489th Bomb Group
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The 489th Bomb Group (489 BG) is a unit of the
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 ...
within the
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, 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 ...
. It is assigned to the
307th Bomb Wing The 307th Bomb Wing (307 BW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. If mobilized, the wing is ga ...
, and is stationed at
Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...
, Texas. The group is a reserve associate unit of the
7th Bomb Wing The 7th Bomb Wing (7 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is also the host unit. The 7 BW is one of only two B-1B Lancer stra ...
at Dyess. 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 ...
, the 489th Bombardment Group was a
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 ...
unit. After training in the United States, it moved to England as an element of
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...
, stationed at
RAF Halesworth Royal Air Force Halesworth or more simply RAF Halesworth is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located north east of the town of Halesworth, Suffolk, England and west of Southwold. United States Army ...
, England. Lieutenant Colonel
Leon Vance Leon Robert Vance Jr. (August 11, 1916 – July 26, 1944) was a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Early life and family Leon Robert Vance Jr. was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. Van ...
of the group was awarded the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
for his bravery and actions on the day before
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
over Wimereux, France. It was the only Medal of Honor awarded to a B-24 crewman for a mission flown from England.Freeman, p. 261Enid Air Force Base, Oklahoma was renamed
Vance Air Force Base Vance Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in southern Enid, Oklahoma, about north northwest of Oklahoma City. The base is named after local World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient, Lieutenant Colonel Leon Robert V ...
in memory of Col. Vance on 9 July 1949. Mueller, p. 567.
The group returned to the United States in November 1944 and converted to a
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 ...
group, but the war ended before the group could deploy to the Pacific. In October 2015, the group was reactivated in 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 ...
.


History


World War II


Training in the United States

The 489th Bombardment Group, Heavy was activated as a
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 ...
heavy bomber
group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
on 1 October 1943 at
Wendover Field Wendover is a town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road along t ...
, Utah.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 358–359 Its original squadrons were the 844th, 845th, 846th and
847th Bombardment Squadron The 847th Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit that was originally activated as the 421st Bombardment Squadron. Its last assignment was with the 489th Bombardment Group at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas where ...
s.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 778–779Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 779Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 779–780 Shortly after organizing, key personnel left for training with the
Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by p ...
in Florida, where it flew simulated combat missions in company with the
491st Bombardment Group The 491st Bombardment Group is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in October 1943 as a heavy bomber unit, drawing its cadre from the former 17th Antisubmarine Squadron. After training in the United States, the grou ...
leadership, which was at a similar point in its training. The group completed combat training and departed Wendover on 3 April 1944. The air echelon flew to the UK via the southern ferry route along the northern coastline of South America and across the Atlantic to Africa before heading North to England. The ground echelon sailed from Boston on board the on 13 April 1944, reaching
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
on 21 April. The group moved to
RAF Halesworth Royal Air Force Halesworth or more simply RAF Halesworth is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located north east of the town of Halesworth, Suffolk, England and west of Southwold. United States Army ...
, England in May 1944, where it became part of
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...
.


Combat in Europe

The group entered combat on 30 May 1944 with an attack on
Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...
, Germany. It then concentrated on targets striking in France to prepare for
Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...
, the invasion of Normandy. In an attack against coastal defenses near Wimereux, France on 5 June, the group's lead plane was seriously crippled by enemy fire, its pilot was killed, and the deputy group commander, Lt Col
Leon Vance Leon Robert Vance Jr. (August 11, 1916 – July 26, 1944) was a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Early life and family Leon Robert Vance Jr. was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. Van ...
, who was commanding the formation, was severely wounded. Although his right foot was practically severed, Vance took control of the plane and led the group to a successful bombing of the target. He flew the damaged Liberator near the English coastline where he ordered the crew to bail out. Under the belief that one wounded crewmember could not jump, Vance ditched the plane in the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
and was rescued. For his action during this mission, Vance was awarded the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
.In late July Lt Col Vance was evacuated back to the United States for medical treatment. The plane he was on disappeared over the Atlantic and all aboard were lost. Mueller, p. 567. The group supported the landings in
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
the following day, and afterward bombed coastal defenses, airfields, bridges, railroads, and
V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...
and
V-2 rocket The V2 (), with the technical name ''Aggregat (rocket family), Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range missile guidance, guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the S ...
launch sites (Operation Crossbow) in the campaign for France. It participated in the saturation bombing of German lines just before
Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was an offensive launched by the First United States Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the dis ...
, the breakthrough at
Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
later in September. For these missions, a loadmaster from
IX Troop Carrier Command The IX Troop Carrier Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946 as a component command of the Ninth ...
directed the drops from the bombers. On other missions, group aircraft flew into Orleans/Bricy Airfield to deliver supplies. The 489th began flying strategic bombing missions to Germany in July, and engaged primarily in bombing strategic targets such as factories,
oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefied pet ...
and storage areas,
marshalling yard A classification yard (American English, as well as the Canadian National Railway), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, and Australian English, and the former Canadian Pacific Railway) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway y ...
s, and
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 ...
s in
Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
,
Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
, Brunswick,
Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...
, and other cities until November 1944. At that time it was the first group in Eighth Air Force selected for redeployment to the Pacific theater and became non-operational on 14 November 1944 and most of its B-24s were assigned to other groups in England. It was relieved of assignment to the theater on 29 November 1944, and returned to the United States.


Redeployment for the Pacific

The 489th Bomb Group returned to Bradley Field Connecticut at the end of December 1944, where most returning personnel were reassigned to other units while the group moved to
Lincoln Army Air Field Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (nam ...
, Nebraska. At Lincoln it again became part of
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 ...
on 22 January 1945, they were informed that previous plans for refresher training had been cancelled and instead the group and its associated 369th Air Service Group were retrained as
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 ...
combat and support units. However Second Air Force did not receive redesignation orders for the group until 17 March, until which time they were compelled to maintain duplicate rosters and tables of organization, one for a heavy bombardment group of four squadrons, and one for a very heavy bombardment group of three squadrons. The readiness date for the group air echelon was set back from 1 March to 1 August 1945. The group moved to Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas in mid-February to re-equip with the B-29, and was redesignated the 489th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy in March. The group was alerted for movement overseas in the summer of 1945, but with the
Japanese surrender The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, ending the war. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) was incapable of condu ...
, the group was inactivated on 17 October 1945.


Air Force Reserve

The Air Force reactivated the group as the
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, 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 ...
's 489th Bomb Group on 17 October 2015, exactly 70 years after it was inactivated. The 489th operates from
Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...
near Abilene, Texas, flying
Rockwell B-1 Lancer The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It has been nicknamed the "Bone" (from "B-One"). , it is one of the United States Air Force's three strategic bombers, along with t ...
s and is an associate unit of the Regular Air Force's
7th Bomb Wing The 7th Bomb Wing (7 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is also the host unit. The 7 BW is one of only two B-1B Lancer stra ...
, operating the same aircraft. The 489th is assigned to the
307th Bomb Wing The 307th Bomb Wing (307 BW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. If mobilized, the wing is ga ...
, a
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...
unit at
Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwest ...
, Louisiana. Both the 489th and the 307th are "operationally-gained" by
Air Force Global Strike Command The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides combat-ready fo ...
when
mobilized Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...
.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 489th Bombardment Group, Heavy on 14 September 1943 : Activated on 1 October 1943 : Redesignated 489th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 17 March 1945 : Inactivated on 17 October 1945Lineage and station information through 1945 in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 358–359 * Redesignated 489th Bomb Group on 8 October 2015 : Activated in the Air Force Reserve on 17 October 2015


Assignments

* Second Air Force, 1 October 1943 – April 1944 *
95th Combat Bombardment Wing The 95th Combat Bombardment Wing is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in England in 1943 and engaged in strategic bombing in World War II#US bombing in Europe, strategic bombing campaign against Germany from June th ...
, 5 April 1944 * 20th Combat Bombardment Wing, 14 August – 29 November 1944 * Second Air Force, 12 December 1944 – 17 October 1945 * 307th Bomb Wing, 17 October 2015 – presentAssignment and station information in Haulman, except as noted.


Components

; Operational squadrons *
345th Bomb Squadron The 345th Bomb Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 489th Bomb Group. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is an associate unit of the 7th Bomb Wing. The squadron was first activated ...
, 17 October 2015 – present * 844th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 17 October 1945 * 845th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 17 October 1945 * 846th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 17 October 1945 * 847th Bombardment Squadron, 13 October 1943 – 28 March 1945 ; Support units * 489th Maintenance Squadron, 17 October 2015 – Present * 489th Aerospace Medical Flight, 17 October 2015 – Present * 1st Photographic Laboratory (Bombardment Group, Very Heavy), 17 March 1944 – 17 October 1945


Stations

* Wendover Field, Utah, 1 October 1943 – 3 April 1944 * RAF Halesworth (AAF-365),Station number in Anderson England, c. 1 May – November 1944 (Station 365) * Bradley Field, Connecticut 12 December 1944 * Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska, c. 17 December 1944 * Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas c. 18 February 1945 * Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona, 3 April 1945 *
Fairmont Army Air Field Fairmont State Airfield is three miles south of Fairmont, in Fillmore County, Nebraska. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a ''general aviation'' facility. It has no scheduled airline service. ...
, Nebraska c. 13 July 1945 *
Fort Lawton Fort Lawton was a United States Army Military base, post located in the Magnolia, Seattle, Washington, Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acre ...
, Washington 23 August 1945 *
March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 m ...
, California 2 September – 17 October 1945 * Dyess Air Force Base 17 October 2015 – present


Aircraft

* Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1944 * Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1945 * Rockwell B-1B Lancer, 2015–present


Campaigns


See also

*
B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces B- may refer to: *B-, a blood type *B- (grade), an academic grade *B − L In particle physics, ''B'' − ''L'' (pronounced "bee minus ell") is a quantum number which is the difference between the baryon number () and the lepton ...
* List of B-1 units of the United States Air Force *
List of B-29 Superfortress operators This is a list of Boeing B-29 Superfortress units consisting of nations, their air forces, and the unit assignments that used the B-29 during World War II, Korean War, and post war periods, including variants and other historical information Del ...
*
List of United States Air Force Groups This is a list of Groups in the United States Air Force that do not belong to a host wing. The last level of independent operation is the group level. When an organization is not part of the primary mission of the base it will be made an independ ...


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * *


Further reading

* * * Freeman, Roger A. (1978) ''Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now''. After the Battle * Freeman, Roger A. (2001) ''The Mighty Eighth: The Colour Record''. Cassell *


External links

* * (Repeats information in Maurer, ''Combat Units''. Illustrated by picture of B-24 in group markings.) * (Includes map showing location of RAF Halesworth) * * {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II Military units and formations in Texas Bombardment groups of the United States Air Force Military units and formations of the United States Air Force Reserves