445th Bomb Group

Group
A pathfinder B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-51681) of the 453rd Bomb Group flies in formation with a fellow Liberator of the 453rd and and a pathfinder Liberator of the 445th Bomb Group. Image via Alan Rowsell. media-395486.jpg FRE 6666 A pathfinder B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-51681) of the 453rd Bomb Group flies in formation with a fellow Liberator of the 453rd and and a pathfinder Liberator of the 445th Bomb Group. Image via Alan Rowsell. Roger Freeman Collection

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection

Object Number - FRE 6666 - A pathfinder B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-51681) of the 453rd Bomb Group flies in formation with a fellow Liberator of the 453rd and and a...

The 445th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Tibenham, Norfolk. The crews' first mission was bombing U-boat installations at Kiel on 13 December 1943. The Group continued to hit strategic targets in Germany, including the aircraft components factory at Gotha on 24 February 1944, during USAAF's Big Week of raids against the German aircraft industry, which earned the Group a Distinguished Unit Citation. The Group was awarded the Croix de Guerre

with Palm by the French government for operations in the European theater from December 1943 to February 1945.

Browse 445th Bomb Group photographs and other documents in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library digital archive here: www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive/Dashboard/Index/41

Commanding Officers

Robert H Terrill

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group Headquarters (445th Bomb Group)
  • Service Numbers: O-18833
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant General

William W Jones

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Service Numbers: O-393142
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Group Operations Officer, later became Group Commanding Officer

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Unit stations

Station Location Date

Based

Tibenham 4 November 1943 - 28 May 1945

Encompassing

People

A J Allen

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group
  • Service Numbers: 15057140
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Alan M Baldwin

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group 703rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33673360
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: waist gunner

Adolph Banaszek

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Civilian
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group

Bass

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group Headquarters Squadron (445th Bomb Group)
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant

A C Beckham

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group 703rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 38221198
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Aircraft

41-28666

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Dixie DuDrop
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group 458th Bomb Group 703rd Bomb Squadron

41-28922

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Texas Rose
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group 701st Bomb Squadron 703rd Bomb Squadron

41-29117

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Lady Marie
  • Unit: 2nd Combat Bomb Wing 445th Bomb Group 702nd Bomb Squadron

41-29118

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Nine Yanks and a Jerk
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group 703rd Bomb Squadron

41-29123

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Big Joe, Bit XX Big Joe
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group 703rd Bomb Squadron

Mission

881

  • Date: 11 March 1945

590

  • Date: 30 August 1944

Revisions

Date9 Mar 2018 15:20:38
Contributor2nd Air Division Memorial Library
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

2nd Air Division Memorial Library

Date1 May 2016 01:00:20
ContributorB24Mike
ChangesChanges to citations, commanding officers associations and mission associations
Sources

NARA records of the 445th Unit Historian

Date25 Feb 2015 02:59:53
Contributorusafdo
ChangesChanges to mission associations
Sources

A.L. DESTRO II

Date25 Feb 2015 02:58:45
Contributorusafdo
ChangesChanges to mission associations
Sources

A.L. DESTRO II

Date25 Feb 2015 02:58:39
Contributorusafdo
ChangesChanges to mission associations
Sources

A.L. DESTRO II

Date25 Feb 2015 02:57:28
Contributorusafdo
ChangesChanges to mission associations and media associations
Sources

A.L. DESTRO II

Date27 Sep 2014 18:42:45
ContributorAAM
ChangesAAM 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)

445th Bomb Group: Gallery (234 items)