The 454th Bombardment Group is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

unit. It was last assigned to the 454th Troop Carrier Wing of

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary aug ...

Portland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city li ...

, Oregon. It was inactivated on 1 January 1953. The 454th Bombardment Group was activated in 1943 as a

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

combat

unit Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...

. It served primarily in the Mediterranean Theater during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. While in combat the group earned two

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...

s. The group served as a

bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or cities and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended obje ...

and as a troop carrier unit in the reserves after World War II. In 1947 the group was activated as a reserve unit. It continued in this role until 1951 when it was called to active duty and its personnel used to fill out active duty organizations deploying to the Pacific. The group was reestablished later during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

as the 454th Troop Carrier Group, a reserve organization at

, Oregon. It was discontinued six months later, when the

403d Troop Carrier Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

was released from active duty and assumed its mission, personnel and equipment. In 1985 the wing returned to its designation as a bombardment group while remaining inactive.

History

World War II

The group was constituted as 454th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 May 1943 and activated on 1 June at Davis–Monthan Field, near Tucson, Arizona. Training began immediately on

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

s and the ground cadre was sent on 3 July to Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics at

Orlando AAB Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation. Overview Orlan ...

, Florida. On 15 July, planes were sent from Davis–Monthan to join them at Pinecastle AAF, Florida for practical field training. From their bases in Florida, the ground echelon was transferred on 28 July 1943 to McCook AAF, Nebraska and, on 1 August, the air echelon joined them. This was the first operational unit to use the newly constructed McCook

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

. On 28 September the Group was reassigned to Charleston AAB, South Carolina On 2 December 1943 the aircrews and some key ground personnel were sent to

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People and fictional characters *Mitchell (surname), including lists of both people and fictional characters *Mitchell (given name), lists of people and fictional characters Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Ca ...

, New York in preparation for deployment overseas. These personnel were subsequently transferred to Morrison Field, Florida and flew the southern route to North Africa. After additional training in Tunisia, the air echelon joined the ground echelon, which had previously departed from Camp Patrick Henry by

Liberty Ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

, at San Giovanni Airfield, west of

Cerignola Cerignola (; ) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, southeast from the town of Foggia. It has the third-largest land area of any ''comune'' in Italy, at , after Rome and Ravenna and it has the largest land ar ...

, Italy, and was assigned to

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...

. Although the group flew some interdiction and support missions, it engaged primarily in long range strikes against oil refineries. aircraft and munitions factories and industrial areas, harbors, and airfields. Flying from Italy, the group flew 243 missions on over 150 primary targets in Italy, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Greece, and Poland. During this time, 13,389.19 tons of bombs were dropped during 7,091 sorties on enemy marshalling yards, oil refineries, bridges, installations, airdromes, rail lines, etc. The 454th participated in the drive to Rome, the invasion of Southern France, and the defeat of Axis forces in northern Italy. The 454th was awarded a

(DUC) for similar action on the high priority

Messerschmitt Messerschmitt AG () was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in parti ...

Aircraft Factory at

Bad Vöslau Bad Vöslau (; Central Bavarian: ''Bod Vöslau'') is a spa town and Municipality (Austria), municipality in the state of Lower Austria. It is also known as the cradle of the Austrian red wine cultivation. The population, as of 2022, is 12,424. G ...

, Austria on 12 April 1944. It earned a second DUC for "outstanding performance of duty in armed conflict with the enemy" as a result of their mission against the Hermann Goering Steel Works in

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

, Austria on 25 July 1944. After the German Capitulation in May 1945, the 454th redeployed to the United States on 8 July. Many personnel were demobilized upon arrival at the port of debarkation; a small cadre of key personnel was formed, and the group was then established at Sioux Falls Army Air Field South Dakota in July, and the unit was redesignated the 454th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy in July, and was equipped with

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to ...

es, and programmed for deployment to the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. The Japanese Capitulation in August made the group redundant to Air Force requirements and the unit was inactivated on 17 October 1945.

Korean War

The group was allotted to the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

in April 1947, stationed at

McChord Field McChord Field (formerly and still commonly known as McChord Air Force Base) is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord AFB is the home of the 62nd Airlift Wing, ...

, Washington, and equipped with B-29s removed from storage in the southwest. The group moved in July 1949 to Spokane AFB, Washington, where it served as a corollary unit for the 98th Bombardment Group, retaining only a single squadron. As a result of the

, the 454th was activated on 1 May 1951. Upon activation, the group's personnel and equipment were reassigned as replacements to the 98th Bombardment Wing, which deployed to

Far East Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at the Hickam AFB portion of Join ...

Yokota AB , is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and United States Air Force (USAF) base in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo. It occupies portions of Akishima, Fussa, Hamura, Mizuho, Musashimurayama, and Tachikawa. The base houses 14,000 personne ...

, Japan. The group was inactivated as a paper unit on 16 June. * ''For related subsequent history, see

454th Bombardment Wing The 454th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 42d Air Division of Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. It was inactivated on 25 July 1969. The wing's predece ...

.''

established the 454th Troop Carrier Wing at

, Oregon in June 1952 to replace the 922d Reserve Training Wing, which had taken over reserve activities at Portland following the mobilization of the

403d Troop Carrier Wing 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...

. Under the wing base organization (

Hobson Plan The Hobson Plan was an organizational structure established by the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1948, following experimental organization in 1947. Known as the "Wing-Base Organization," it replaced the organization used by the United States A ...

), the group was redesignated the 454th Troop Carrier Group and assigned to the wing as its operational element. It was equipped with

Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company p ...

s. Its activation as a reserve transport unit was short, as it was inactivated and its mission, personnel and equipment transferred to the 403d Troop Carrier Wing when the 403d was released from active duty in January 1953. In 1985, the

returned the group to its original bombardment designation.

Lineage

454th Bombardment Group * Constituted as 454th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 May 1943 : Activated on 1 June 1943 : Redesignated 454th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 5 August 1945 : Inactivated on 17 October 1945. * Allotted to the reserve and activated on 27 April 1947 : Redesignated 454th Bombardment Group, Medium on 27 June 1949 : Inactivated on 16 June 1951 : Redesignated 454th Troop Carrier Group, Medium on 26 May 1952 : Activated on 13 June 1952 : Inactivated on 1 January 1953 : Redesignated 454th Bombardment Group, Heavy on 31 July 1985 (remained inactive)Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations

Assignments

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reserv ...

1 June – 31 July 1943 *

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

31 July – October 1943 *

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...

October–December 1943 * 304th Bombardment Wing, 25 January 1944 – c. 19 July 1945 * 20th Bombardment Wing 1 August – 17 October 1945 * 305th Bombardment Wing (later 305th Air Division), 27 April 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

(attached to 91st Bombardment Wing), – 16 June 1951 * 454th Troop Carrier Wing, 13 June 1952 – 1 January 1953

Components

81st Fighter Squadron The 81st Fighter Squadron (81 FS) is an inactive squadron of the United States Air Force. It was last assigned to Air Education and Training Command, stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia as a geographically separate unit of the 14th Ope ...

: 12 July 1947 – 20 June 1949 * 736th Bombardment Squadron (later Troop Carrier Squadron): 1 June 1943 – 17 October 1945, 27 April 1947 – 16 June 1951, 13 June 1952 – 1 January 1953 * 737th Bombardment Squadron (later Troop Carrier Squadron): 1 June 1943 – 17 October 1945, 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949, 13 June 1952 – 1 January 1953 * 738th Bombardment Squadron (later Troop Carrier Squadron): 1 June 1943 – 17 October 1945, 16 August 1947 – 27 June 1949, 13 June 1952 – 1 January 1953 * 739th Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1943 – 17 October 1945, 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949

Stations

* Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico 1 June 1943 * Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona 1 July 1943 * McCook AAF, Nebraska c. 31 July 1943 * Charleston AAB, South Carolina 3 October – December 1943 * San Giovanni Airfield, Italy January 1944 – July 1945 * Sioux Falls AAF, South Dakota 1 August 1945 * Pyote AAF, Texas 17 August – 17 October 1945 *

, Washington, 27 April 1947 – 27 June 1949 * Spokane AFB, Washington, 27 June 1949 – 16 June 1951 *

, Oregon 13 June 1952 – 1 January 1953

Aircraft flown

, 1943–1945 *

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the Bo ...

, 1945 *

, 1952–1953

Awards and campaigns

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

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