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4th Combat Bomb Wing

Wing

US Air Force Combat Units of World War II Description

Constituted as 4th Bombardment Wing on 19 Oct 1940. Activated on 18 Dec 1940. Inactivated on 1 Oct 1941. Activated on 7 Jun 1942... Redesignated 4th Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) in Aug 1943... Began combat in May 1943 and received a DUC for a mission on 17 Aug 1943 when the wing attacked an aircraft factory at Regensburg. Brig Gen Frederick W Castle, wing commander, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for action on 24 Dec 1944 when he kept a burning B-17 from crashing until other members of the crew had parachuted to safety. The wing remained in combat until Apr 1945. Disbanded in England on 18 Jun 1945.

Commanding officers

  • Charles Dougher

    Military | Major General | Commander | 94th Bomb Group
    Colonel Charles B Daugher was the commander of the 94th BG from 17 April 1944 thru 15 March 1945. He retired as a Major General

  • Curtis LeMay

    Military | General | Commanding General | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    306th Temporary Deputy Commander at Wendover, then transferred as Group Commander of 305th BG 4-Jun-42 to 15-May-43. ...

  • Frederick Castle

    Military | Brigadier General | Commanding Officer; Air Leader, Pilot | 487th Bomb Group
    Commanding Officer of 94th Bomb Group at Bury St. Edmunds from 19-Jun-43 to 16-Apr-44. Overseas with General Eaker's staff to organize 8th AF, February 1942. ...

  • Robert Burns

    Military | Major General | Group Air Executive | 351st Bomb Group
    Pilot. Assigned to 351BG, 8AF USAAF. 25 x missions. Awards: SS, DFC (OLC)/ AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (2 x battle stars), American Campaign Medal, DUC.

  • Russell Wilson

    Military | Brigadier General | Command Pilot; Pilot | 482nd Bomb Group
    Shot down by heavy flak just prior to the target of Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-3491 'Chopstick-G George'. Killed in Action (KIA). Mentioned in 'The Mighty Eighth' by Roger Freeman. 1928 graduate of West Point. 1930 graduate of...

Structure

Part of
  • 3rd Air Division

    3rd Air Division

    Division
    In December 1944, the 3rd Bomb Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.

  • 3rd Bomb Division

    3rd Bomb Division

    Division
    The 3rd Bomb Division was Constituted in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.

Encompassing
  • 385th Bomb Group

    385th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Col. Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9...

  • 388th Bomb Group

    388th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...

  • 390th Bomb Group

    390th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 390th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Framlingham, Suffolk, between July 1943 and the end of the war in Europe. The Group was engaged in strategic missions until the invasion of Europe when its role became more of a tactical one. This...

  • 447th Bomb Group

    447th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...

  • 94th Bomb Group

    94th Bomb Group

    Group
    Activated 15 June 1942 at MacDill Field, Florida. Initial organization and training at Pendleton Field, Oregon on 29 June 1942; Primary flight training at Davis-Monthan Field in Arizona from 28 Aug. 42 to 31 Oct. 42; then at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas...

  • 95th Bomb Group

    95th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 95th Bomb Group was the only Eighth Air Force Group to be awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, shared by all four Bomb Wing Groups, was for the bombing of an aircraft factory under intense enemy fire at Regensburg on 17 August...

  • 96th Bomb Group

    96th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945. ...

  • 31st Station Complement Squadron

    31st Station Complement Squadron

    Squadron

  • 57th Station Complement Squadron

    57th Station Complement Squadron

    Squadron

  • 6th Station Complement Squadron

    6th Station Complement Squadron

    Squadron

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Previously was
Became
Not yet known

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Elveden Hall August 1943 – September 1943
Redesignated August 1943
Based Bury St Edmunds 13 September 1943 – 18 June 1945

Connections

People

  • Ralph Bowman

    Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot-1055 single engine | 20th Fighter Group
    Flight leader 55th FS July 17, 1944 - Jan 13, 1945 296 combat hours 1 ME-109 destroyed air + 1 DO-24 destroyed water + 1 DO-24 damaged water Transferred to 4th Combat Bomb Wing at completion of tour. KIFA Beach C-45 s/n 44-87129 April 5, 1951

  • Robert Burns

    Military | Lieutenant General | Commanding Officer
    AM/ LOM

  • Frederick Castle

    Military | Brigadier General | Commanding Officer; Air Leader, Pilot | 487th Bomb Group
    Commanding Officer of 94th Bomb Group at Bury St. Edmunds from 19-Jun-43 to 16-Apr-44. Overseas with General Eaker's staff to organize 8th AF, February 1942. ...

  • Jefferson Dickson

    Military | Captain | Photographer | 94th Bomb Group
    Collided with E/A 14 July 1943 in B-17 #423331 'Salty's Naturals. ' Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Merle Green

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 94th Bomb Group
    Enlisted Sept. 9th, 1942. Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down at Gelnhausen on 9/11/44 in B-17 Green Hornets #4231653 POW

  • Walter Scott

    Military | Private
    Died on 19 Feb 1944. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Russell Wilson

    Military | Brigadier General | Command Pilot; Pilot | 482nd Bomb Group
    Shot down by heavy flak just prior to the target of Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-3491 'Chopstick-G George'. Killed in Action (KIA). Mentioned in 'The Mighty Eighth' by Roger Freeman. 1928 graduate of West Point. 1930 graduate of...

Aircraft

  • 42-102380 Renovation

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Assigned: 12 April 1944 - 8th AF / 3rd AD / 4th CBW / 94th BG / 331st BS - (RAF Bury St Edmunds) ...

Citations

None

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Combat organisation
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
04 September 2019 15:11:04 Emily Changes to type, us air force combat units of world war ii description, unit previously was association, commanding officers associations and stations
Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II
Date Contributor Update
06 January 2016 15:22:12 general ira snapsorter Changes to unit part of associations and unit encompassing associations
Sources

Merged with "4th Combat Bombardment Wing" entry to include information from Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:44 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)

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