477th Sub-Depot
Group
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Eye
Military site : airfield
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Eye, home of the 490th Bomb Group, photographed from the air. Image via Mark Brown, AFA. Written on slide casing: 'Eye from air.'
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Bronze Star Letter for Master Sergeant Jay D Cowan
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Passed for Personal Use Only 17 April 1945
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"Bobby Sox" nose art by Master Sergeant Jay D Cowan named after his wife Barbara "Bobby."
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“T/Sgt. Koski of the 490th Bomb Group is presented the Distinguished Flying Cross during a ceremony at the 8th Air Force base in England on 21 October 1944.” (Official USAAF photo)
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Eye air base was not a Class A base but was constructed to a less demanding standard by the 827th and 859th Battalions of U.S. Army Engineers in 1943 and was finished in early 1944. Unusually, a group of its hardstandings were on the other side of the road that serviced the base and so local traffic had to be stopped whenever aircraft were moving to and from those hardstandings. The B-24 Liberators of the 490th Bomb Group, and then their B-17s had to be mindful, when approaching the NW-SE runway from the south, of the ancient church at Eye, which carried a red obstruction light. NOTE: sold 1962-63; returned to agriculture and new industrial estate and business park since 1960s; Bomb Group natural gas pumping Station 1970s-date; EPR world's 1st poultry-litter fuelled power generating plant 1992-date; PP natural gas fired power Station being planned 2014. Second World War aircraft: B-24 1943-44; B-17 1944-45.
Detailed history
Not yet known
English Heritage's record description
Not yet known
Service
Units
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490th Bomb Group
Group
The 490th Bomb Group, like the 486th and 487th Bomb Groups transitioned from flying B-24 Liberators to B-17 Flying Fortresses, which were used in combat missions from late August 1944. Based at Eye, Suffolk, the Group were focused in the early months... -
18th Weather Squadron
Squadron
Browse 18th Weather Squadron photographs and other documents in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library digital archive here: www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive/Dashboard/Index/60 -
329th Station Complement Squadron
Squadron
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848th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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849th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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851st Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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Headquarters (490th Bomb Group)
Headquarters
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1240th Quartermaster Company
Company
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1276th Military Police Company
Company
People
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Albert Ackerman
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 490th Bomb Group
Albert Ackerman Jr was the son of a lifelong Nebraska farmer and is listed as working as a 'laborer' at West Branch, Pawnee in the 1940 census. ... -
Clarence Adams
Military | 490th Bomb Group
Assigned to BG, 8AF USAAF. Awards: DFC, AM (2OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (2 x Battle stars). -
Foster Ailor
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Waist Gunner | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Bullard crew -
Robert Aley
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 490th Bomb Group
Assigned to 850BS, 490BG, 8AF USAAF. Davis crew. Local flights 18-Aug-44 in 43-38072; port U/C collapsed on third landing, RTD Awards: WWII Victory, EAME. -
Ralph Allen
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 490th Bomb Group
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Herbert Andrews
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Radar Operator | 490th Bomb Group
Herbert W. Andrews, of Mt. Olive, NC, arrived in Eye, England on June 5, 1944, and served as a radar operator in a B-17G of the 848th BS in the 490th BG. He received the Air Medal while taking part in the last 8th Air Force attacks on Nazi airfields... -
Stephen Andrews
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 490th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down at Fuerth in B-17 Bombo #4338128. Shot by German soldier while prisoner of war, upon order of commanding officer. US trial no. 12-1993. -
Lawrence Barnett
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret and Tail Gunner | 490th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) - DNB ... -
Robert Barraclough
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 490th Bomb Group
Assigned to 851BS, 490BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed 35 combat missions. ETD Awards: DFC, AM (5OLC), WWII Victory, American campaign, EAME (2 x battle stars). -
Thomas Barrineau
Military | 490th Bomb Group
Thomas and twin brother Murdock Barrineau lived in Waycross, Georgia with their parents and younger sister Stella. Both brothers attended the Waycross High School and after their graduation the family moved to Naples, Florida. Thomas and Murdock both...
Aircraft
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42-107102
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 21/2/44; Gr Island 3/3/44; Grenier 7/4/44; Assigned 338BS/96BG [BX-N] Snetterton 5/4/44; crash landed Eye A/fd with Gerald Bramer 18/1/45; Salvaged 20/1/45. -
42-38047 Fever Beaver
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 25/11/43; Kearney 6/12/43; Grenier 19/12/43; Presque Is 3/1/44; Assigned 351BS/100BG [EP-O] Thorpe Abbotts 9/1/44; 135m, transferred 490BG Eye 29/5/45; Returned to the USA 4185 BU Independence 21/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains,... -
42-40003 TOPPER/ Ol' Gappy
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 1/11/43; Denver 27/11/43; Presque Is 11/12/43; ... -
42-6151 Round Trip
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 6/8/43; Cheyenne 9/8/43; 424 Sub Gp Gr Island 3/9/43; Assigned 508BS/351BG [YB-M] Polebrook 24/9/43; 26m transferred 486BG Sudbury 17/7/44; 490BG Eye 8/44; 863BS/493BG Debach with Chas Gibson, damaged by fire 11/6/45; Salvaged .... -
42-98003
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Dallas 28/4/44; Kearney 6/6/44; Presque Is 28/6/44; Assigned 850BS/490BG Eye 29/6/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 9/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 11/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 28... -
42-98017 All Er' Nothin'
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Dallas 2/5/44; Kearney 16/6/44; Grenier 30/6/44; Assigned 849BS/490BG [W8-N] Eye 2/8/44; crash landed base with Eaden Whiteman 23/2/45 but repaired and back to operations; Returned to the USA Bradley 12/7/45; 4185 BU Independence 25/10/45;... -
43-37618
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 4/5/44; Kearney 17/6/44; Grenier 2/7/44; Assigned 848BS/490BG Eye 3/7/44; mid air coll with 42-38051 (490BG) on training mission 13/8/44 with John Ketas,Tail gunner: Ed Hosey (2RTD, both injured); Co-pilot: Dick Ransom, Navigator:... -
43-37776 Heavenly Body
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 20/5/44; Kearney 31/5/44; Grenier 7/6/44; Assigned 849BS/490BG Eye [W8- ] 11/6/44; on routine navigation night flight 27/9/44 with Mike Primus, Co-pilot: Louis Deputy, Navigator: Rich Herman, Bombardier: Bob Simmons, Flight engineer... -
43-37849
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 29/5/44; Hunter 7/6/44; Presque Is 28/6/44; Assigned 490BG Eye 29/6/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 10/7/45; 4185 BU Independence 11/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 21/12/45. -
43-37861
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 30/5/44; Hunter 10/6/44; Grenier 29/6/44; Assigned 490BG Eye 2/7/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 13/7/45; 4185 BU Independence 16/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 18/12/45.
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 20 September 2017 16:09:31 | Lucy May | Changes to person associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Connected up all of the aircraft record that have 'Eye 490BG' in their biography field. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 April 2015 22:50:44 | JMMortenson | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
Family photo collection. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:02:16 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Roger Freeman, Airfields of the Eighth Then And Now (London, 1978) |
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