466th Bombardment Group
Encyclopedia
The 466th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the Second Air Force
, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona
. It was inactivated on 17 October 1945
During World War II, the group was a Eighth Air Force
B-24 Liberator
unit in England assigned to RAF Attlebridge
. Its 785th Bomb Squadron flew 55 consecutive missions without loss. The 466th flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945.
Constituted as the 466th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 May 1943, the unit was officially activated on 1 August 1943 at Alamogordo AAFd, New Mexico. Personnel started training at Kearns Field in Utah at the end of August 1943, remaining there until 24 November 1943 when the unit moved back to Alamogordo AAFd. In February 1944 the moved to Topeka Kansas for a week before beginning the trip overseas to England.
The ground units sailed from New York on the Queen Mary on 28 February 1944. The air unit took the southern ferry route and arrived at RAF Attlebridge
England, in March 1944, where they were assigned to the Eighth Air Force
. The 466th was assigned to the 96th Combat Bombardment Wing. Their group tail code was "Circle-L".
The 466th began operations on 22 March 1944 by participating in a daylight raid on Berlin. The group operated primarily as a strategic bombardment organization, attacking such targets as marshalling yards at Liege, an airfield at St Trond, a repair and assembly plant at Reims
, an airfield at Chartres
, factories at Brunswick
, oil refineries at Bohlen
, aircraft plants at Kempten
, mineral works at Hamburg
, marshalling yards at Saarbrücken
, a synthetic oil plant at Misburg, a fuel depot at Dulmen
, and aero engine works at Eisenach
.
Other operations included attacking pillboxes along the coast of Normandy
on D-Day
(6 June 1944), and afterwards striking interdictory targets behind the beachhead; bombing enemy positions at Saint-Lô
during the Allied breakthrough in July 1944; hauling oil and gasoline to Allied forces advancing across France in September; hitting German communications and transportation during the Battle of the Bulge
, December 1944 – January 1945; and bombing the airfield at Nordhorn
in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine
on 24 March 1945.
The 466th flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945, striking a transformer station at Traunstein
. During combat operations, the 785th Bomb Squadron flew 55 consecutive missions without loss. The group flew 232 combat missions with 5,762 sorties dropping 12,914 tons of bombs. They lost 47 aircraft in combat.
The group redeployed to the United States during June/July 1945. The air echelon departed Attlebridge in mid-June 1945. The ground units sailed from Greenock on the Queen Mary on 6 June 1945. They arrived in New York on 11 July 1945. The group was then established in Sioux Falls AAF
South Dakota
in July and was redesignated the 466th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in August 1945 and was equipped with B-29 Superfortress
aircraft. The group was transferred to Pueblo Colorado, and then later to Davis Monthan Field, Arizona
for Superfortress training and programmed for deployment to the Pacific Theater
.
With the end of the war the Group was inactivated on 17 October 1945.
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. It was inactivated on 17 October 1945
During World War II, the group was a Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
unit in England assigned to RAF Attlebridge
RAF Attlebridge
RAF Attlebridge is a former World War II RAF Station and airfield in England. The field is located near Attlebridge 8 miles NW of Norwich in Norfolk.-RAF Bomber Command use:...
. Its 785th Bomb Squadron flew 55 consecutive missions without loss. The 466th flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945.
History
The ground units sailed from New York on the Queen Mary on 28 February 1944. The air unit took the southern ferry route and arrived at RAF Attlebridge
RAF Attlebridge
RAF Attlebridge is a former World War II RAF Station and airfield in England. The field is located near Attlebridge 8 miles NW of Norwich in Norfolk.-RAF Bomber Command use:...
England, in March 1944, where they were assigned to the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
. The 466th was assigned to the 96th Combat Bombardment Wing. Their group tail code was "Circle-L".
The 466th began operations on 22 March 1944 by participating in a daylight raid on Berlin. The group operated primarily as a strategic bombardment organization, attacking such targets as marshalling yards at Liege, an airfield at St Trond, a repair and assembly plant at Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, an airfield at Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
, factories at Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, oil refineries at Bohlen
Bohlen
Bohlen is a surname shared by several notable people, among them being:Bohlen* Charles E. Bohlen , American diplomat* Avis Bohlen , American diplomat* Jim Bohlen, American-born Canadian political activist...
, aircraft plants at Kempten
Kempten
Kempten can refer to:* Kempten im Allgäu, a town in Bavaria, Germany* Kempten ZH, a district of the town of Wetzikon in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland* Kempton Park, Gauteng, a city in South Africa which was named after Kempten in Bavaria...
, mineral works at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, marshalling yards at Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, a synthetic oil plant at Misburg, a fuel depot at Dulmen
Dülmen
Dülmen is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Dülmen is situated in the south part of the Münsterland area, between the Lippe river to the south, the Baumberge hills to the north and the Ems river to the east...
, and aero engine works at Eisenach
Eisenach
Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
.
Other operations included attacking pillboxes along the coast of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
(6 June 1944), and afterwards striking interdictory targets behind the beachhead; bombing enemy positions at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
during the Allied breakthrough in July 1944; hauling oil and gasoline to Allied forces advancing across France in September; hitting German communications and transportation during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, December 1944 – January 1945; and bombing the airfield at Nordhorn
Nordhorn
Nordhorn is the district seat of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony's southwesternmost corner near the border with the Netherlands and the boundary with North Rhine-Westphalia.- Name's origin :...
in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
on 24 March 1945.
The 466th flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945, striking a transformer station at Traunstein
Traunstein
Traunstein is a town in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and is the administrative center of a district by the same name. It is situated at the heart of a region called Chiemgau, approximately 11 km east of Lake Chiemsee between Munich and Salzburg, 15 km north of the Alps, and...
. During combat operations, the 785th Bomb Squadron flew 55 consecutive missions without loss. The group flew 232 combat missions with 5,762 sorties dropping 12,914 tons of bombs. They lost 47 aircraft in combat.
The group redeployed to the United States during June/July 1945. The air echelon departed Attlebridge in mid-June 1945. The ground units sailed from Greenock on the Queen Mary on 6 June 1945. They arrived in New York on 11 July 1945. The group was then established in Sioux Falls AAF
Sioux Falls Regional Airport
Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a joint civil and military use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Sioux Falls, a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States...
South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
in July and was redesignated the 466th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in August 1945 and was equipped with B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
aircraft. The group was transferred to Pueblo Colorado, and then later to Davis Monthan Field, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
for Superfortress training and programmed for deployment 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....
.
With the end of the war the Group was inactivated on 17 October 1945.
Lineage
- Constituted as 466th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 May 1943
- Activated on 1 August 1943
- Redesignated 466th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in August 1945
- Inactivated on 17 October 1945.
Assignments
- IV Bomber CommandIV Bomber CommandThe IV Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fourth Air Force, based at San Francisco, California. It was inactivated on 31 March 1944.-Lineage:...
, 1 August 1943 – February 1944 - 96th Combat Bombardment Wing, 7 March 1944 – 6 July 1945
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 15 July-17 October 1945
Components
- 784th Bombardment Squadron784th Bombardment SquadronThe 784th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 17 October 1945.-History:...
(T9), 1 August 1943 – 17 October 1945 - 785th Bombardment Squadron785th Bombardment SquadronThe 785th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 17 October 1945.-History:...
(2U), 1 August 1943 – 17 October 1945 - 786th Bombardment Squadron786th Bombardment SquadronThe 786th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 17 October 1945.-History:...
(U8), 1 August 1943 – 17 October 1945 - 787th Bombardment Squadron787th Bombardment SquadronThe 787th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 17 October 1945.-History:...
(6L), 1 August 1943 – 17 October 1945
Stations
- Alamogordo AAF, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, 1 August 1943 – 31 August 1943, 24 November 1943 – February 1944 - Kearns AAF, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
31 August 1943 – 24 November 1943 - Topeka AAF, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 5–13 February 1944 – 7 March 1944 - RAF AttlebridgeRAF AttlebridgeRAF Attlebridge is a former World War II RAF Station and airfield in England. The field is located near Attlebridge 8 miles NW of Norwich in Norfolk.-RAF Bomber Command use:...
(AAF-120), England 7 March 1944 – 6 July 1945 - Sioux Falls AAFSioux Falls Regional AirportSioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a joint civil and military use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Sioux Falls, a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States...
, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
,15 July 1945 – 25 July 1945 - Pueblo AABPueblo Memorial AirportPueblo Memorial Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located five miles east of the central business district of Pueblo, a city in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline. The Pueblo Airport is a popular...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, 25 July 1945 – 15 August 1945 - Davis-Monthan Field, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 15 August-17 October 1945