100th Bomb Group

Group
Three airmen of the 100th Bomb Group, Lieutenant Kenneth Menzie, Lieutenant Donald Strout and Lieutenant Norman Scott, plan the route they will take during the next mission in their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30380). Image stamped on reverse: 'Reviewed and passed U.S. Army 23 Aug 1943 Press Censor E.T.O. U.S.A.' [stamp]'. Passed for publication 23 August 1943 INTLD 16 General Section Press Censorship Bureau '[stamp], 'Associated Press' [stamp] and '280035.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reve media-378743.jpg FRE 895 Three airmen of the 100th Bomb Group, Lieutenant Kenneth Menzie, Lieutenant Donald Strout and Lieutenant Norman Scott, plan the route they will take during the next mission in their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30380).

Image stamped on reverse: 'Reviewed and passed U.S. Army 23 Aug 1943 Press Censor E.T.O. U.S.A.' [stamp]'. Passed for publication 23 August 1943 INTLD 16 General Section Press Censorship Bureau '[stamp], 'Associated Press' [stamp] and '280035.' [Censor no.]

Printed caption on reverse: 'Men who made shuttle-bombing raid on Regensburg. Associated Press Photo shows, left to right Lt Kenneth I Menzie of Winfield ,Kansas; Lt Donald l Strout,of Boston Mass., and Lt Norman H Scott of Los Angeles, looking over the route which they took when flying.' Roger Freeman Collection

Added connections from information in caption.

Object Number - FRE 895 - Three airmen of the 100th Bomb Group, Lieutenant Kenneth Menzie, Lieutenant Donald Strout and Lieutenant Norman Scott, plan the route they will take...

"The Bloody Hundredth", so-called because of a reputation for losing a high number aircraft and crews, flew B-17s from Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk between June 1943 and May 1945. Their losses were not the highest of any Eighth Air Force Group but on several occasions the Group lost many aircraft during a single mission. 

Both Distinguished Unit Citations awarded to the Group were awarded for missions when the Group, as well as successfully bombing the target, also lost a high number of crews. In the case of the mission to Regensburg on 17 August 1943 the Group lost nine bombers, twelve on a mission to Munster on 10 October 1943, and on a mission to Berlin in early March 1944, the Group lost fifteen bombers. The Group also received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for attacking heavily defended installations in Germany and for dropping supplies to French Forces of the Interior between June and December 1944.

The experiences of the 100th Bomb Group will be featured in Apple's upcoming mini-series Masters of the Air (2024)

Commanding Officers

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 449th Bomb Group 418th Bomb Squadron 717th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-016639
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Commanding Officer, Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group Headquarters (100th Bomb Group)
  • Service Numbers: O-21633
  • Highest Rank: Brigadier General
  • Role/Job: Pilot / Commanding Officer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 95th Bomb Group
  • Highest Rank: General
  • Role/Job: Pilot / Commanding Officer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 1st Bomb Division
  • Service Numbers: O-15721
  • Highest Rank: Major General
  • Role/Job: Commanding General
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: Headquarters (100th Bomb Group)
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-17318
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Pilot / Commanding Officer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group
  • Service Numbers: O-16930
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Commanding Officer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group
  • Highest Rank: Major General
  • Role/Job: Commanding Officer

Connections

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Unit stations

Station Location Date

Based

2 June 1943 - 8 June 1943

Based

9 June 1943 - 11 December 1945

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 838th Air Engineering Squadron 456th Sub-Depot
  • Highest Rank: Master Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Instrument Shop
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 351st Bomb Squadron 389th Bomb Group
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 216th Finance Section
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Payroll
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 418th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 351st Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 351st Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: The Upstairs Maid
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 303rd Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron 360th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 349th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Damifino aka The WAAC Hunter
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 349th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Horny aka Forever Yours II
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 349th Bomb Squadron

Revisions

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ContributorHattie
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Contributoracbernstein1
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Contributoracbernstein1
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AAMB

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ContributorEmily
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People associations have become detached from this record.
Associated people with '100th Bomb Group' in their biographies

Date
ContributorEmily
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AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II

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ContributorLucy May
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ContributorJameswbrice
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James W Brice

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ContributorJameswbrice
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James W Brice, son of
MAJ William R Brice, Bombardier
418th Bombardment Squadron
100th Bomb Group
13th Combat Bombardment Wing
3rd Air Division

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Contributorsimaguire
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Eighth Air Force: The American Bomber Crews in Britain. Donald L. Miller.

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Contributormpfaley
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Michael P. Faley

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ContributorAAM
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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)

100th Bomb Group: Gallery (375 items)