World War Photos

B-17F-115 of the 305th Bomb Group, 366th Bomb Squadron. 42-30647, code KY+H “POLLY ANN” 1943

The 305th Bomb Group (H), nicknamed “Can Do”, was a distinguished B-17 Flying Fortress unit of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Below is a comprehensive overview of the unit’s operations, structure, and aircraft markings:

Unit Overview:

• Assigned to Eighth Air Force: September 1942.
• Primary Combat Aircraft: B-17F (from blocks 25-BO); B-17G.
• Stations:
  • Grafton Underwood: 12 September 1942 – 11 December 1942 (Air echelon in by 27 October 1942).
  • Chelveston: 6 December 1942 – 25 July 1945.

Wing & Command Assignments:

• September 1942: VIII Bomber Command (BC), 1st Bomb Wing (BW).
• February 1943: VIII BC, 1 BW, 102nd Provisional Combat Bomb Wing (PCBW).
• 13 September 1943: VIII BC, 1st Bomb Division (BD), 40th Combat Bomb Wing (CBW).
• 8 January 1944: 1 BD, 40th CBW.
• 1 January 1945: 1st Air Division (AD), 40th CBW.

Component Squadrons:

• 364th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 365th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 366th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 422nd Bombardment Squadron (H)

Group Commanding Officers:

• Col. Curtis E. LeMay: 4 June 1942 – 15 May 1943.
• Lt. Col. Donald K. Fargo: 18 May 1943 – Late October 1943.
• Col. Ernest H. Lawson: November 1943 – 18 June 1944 (Killed in Action).
• Col. Anthony Q. Mustoe: 22 June 1944 – 22 October 1944.
• Col. Henry G. MacDonald: 23 October 1944 – 22 April 1946.

Combat Record:

• First Mission: 17 November 1942.
• Last Mission: 25 April 1945.
• Total Missions: 337.
• Total Credit Sorties: 9,231.
• Total Bomb Tonnage: 22,362.5 tons (including 73 tons of leaflets).
• Aircraft Missing in Action (MIA): 154.
• Enemy Aircraft Claims: 332 destroyed, 97 probable, 185 damaged.

Major Awards:

• Two Distinguished Unit Citations:
  • 11 January 1944 (All 1st Bomb Division groups).
  • 4 April 1943: Paris.
• Medal of Honor Recipients:
  • 1/Lt William R. Lawley Jr. (20 February 1944).
  • 1/Lt Edward S. Michael (11 April 1944).

Claims to Fame:

• Formation & Bombing Procedures: Under Col. Curtis E. LeMay, the group pioneered many formation and bombing procedures that became Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in the 8th Air Force.
• First Night Attacks: The 422nd Bomb Squadron undertook the first night attacks by the 8th Air Force.
• Schweinfurt Mission: Suffered the heaviest loss during the 14 October 1943 Schweinfurt mission. Due to this, the group was awarded the Nazi flag found flying in the city when it was captured by US troops.

Aircraft Markings:

• B-17F/G Fortresses (September 1942 – July 1945):
  • Factory Finish: Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray, with Medium Green blotching applied to the edges of the flying surfaces in the UK. Some aircraft were painted with large patches of Medium Green on the fuselage and wings.
  • Squadron Codes & Aircraft Call Letters (December 1942): Painted in light blue-grey, 48 inches high, with the squadron combination forward of the cocarde and the call letter aft.
    • 364th Bomb Squadron: WF.
    • 365th Bomb Squadron: XK.
    • 366th Bomb Squadron: KY.
    • 422nd Bomb Squadron: JJ.
  • Call Letters: Initially, the 364th and 366th used letters A to M (excluding I), and the 364th also omitted C. The 365th and 422nd used letters O to W. In August 1943, the 365th and 422nd Bomb Squadrons changed their call letters to the first part of the alphabet. Eventually, all squadrons used the full alphabet, excluding I.
  • Triangle G Marking (June 1943):
    • The Triangle G insignia was painted on the fin and the upper surface of the right wing. The fin device was a white equilateral triangle with 72-inch sides, and the letter “G” in Insignia Blue was 36 inches high. Yellow call letters below the tail number were initially 28 inches high, later reduced to 24 inches. The Group marking on the wing had 96-inch-sided triangles.
  • AN-I-9a National Insignia (July 1943): Repainting of this insignia was not completed on all aircraft until November 1943. As this marking was repainted, squadron codes were repositioned further forward, often extending onto the wing fillet.
  • Natural Metal-Finish B-17Gs (March 1944):
    • The code letters were painted in black, and the Triangle G was white on black.
  • High-Visibility Markings (Winter 1943/44):
    • Code letters were painted in white on replacement aircraft for better visibility. Both fuselage codes and tail markings were generally uniform in size throughout the group’s operational service.
  • Additional Recognition Marking (August 1944):
    • The group added a light green stripe, 48 inches wide, across the fin and rudder. The base of the stripe was level with the Triangle G, which was not obscured.

Special Operations & Squadrons:

• 422nd Bomb Squadron Night Operations (September 1943):
  • The 422nd Bomb Squadron was assigned to night operations, with its B-17s having the grey undersurfaces painted with non-gloss black. In March 1944, the 422nd was assigned as a Pathfinder unit for the 1st Bomb Division. These special H2X B-17Gs carried normal 422nd codes, but the fin and wing triangles were without the letter G. The Pathfinder aircraft and crews were later split between all squadrons, and the 422nd was re-formed as a normal day bombing unit in late June 1944. The night leaflet operations section was transferred and given another designation, though the B-17s continued to display the JJ codes of the 422nd, despite the removal of the Triangle G.

Early History:

• Activation: 1 March 1942 at Salt Lake City Army Base, Utah.
• Training Locations:
  • Geiger Field, Washington: From 11 June 1942.
  • Muroc Lake Army Base, California: Intensive training from 29 June to 20 August 1942.
• Overseas Movement:
  • Ground Echelon: Traveled by train to Fort Dix, NJ, and sailed on the Queen Mary on 5 September 1942, disembarking at Greenock on 12 September 1942.
  • Air Echelon: Assembled at Syracuse, NY, for six weeks of advanced flight training, receiving new B-17Fs and flying to the UK in October 1942 via Presque Isle and Gander to Prestwick.

Subsequent History:

• Post-War Assignment: Between 20-27 July 1945, the group moved to St. Trond, Belgium, conducting photo-mapping flights (Project “Casey Jones”) over Europe and North Africa. On 15 December 1945, the group moved to Lechfeld, Germany, which it had bombed on 18 March 1944, to continue photographic work. The group gradually ceased operations during 1946, with the inactivation of the 364th Bomb Squadron on 1 July 1946. The 423rd Bomb Squadron of the 306th Bomb Group was attached to the 305th after this date, but by the end of October 1946, the group had ceased all operations. It was officially inactivated on 25 December 1946. During its time on the continent, the group came under the 9th Air Force and, on 15 November 1945, under United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).