391st Bombardment Group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 391st Bombardment Group | |
|---|---|
 391st Bombardment Group Insignia |
|
| Active | 1943 - 1945 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Part of | Ninth Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | European Theatre of World War II |
The 391st Bombardment Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the European Theatre of World War II.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Operational Units
- 572d Bomb Squadron (P2)
- 573d Bomb Squadron (T6)
- 574th Bomb Squadron (4L)
- 575th Bomb Squadron (O8)
[edit] Aircraft Flown
[edit] Stations Assigned
- MacDill Field, FL 21 Jan 1943
- Myrtle Beach Bombing Range, SC 24 May 1943
- Godman Field, KY 4 Sep-31 Dec 1943
- RAF Matching, England 25 Jan 1944 166
- Roye/Amy, France 19 Sep 1944
- Assche, Belgium 16 Apr 1945
- Vitry-en-Artois, France 27 May-27 Jul 1945
- Camp Shanks, NY Oct-25 Oct 1945
[edit] Operational History
Constituted as 391st Bombardment Group (Medium) on 15 Jan 1943 and activated on 21 Jan. Trained with B-26's for duty in Europe with Ninth Air Force. Assigned to RAF Matching, England on 26 January 1944. The group marking was a yellow triangle painted on the tail fin of their B-26s.
The first mission was flown on 15 February and 150 more were completed before the group moved into France in late September 1944. During the ensuing weeks the 391st bombed targets such as airfields, marshalling yards, bridges, and V-weapon sites in France and the Low Countries to help prepare for the invasion of Normandy. The group attacked enemy defenses along the invasion beaches on 6 and 7 Jun 1944. From June through September, the group continued cross-Channel operations, which included attacks on fuel dumps and troop concentrations in support of Allied forces during the breakthrough at St Lo in July 1944, and strikes on transportation and communications to block the enemy's retreat to the east.
A total of 20 B-26s were missing in action during the 391st's operations from Matching before the group moved onto the continent, transferring to Roye/Amy, France (ALG A-73) on 19 September 1944. The group then switched to Douglas A-26 Invaders and flew its last mission on 3 May 1945 from Asche, Belgium (ALG Y-29).
The 391st Bomb Group returned to the United States in October and was inactivated at Camp Shanks, New York on 25 October 1945.
