Assigned 8th AAF: November 1943

Bowman's Bombers

612th Bombardment Squadron - Heavy
613th Bombardment Squadron - Heavy
614th Bombardment Squadron -Heavy
615th Bombardment Squadron - Heavy

Wing/Command Assignment

VIII BC, 1 BD, 92 CBW: 1 Nov 1943
VIII BC, 1 BD, 94 CBW: 15 Dec 1943
1 BD, 94 CBW 8 Jan 1944
1 AD, 94 CBW 1 Jan 1945

Combat Aircraft:

B-17G

Stations

DEENETHORPE 3 November 1943 to 20 June 1945

Group COs

Col. Harold W. Bowman June 1943 to 5 December 1944
Col. William T. Seawell 5 December 1944 to June 1945

First Mission: 26 Nov 1943
Last Mission: 20 Apr 1945
Missions: 255
Total Sorties: 7,430
Total Bomb Tonnage: 17,778 Tons
Aircraft MIA: 95

Major Awards:

Two Distinguished Unit Citations: 11 Jan 1944, and 20 Feb 1944; Leipzig

Claims to Fame

Second best rating in bombing accuracy for Eighth Air Force

Early History:

Activated 1 April 1943 at Ephrata AAB Wash. Moved to Geiger Field, Washington on 28 May 1943, and to Great Falls AAB, Mount in July 1943. Completed final training and ground echelon began movement overseas on the 19th of October 1943. After staging at Camp Shanks, New York the unit embarked on the Queen Mary, and sailed on the 27th of October and arrived at Greenock on the 2nd of November 1943, and disembarked the following day. The air echelon left Great Falls on the 18th of October 1943 for final inspections at Scott Field then via Goose Bay, Meeks Field in Iceland to Prestwick.

Subsequent History:

Redeployed to the US June 1945. The air echelon departed the United Kingdom on 30 May to 4 June 1945. Ground echelon went by train to Gourock on the 20th of June, and sailed on the Queen Elizabeth on the 25th of June 1945, and arriving on the 30th of June. Some of the unit reassembled at Sioux Falls AAFd, South Dakota where the Group was inactivated on the 28th of August 1945. The unit was reformed as a fighter-bomber unit wing in 1954. For many years they were based in Egland AFB, La. then reassigned to US Air Forces in Europe and based in Spain.