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486th Bomb Group

Group

  • A B-17 Flying Fortress, fitted with a chin turret, of the 486th Bomb Group. Image via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'B-17 G 486th B Group, Station 173 Sudbury.'

    A B-17 Flying Fortress, fitted with a chin turret, of the 486th Bomb Group. Image via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'B-17 G 486th B Group, Station 173 Sudbury.'

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  • Major WD Howard, Squadron Commander of the 834th Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group reaches into the ball turret on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Image via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten caption on reverse: '

    Major WD Howard, Squadron Commander of the 834th Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group reaches into the ball turret on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Image via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten caption on reverse: '"Hunts Ball Room" B-17G 834 Sq 486 BG. Sq Co Maj WD Howard (with hand in turret). Air Force Photo.'

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  • Officers of the 486th Bomb Group at Waldingfield. Image via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Officers of 486th B Gp. Taken at Waldingfield, mid 1944. Col Overing, Group Co middle of front row.'

    Officers of the 486th Bomb Group at Waldingfield. Image via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Officers of 486th B Gp. Taken at Waldingfield, mid 1944. Col Overing, Group Co middle of front row.'

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  • The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-29605) nicknamed

    The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-29605) nicknamed "Leo ?" of the 486th Bomb Group. The nose art was painted by the artist Phillip S Brinkman.

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  • Second Lieutenant Edward St Clair of the 486th Bomb Group leans out of the window of his B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 43-37998) nicknamed

    Second Lieutenant Edward St Clair of the 486th Bomb Group leans out of the window of his B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 43-37998) nicknamed "The Roanoke Magician". Image via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten on image: '23914 #7998. 486th BG, 835 Bs.' Handwritten caption on reverse: '2nd Lt Edward St Clair, 835th Sqd Pilot. 486 B Group Sudbury.'

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  • A crashed B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 43-37899) nicknamed

    A crashed B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 43-37899) nicknamed "Rack and Ruin" of the 486th Bomb Group. Official caption printed on image: '(GAD-78-2-486)(6-2-45)(43-37899) Crash Landing. 60441 AC.'

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  • The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-52532) nicknamed

    The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-52532) nicknamed "Virgo ?" of the 486th Bomb Group. The nose art was painted by the artist Phillip S. Brinkman.

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  • The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-29490) nicknamed

    The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-29490) nicknamed "Gemini ?" of the 486th Bomb Group. The nose art was painted by artist Phillip S. Brinkman. Image via John Bode. Bode has handwritten of front of image: 'B-24H, 1944. What Gp? 486 Squad. Sudbury.' Bode has handwritten on the reverse: 'Wasn't there a whole squadron (?) with the names of the Zodiac? John Bode.'

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  • A bomber crew of the 486th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 44-8657) nicknamed

    A bomber crew of the 486th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 44-8657) nicknamed "Lush Thrush". Handwritten caption on reverse: '651 PT of 833rd BS, 486th BG.' Printed caption on reverse: '657 PT of the 833rd BS, 486th BG, 4th CBW, 3rd AD, 8th AF on the hardstand at Sudbury/ Suffolk, early 1945. Standing were: Sgt CJ Wilson, Jr (waist gunner), Capt RH Hodges (pilot), L/Lt Wm Blackburn (DRN), L/Lt Walter C Gibson (co-pilot), L/Lt Annex (visiting DRN), Capt swift (check pilot). Kneeling: L/Lt Chas Seibel (bombardier), Sgt Jas Ormond (radio Opr), S/Sgt Gardner Beaman (flt engr & top turret gunner, L/Lt CP Grant (PPN). Missing: Sgt Wm Hare (waist gunner), Sgt Frank Somsen (ball turret gunner), who had been reassigned to another crew because 657 PT was H2)(-equipped and the radar antenna had replaced the Sperry ball turret.'

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  • Lieutenant Duenhauer and his crew of the 486th Bomb Group underneath the nose of their B-17 Flying Fortress. Imgae via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Lt Duenhauer & crew. 486th BG. Air Force Photo.'

    Lieutenant Duenhauer and his crew of the 486th Bomb Group underneath the nose of their B-17 Flying Fortress. Imgae via Roland A Andrews. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Lt Duenhauer & crew. 486th BG. Air Force Photo.'

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The 486th Bomb Group flew both B-24s and B-17s, swapping from the former aircraft to the latter in late July 1944 after 49 missions. In total the Group flew 292 missions during the war and remarkably the 834th Bomb Squadron lost no aircraft or personnel on its first 100 missions. The Group bombed strategic sites in Germany and in northern France before D-Day, and after 6 June 1944, the Group undertook a greater number of missions in direct support of ground forces in France, Holland and on the Rhine.

Structure

Part of
Encompassing
Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Missions

  • 412

    14 June 1944
    Mission #10. Bombed an airfield south of Brussels. Bob Martin flew in place of Hussong.

  • 412

    14 June 1944
    Mission #10. Bombed an airfield south of Brussels. Bob Martin flew in place of Hussong.

  • 426

    20 June 1944

  • 8th Air Force 554

    15 August 1944
    Airfields in NW Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are the primary targets for this mission. 8th Air Force despatches a total of 932 aircraft. The raid is coordinated with 1,000 Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bombers and Mosquitos attacking 9 airfields...

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Sudbury (Acton) March 1944 – 25 August 1945

Connections

People

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Aircraft

  • 41-28745

    B-24 Liberator
    Assigned to 486BG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 733BS, 453BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Brunswick. Shot down flak went down 2km west of Salzdahlum, four chutes seen, one on fire 8-May-44. 3 x POW, 7 x KIA. MACR 4590.

  • 42-50345

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-52758

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-52764 'Mike' ' Spirit of LSU'

    B-24 Liberator
    Assigned to 832nd Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group, 8th AF USAAF. Named after LSU's mascot Mike the Tiger, as its regular pilot Lt Alfred Sanders was a former track star at the Louisiana State University. Failed to Return (FTR) raid to Luztkendorf,...

  • 42-98007 Sleepy Time Gal

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Dallas 30/4/44; Kearney 15/6/44; Dow Fd 30/6/44; Assigned 833BS/486BG [4N-E/D] Sudbury 4/7/44; on return from mission 10/11/44 with Henry Rapp, Bill O’Leary, Delmar Claussen, Bob Farver, Frank Eisenberg, Bernie Miller, Ed Schoonover, Dave...

  • 42-98008 American Beauty

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Dallas 30/4/44; Kearney 14/6/44; Presque Is 5/7/44; Assigned PFF 834BS/486BG [2S-G] Sudbury 7/7/44; 61m transferred 92BG Podington 7/7/45; Returned to the USA Bradley 8/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 11/7/45; Reconstruction Finance...

  • 43-27727

    B-25 Mitchell
    Assigned to 486BS, 340BG, 12AF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Laguno, Italy. Hit by flak, crew baled out. 2 x EVD, 4 x POW. MACR 5453. ...

  • 43-27783

    B-25 Mitchell
    Assigned to 340BS, 486BG, 12AF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Avignon. Hot by flak in wing midway between engine nacelle and fuselage, instantantly on fire, went into spin, wing detached, no chutes seen. 6 x KIA. 15-Aug-44. MACR 7685. ...

  • 43-37646

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 8/5/44; Kearney 29/5/44; Presque Is 28/6/44; Assigned 833BS/486BG [H8-A] Sudbury 29/6/44; {23m} Missing in Action Osnabruck 21/11/44 with Howard Glashoff (Killed in Action); Lester Keson, Harry Lovely, Tom Mahon, Cecil Rasco, John...

  • 43-37820

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 26/5/44; Kearney 7/6/44; Grenier 17/6/44; Assigned 832BS/486BG [4N-A] Sudbury 28/6/44; 833BS [3R-T]; [75m} Missing in Action Brandenburg 10/4/45 with Melvin Thaler, Carl Oestreich, Don Wheeler, Art Greenfield {togg), Neal Fielder,...

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Citations

None

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Bombardment
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Photo shows a B-17 with Square O marking abandoned when the Group changed to Square W.
Aircraft used
  • B-17 Flying Fortress
  • B-24 Liberator

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
29 June 2017 05:34:29 PaulN Changes to insignia
Sources

Freeman Collection photo/s and various publications. Importance is that the photo of a Square O B-17 is rare and illustrates that the Group, even for a short time retained the B-24 tail marking.
Date Contributor Update
13 March 2015 15:22:55 rossingtonj Changes to type and mission associations
Sources

Type added.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:46 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / The Mighty Eighth. A History of the Units, Men and Machines of the US 8th Air Force.' by Roger A. Freeman (1989). 'Air Force Combat Units of World War II' compiled by the Department of the US Air Force, edited by Maurice Maurer (1983). / 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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