepo Airport
-History:Mokmer Airfield was part of a complex of airfields built on Biak Island by the Japanese , of which Mokmer was the main USAAF facility after the island was taken by the United States after fierce fighting in late May and June 1944....
on Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
. In May and June the 38th conducted a month of attacks against Japanese airpower in the Vogelkop to protect Allied amphibious movements along the north coast of New Guinea. The campaign culminated in a two-group attack on Jefman and Samate Dromes at the extreme western tip of New Guinea, led by the 38th BG. The 670-mile mission, the longest to date by medium bombers in the SWPA, required staging through Hollandia and Wakde airfields and the use of 215-gallon fuel tanks mounted in the bomb bays. Strafing and parachute bombing more than forty Japanese aircraft on the fields, in two waves of 11 aircraft abreast, the lead bombers of the 38th claimed five Japanese aircraft shot down attempting to take off, and four others that evaded the P-38 escort and attempted to bomb the group using white phosphorus aerial-bursting bombs. The smoke from fires caused by its attack grew so thick that the last crews through were forced to fly on instruments. One mission report stated: "Col. (Donald P.) Hall led the formation so low over the drome that plane number 233, piloted by Lieutenant Breneman, was forced to pull up to strafe the operations tower." The next day the group returned to attack shipping it had observed in Sorong harbor during the mission against the airdromes. The missions earned the group its third DUC.
By the end of June, attrition and extensive operations had reduced the group to 67 crews, of which only 23 were medically available for missions. As a result nearly 300 air crewmen were sent back to the United States for rest and recuperation.The other B-25 group in the Fifth Air Force, the 345th Bomb Group, had similar personnel problems. During July and August 1944 the group was taken off operations while it received and trained 63 fresh crews in formation flying, practiced bombing, and exchanged its B-25G and C-1/D-1 models for B-25J aircraft. The 823rd BS was the first to become operational with the J, followed soon after by the 405th, which had not received a replacement aircraft in over a year. The group's first combat mission using the B-25J occurred on 5 September 1944.Several B-25G-1s remained with the 71st and 823rd BS and saw combat on "maximum effort" missions as late as 6 December 1944.
The 38th BG supported the Allied landings on Morotai
Battle of Morotai
The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on September 15, 1944, and continued until the war ended in August 1945. The fighting began when United States and Australian forces landed on the south-west corner of Morotai, a small island in the Netherlands East Indies , which the Allies...
on the mornings of 15 and 16 September 1944 by conducting low level missions to spray DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
as an anti-malarial
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
measure on the vegetation-overgrown Pitoe Airfield
Pitu Airport
Pitu Airport is a private airport located on the southern coast of Morotai Island, North Maluku, Indonesia.-History:Moratai island was the final island invasion in Netherlands New Guinea before the liberation of the Philippines. The island was recaptured by the 31st Infantry Division on 15...
, located just behind Red Beach. 19 of 21 planned sorties were completed, spraying 3,000 gallons of the pesticide-oil mixture, followed by 2,400 more gallons on 29 September. On 15 October the group moved into Pitoe's new dual-strip airfield to support the Allied invasion of Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
by bombing airfields, ground installations, harbors, and shipping in the southern Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
On 10 November the 38th BG was alerted to attack a large Japanese convoy in Ormoc Bay
Ormoc Bay
Ormoc Bay is a bay on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. The bay is an inlet of the Camotes Sea. The city of Ormoc lies at the head of the bay and exports rice, copra and sugar. The World War II Battle of Ormoc Bay took place from November 11 until mid-December in Ormoc Bay during late 1944....
attempting to land reinforcements. The convoy consisted of three large transports and several smaller merchant vessels, escorted by numerous destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s and other armed surface craft. 32 bombers of the group took off from Morotai at 0800, with two returning for mechanical problems, and picked up its escort of 37 P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s of the 35th Fighter Group
35th Operations Group
The 35th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 35th Fighter Wing. It is stationed at Misawa Air Base, Japan, and is a part of Pacific Air Forces ....
. At 1135 the convoy was sighted, and the group circled to make its approach from the land side. It attacked at 150 feet in two-plane elements into intense and effective antiaircraft fire from the Japanese naval vessels. In just seven minutes of combat, five of the lead 822nd Squadron's eight bombers were shot down, including the group leader, as were two of the 823rd BS, last over the convoy. The group, which was awarded its fourth Distinguished Unit Citation for the mission, suffered its greatest loss: seven bombers, three complete crews, and 21 dead or missing. While its claims were exaggerated in both tonnage and numbers of vessels sunk, the two largest transportsPer JANAC, Takatsu Maru (5350 tons) and Kashii Maru (8,407 tons). and a frigatePer JANAC, Coast Defense Vessel No. 11. were sunk and serious damage inflicted on much of the rest of the convoy.
The group moved forward to Lingayan Field
Lingayen Airport
Lingayen Airport is the airport serving the general area of Lingayen, the capital of the province of Pangasinan in the Philippines. It is one of two airports in the province: the other being Rosales Airport...
on Luzon on 30 January 1945. The next day the 822nd BS redressed its losses at Ormoc by attacking a three-destroyer convoy near Formosa, sinking the 1500-ton Ume
Matsu class destroyer
The were a class of destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy , who referred to them as .-Design basis:The Matsu class were built late in World War II, and they were intended to be more cost-effective in response to the changing character of naval warfare at that time...
and damaging the other two.
In the first week of February the group provided on-call close air support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
to US ground forces, directed by P-40 Warhawks of the 71st Reconnaissance Group acting as forward air controllers.The P-40s were recent hand-downs from fighter groups converting to P-38s. The 71st RG used them briefly while awaiting delivery of new P-51s. On 2 February, it coordinated with SBD dive bombers of Marine Aircraft Group 24
Marine Aircraft Group 24
Marine Aircraft Group 24 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay that is currently composed of three CH-53D Sea Stallion squadrons, a personnel support detachment and a maintenance and logistics squadron...
in bombing Japanese positions defending Umingan against attacks by the U.S. 25th Division, then supported the 1st Cavalry Division as it moved into Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. The mediums then began a campaign against industries and airfields on Formosa
Formosa
Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...
, and attacked shipping along the southeast China coast. Tactics evolved in which 36-aircraft formations bombed from medium altitudes, while low altitude strafing attacks featured four waves of B-25Js flying nine abreast, such as the attack on the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
airfield at Taichū (台中), Formosa
Taichung
-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....
, on 2 March.The 34 B-25Js that reached the target expended 104,985 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition. Two bombers of the lead squadron were shot down by a flak tower. The 2 March raid also illustrates the scope of medium bomber operations in the Western Pacific in 1945: two-group wing attacks, each with its own target,The lead 345th BG bombed Toyohara Airdrome to the north to split the defenses. In addition, two Liberator groups and an A-20 group also attacked Formosan airfields. with a total force of 72 B-25s escorted by 24 P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
fighters, and with 2 PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
s on station for rescue operations. On 20 March, the group attacked a small convoy of warships escorting a large freighter near Amoy
Amoy
Xiamen, or Amoy, is a city on the southeast coast of China.Amoy may also refer to:*Amoy dialect, a dialect of the Hokkien lects, which are part of the Southern Min group of Chinese languages...
, China. Flying abreast in four attack waves totalling 22 Mitchells, each squadron lost a bomber in the brief but vicious combat, with two going down in the target area and two others crash-landing at Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
fields on the Chinese mainland.
On 13 May, after evaluating two months of strikes against Formosan targets, group commander Lt. Col. Edwin H. Hawes conceived a sustained campaign to eradicate all Japanese sugar mill/ethanol refineries
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
on Formosa. He formed specially-designated two-crew teams from each squadron, each team selecting and bombing a target every fourth day, to provide daily pressure on the industry. The group became known as the "Alcohol Busters".Aircraft Movement Sheet for mission 158-C-8, 405th Bomb Squadron, of 28 May is the first specific use of the term in official documents. It was also seen in various reporting as the "Alcohol Busters of Formosa" and "Hawes' Alcohol Busters". The campaign ran through the end of May and ultimately attacked 16 targets, destroying 13. 38th Bomb Group Association Part 133 download.
On 21 June 1945 half of the air echelon of 38th BG (30 B-25s) was sent on short notice to Puerta Princesa Airfield, Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
, where it was attached to the 42nd Bomb Group of the Thirteenth Air Force
Thirteenth Air Force
The Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
to form a nine-squadron wing.The Palawan tour marked the only time during World War II that the 38th BG flew combat operations with its former 69th and 70th BS. For the remainder of June it conducted preinvasion
Battle of Balikpapan (1945)
The Battle of Balikpapan was the concluding stage of the Borneo campaign . The landings took place on 1 July 1945. The Australian 7th Division, composed of the 18th, 21st and 25th Infantry Brigades, with support troops, made an amphibious landing, codenamed Operation Oboe Two a few miles north of...
low altitude bombing of Japanese installations at Balikpapan, Borneo. Its first mission on 22 June consisted of 54 Mitchells flying 18 abreast in three waves, strafing and dropping air-fused napalm
Napalm
Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
bombs. On the mission of 29 June, the group was forced to attack through the exploding bursts of bombs dropped by B-24 Liberators flying at much higher altitude, losing one B-25.The 42nd BG and all five of its squadrons received a DUC for this campaign, but the attached squadrons of the 38th did not. This occurred previously in the 2 November 1943 attack on Rabaul, in which only the 345th BG was decorated. In all, the 38th participated in six DUC-awarded missions.
After its return to Lingayen, it conducted training missions until an advanced party flew to Okinawa on 14 July to prepare for the transfer of the group to Yontan Airfield
Yontan Airfield
Yontan Airfield is a former military airfield on Okinawa, located near the village of Sobe on the Okinawa western coast. It was closed and turned over to the Japanese government in 1972...
. The ground echelon boarded LSTs on 26 July and moved to Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
, where it remained until the end of the month. It reached Yontan by sea on 8 August. The air echelon flew to Yontan on 25 July and began attacks on industries, railways, and shipping in southern Japan and both coasts of Korea. Japanese home defenses proved effective and seven B-25s were lost in combat between 26 July and 10 August, with only one crew surviving.
| 38th BG B-25 losses | |
|---|---|
| 95 | B-25's lost in combat |
| 44 | B-25's lost in non-combat accidents |
| 442 | Air crew killed Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to... or missing in action Missing in action Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively... |
| All figures from Official History.Does not include aircraft destroyed on ground or written off as beyond economical repair. |
On the morning of 9 August 1945, ten B-25Js led by Col. Hawes attacked the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaiyo (海鷹)
Japanese aircraft carrier Kaiyo
was a escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. The ship was originally built as the ocean liner Argentina Maru. She was purchased by the IJN on 9 December 1942, converted into an escort carrier, and renamed Kaiyo. The ship was primarily used as an aircraft transport,...
, beached in Beppu Bay
Beppu Bay
Beppu Bay is an arm of the western end of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan.Beppu Bay is located on the northeast coast of Kyushu in Ōita Prefecture. The city of Ōita lies on its southern coast and the city of Beppu at its western end....
on Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. Flying three abreast at low level through a thick haze, six of the ten aircraft struck the carrier with five 1000-pound delayed-action demolition bombs
Delay-action bomb
A delay-action bomb is an aerial bomb designed to explode some time after impact, with the bomb's fuzes set to delay the explosion for times ranging from very brief to several weeks...
. Hawes and his crew were killed when a wingtip of their bomber first struck a tree, then the carrier itself, as he maneuvered, although the bomber released its bombs before crashing beside the ship. Hawes' Mitchell was the last lost by the group during World War II.This mission encountered severe haze conditions which the group history speculated might have been part of the atomic cloud of the bombing of Nagasaki that morning, 80 miles to the southwest. However the time over target for the lead squadron was more than an hour before the Nagasaki detonation.
The 38th Bomb Group flew its final combat mission on 13 August 1945, searching for shipping off the east coast of Korea, and the next morning moved its 54 operational bombers back to Morotai to make room for units involved in the imminent occupation.
Post-war duties
The 38th BG returned to Yontan from Morotai on 26 September, having lost three additional B-25s to accidents. On 1 October the group transferred out all aircraft with more than 600 hours of flight time, which reduced it to nine B-25s. Okinawa was struck by typhoons on 16 September and 9 October, the latter destroying all tents and structures in the 38th's camp at Yontan, but the bombers were saved by weighting down their wings with sandbags and using full engine power to keep them turned into the wind.On 1 November the group was designated for movement to Kyushu, to be based at Itazuke Air base
Fukuoka Airport
, formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. It is officially designated a second class airport. It is operating at full capacity, and cannot be further expanded. Flights stop at 10 p.m...
, near Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, as part of the Far East Air Forces occupation force. On 7 November the group divided into advance and rear echelons and began loading five LSTs for the movement. The convoy sailed on 13 November, offloading at Sasebo
Sasebo
Sasebo or may refer to:* Sasebo, Nagasaki, a city in Japan and a base of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the city, later of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force* United States Fleet Activities Sasebo, a post-WWII United States Navy Base in the city...
by 22 November (it was unable to unload at Fukuoka because the harbor had not been swept of naval mines). On 25 November the aircraft flew from Okinawa to Ashiya Air Base
Ashiya Air Field
is a military aerodrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.-History:Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944, and was used primarily as a defensive airfield, launching interceptors against...
because Itazuke was not yet serviceable. Their crews were trucked 40 miles to Itazuke, followed two days later by the rear air echelon, which arrived in 18 C-47s. The 38th BG began rehabilitation of the base using groups of Japanese laborers.
The 38th BG returned more than 500 men to the United States for demobilization before the end of 1945. In January 1946, it received 16 A-26 Invader
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
bombers at Ashiya for orientation and training, assigned to the 405th BS. A lack of engineering personnel in the group resulted in most of the aircraft being grounded until acceptance inspections could be performed. The group was reduced to three squadrons on 12 April 1946 as both the 822nd and 823rd BS were inactivated and the 89th Bomb Squadron
89th Tactical Missile Squadron
The 89th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Wueschheim Air Station, West Germany. It was inactivated on 22 August 1990.-History:...
at Itazuke was assigned to the group.The 822nd would not be reactivated until 1953, and the 823rd did not reactivate until 1962. The 89th BS had formerly been part of the 3rd Bomb Group.
The group was redesignated as the 38th Bombardment Group (Light) in May 1946 and reassigned to the 315th Air Division
315th Air Division
The 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
. Operational surveillance missions began in April, with two A-26s lost in weather-related crashes in April and May. In September 1946 the group moved to Itami, Japan. The 405th BS was reduced to a paper squadron without aircraft or personnel, then relocated at Itazuke between 1 January and 1 May 1947 to be a basic military training unit, after which it returned to Itami as a non-flying labor unit until the establishment of the USAF. The 71st BS discontinued flight operations on 1 November 1946 and went into an unmanned status until 1 May 1947, when it received new personnel at Itami in preparation for resuming operations. The 89th BS became the sole operational squadron of the group between November 1946 and September 1947.
United States Air Force
38th Combat Support Wing
The 38th Combat Support Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force , being inactivated on 1 May 2007 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
on 18 August 1948. It assisted in the air defense of Japan and participated in tactical
Tactical bombing
Tactical bombing is the aerial bombing aimed at targets of immediate military value, such as troops, military installations or equipment. This is in contrast to strategic bombing, attacking enemy's cities and factories to debilitate the enemy's capacity to wage war, the enemy's future military...
exercises from August 1948 – March 1949. The 38th Bombardment Group was inactivated in the Far East on 1 April 1949.
The group was reactivated on 1 January 1953 as the 38th Bombardment Group (Tactical), again a subordinate component of the 38th Bomb Wing, now part of United States Air Forces in Europe, and based at Laon-Couvron Air Base
Laon-Couvron Air Base
Laon-Couvron Air Base is a former French and United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Aisne département of France, less than one mile southeast of the village of Couvron and 6 miles northwest of Laon; on the southwest side of the Autoroute des Anglais 1 Mile east of the...
, France. The 71st, 405th and 822d Bomb Squadrons were reactivated as the group's flying components. The group absorbed the assets and personnel of the 126th Bomb Group
126th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 126th Air Refueling Wing is a Illinois Air National Guard air refueling wing located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois....
, an Illinois Air National Guard
Illinois Air National Guard
The Illinois Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Illinois. It is, along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois National Guard...
unit that was inactivated and returned to state control.
The group flew the B-26 Invader until April 1955, when it converted to the B-57 Canberra
B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
. A total of forty-nine B-57B and eight 2-seat B-57C models were deployed to Laon. The mission of the B-57 was all-weather interdiction, but it was also nuclear weapons-capable and provided a nuclear deterrence. The aircraft at Laon were painted a gloss black. Using five B-57's, the 38th BG formed its own aerial demonstration team
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
called the Black Knights. They performed at air shows around Western Europe, including the 1957 Paris Air Show
Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show is the world's oldest and largest air show. Established in 1909, it is currently held every odd year at Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France...
. The Black Knights were the only tactical bomber show team in the world.
In 1958, French President Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
announced that all NATO nuclear weapons and delivery aircraft had to be removed from French soil by July 1958. Since the parent wing was nuclear capable by NATO policy, it was ordered to depart France. The 38th BG was inactivated at Laon on 8 December 1957 and its three squadrons assigned directly to the wing while aircraft and personnel were transferred to other units. The wing then moved on 18 June 1958 to Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War...
, Germany, where it was redesignated a tactical missile wing using the TM-61 Matador.
Honors
Distinguished Unit Citation, World War II
- Papua, September 1942—23 January 1943
- New Britain, 24–26 December 1943
- New Guinea, 16–17 June 1944
- Leyte, 10 November 1944
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation (Philippines)
The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation is a decoration of the Republic of the Philippines which has been awarded to certain units of the United States military for actions both during and subsequent to the Second World War....
- Liberation of the Philippine Islands
Campaigns
Air Combat, Asiatic-Pacific Theater
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
- Air Offensive, Japan
- China Defensive
- Papua
- New Guinea
- Bismarck Archipelago
- Western Pacific
- Leyte
- Luzon
- Southern Philippines
- China Offensive
See also
- United States Army Air Forces in AustraliaUnited States Army Air Forces in AustraliaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established a series of airfields in Australia for the collective defense of the country, as well as for conducting offensive operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy...
- Battle of the Bismarck SeaBattle of the Bismarck SeaThe Battle of the Bismarck Sea took place in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. During the course of the battle, aircraft of the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force attacked a Japanese convoy that was carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea...
- Bombing of WewakBombing of WewakThe Bombing of Wewak was a series of air raids by the USAAF Fifth Air Force, on 17–21 August 1943, against the major air base of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force on the mainland of New Guinea, at Wewak...
- Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943)
- Battle of Ormoc BayBattle of Ormoc BayThe Battle of Ormoc Bay was a series of air-sea battles between Imperial Japan and the United States in the Camotes Sea in the Philippines between 11 November and 21 December 1944, part of the Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II. The battles resulted from Japanese operations to...
- List of units using the B-26 Marauder during World War II
External links
- 38th Bomb Group Association (WWII)
- "United States Army Air Forces Crew 5 December 1942" interment of 405th BS crew on 17 November 2009, at Arlington National Cemetery