491st Bombardment Group
Encyclopedia
II Bomber Command
The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
, stationed at McChord Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 8 September 1945.
During World War II the group was an 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 stationed in England. Assigned to RAF North Pickenham
RAF North Pickenham
RAF North Pickenham is a former Royal Air Force base near North Pickenham, in Norfolk. It was originally opened in 1944 and finally closed in 1965.-USAAF use:...
in early 1944. The group flew 187 combat missions, being awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for a raid over Misburg on 26 November 1944. The unit flew its last mission on 25 April 1945.
History
Activated 1 October 1943 at Davis-Monthan Field, ArizonaArizona
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...
as a 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...
heavy bomb group; assigned to II Bomber Command
II Bomber Command
The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
for training. The 491st was one of seven Heavy Bombardment Groups – 488th through 494th – activated in the autumn of 1943. These were to be the last Army Air Forces heavy bomb groups established. Reassigned to Biggs Field near El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, Texas on 11 November 1943 and trained there until January 1944 when, during training, most of ground unit was transferred to Pratt Army Airfield
Pratt Army Airfield
Pratt Army Airfield is a closed United States Air Force base. It is located north-northwest of Pratt, Kansas, and was closed in 1946. Today it is used as Pratt Regional Airport....
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas 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...
, to augment a new 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...
group being trained by Second Air Force
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....
. Throughout November and December, personnel strength was further reduced by transfer to other B-24 groups of personnel and aircraft until only four full aircrews and a few extra crew members remained, in addition to the Group Staff.
On 7 January 1944, orders came through for the 491st to move to Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado 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...
to complete training. Upon arrival at Pueblo, the 491st personnel were assigned to the 471st Combat Crew Training School
471st Bombardment Group
The 471st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last assigned to the First Air Force, stationed at Westover Field, Massachusetts, it was inactivated on 10 April 1944....
for additional instruction. Additional crews arrived almost at once, bringing the Group total to 24. These new crews were part of a sizable detachment that had left Davis-Monthan field together after completing Phase I training. However, when their train reached Alamogordo Army Airfield, New Mexico
New Mexico
New 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...
, late at night, many of the crews got off to become the air echelon of the 492d Bombardment Group
492d Bombardment Group
The 492d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Second Air Force, stationed at Kirtland Field, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 17 October 1945....
, while the crews assigned to the 491st continued on. The 471st was redesignated a Heavy Bomb Group and moved out on 24 January, leaving the 491st in sole possession of the buildings, equipment and aircraft at Pueblo AAB. New B-24s were assigned to the group from Consolodated and training was completed by April.
After training was completed the air echelon was then deployed to the European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
(ETO). Began movement overseas on 21 April 1944 via South Atlantic Route via Morrison Field, Florida, via Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, Brazil, Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
and Marrakesh, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, then to the United Kingdom.
The group was apparently planned for 14th Combat Bombardment Wing and to be stationed at RAF North Pickenham
RAF North Pickenham
RAF North Pickenham is a former Royal Air Force base near North Pickenham, in Norfolk. It was originally opened in 1944 and finally closed in 1965.-USAAF use:...
; however the 492d BG was assigned to North Pickenham and the 491st instead went to RAF Metfield. Four established groups in 2d Bombardment Division were ordered to raise and train an additional squadron ground unit each one of the five ground echelons in each group then selected and assigned to the 491st BG as a ground echelon. These units were transferred to Metfield on 25 April 1944.
Once in England, the group engaged in long-range strategic bombardment attacks against Germany. Targets included Berlin, Hamburg, Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
and Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, as well as the German General Staff HQ at Zossen
Zossen
Zossen is a German town in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg, south of Berlin, and next to the B96 highway. Zossen consists of several smaller municipalities, which were grouped together in 2003 to form the city.-Geography:...
. In July 1944 it supported the breakout at St. Lo and assaulted V-weapon sites and communications lines in France during the summer of 1944. With the withdrawal of the 492d Bomb Group from operational missions in August the group was transferred back to RAF North Pickenham.
Upon its return, the 491st concentrated its attacks on strategic objectives in Germany, striking communications centers, oil refineries, storage depots, industrial areas, shipyards, and other targets in such places as Berlin, 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...
, Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
, Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, and Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
; on one occasion attacked the headquarters of the German General Staff
German General Staff
The German General Staff was an institution whose rise and development gave the German armed forces a decided advantage over its adversaries. The Staff amounted to its best "weapon" for nearly a century and a half....
at Zossen
Zossen
Zossen is a German town in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg, south of Berlin, and next to the B96 highway. Zossen consists of several smaller municipalities, which were grouped together in 2003 to form the city.-Geography:...
, Germany.
While on a mission to bomb an oil refinery at Misburg on 26 November 1944, the group was attacked by large numbers of enemy fighters; although about one-half of its planes were destroyed, the remainder fought off the interceptors, successfully bombed the target, and won for the group a Distinguished Unit Citation. The group dropped supplies to paratroops on 18 September 1944 during the airborne attack in Holland; bombed German supply lines and fortifications 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; supported Allied forces in the airborne drop 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...
in March 1945; and interdicted enemy communications during the Allied drive across Germany in April 1945.
Remained in the United Kingdom until 1 June 1945 when the 491st was alerted for Pacific redeployment. After reaching the United States, personnel were to be given 30 days leave after which the Group would reassemble, go through transition to 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...
es, and join in the war against Japan. On the 17, 18 and 19 June , 81 Liberators bid final farewells to RAF North Pickenham as they departed en route to the United States. Ground unit sailed on Queen Mary on 6 July 1945 arriving in New York 11 July 1945. Many personnel were demobilized upon arrival. A small cadre of personnel formed at McChord Field, Washington; most of the group's personnel having been demobilized upon return to the United States. However the Japanese Capitulation led to the units inactivation at McChord on 8 September 1945, never being re-manned or equipped.
Lineage
- Constituted as 491st Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 September 1943
- Activated on 1 October 1943
- Inactivated on 8 September 1945
Assignments
- II Bomber CommandII Bomber CommandThe II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
, 1 October 1943 – February 1944 - 95th Combat Bombardment Wing, 5 May 1944
- 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, 14 August 1944 – 17 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....
, 17 July-8 September 1945
Components
- 852d Bombardment Squadron852d Bombardment SquadronThe 852d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 491st Bombardment Group stationed at McChord Field, Washington.-History:...
(3Q) 1 October 1943 – 8 September 1945 - 853d Bombardment Squadron853d Bombardment SquadronThe 852d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 491st Bombardment Group stationed at McChord Field, Washington.-History:...
(T8) 1 October 1943 – 8 September 1945 - 854th Bombardment Squadron854th Bombardment SquadronThe 854th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 491st Bombardment Group stationed at McChord Field, Washington.-History:...
(6X) 1 October 1943 – 8 September 1945 - 855th Bombardment Squadron855th Bombardment SquadronThe 855th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 491st Bombardment Group, based at McChord Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 8 September 1945.-History:...
(V2) 1 October 1943 – 8 September 1945
Stations
- 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...
, 1 October 1943 - Biggs Field, Texas 11 November 1943
- Pueblo Army Air Base, 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...
. 7 January 1944 (Air Echelon) - RAF Metfield (AAF-366), England, 25 April 1944
- RAF North PickenhamRAF North PickenhamRAF North Pickenham is a former Royal Air Force base near North Pickenham, in Norfolk. It was originally opened in 1944 and finally closed in 1965.-USAAF use:...
(AAF-143), England, 10 August 1944 - McChord Field, Washington, 17 July – 8 September 1945