B-17F 42-29524 RD-D “MEAT HOUND” of the 306th BG, 423rd BS 1943
The 306th Bomb Group (H) was one of the most notable heavy bomber groups of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. The group played a significant role in the strategic bombing campaign over Europe as part of the Eighth Air Force.
Overview and Assignments
- Assigned to Eighth Air Force: September 1942.
- Wing & Command Assignments:
- VIII Bomber Command (BC), 1st Bomb Wing (BW): September 1942.
- VIII BC, 1 BW, 101 Provisional Combat Bomb Wing (PCBW): February 1943.
- VIII BC, 1 BW, 102 PCBW: June 1943.
- VIII BC, 1 Bomb Division (BD), 40th Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): September 1943.
- 1 BD, 40 CBW: January 1944.
- 1 Air Division (AD), 40 CBW: January 1945.
Component Squadrons
- 367th Bombardment Squadron (H): GY code.
- 368th Bombardment Squadron (H): BO code.
- 369th Bombardment Squadron (H): WW code.
- 423rd Bombardment Squadron (H): RD code.
Combat Aircraft
- B-17F (from blocks 10-BO).
- B-17G.
Stations
- THURLEIGH: 7 September 1942 – 1-15 December 1945 (Air echelon arrived between 8-13 September 1942).
Group Commanders
- Col Charles B. Overacker: 16 March 1942 – 3 January 1943.
- Col Frank A. Armstrong Jr.: 4 January 1943 – 17 February 1943.
- Col Claude E. Putnam: 17 February 1943 – 20 June 1943.
- Col George L. Robinson: 20 June 1943 – 23 September 1944.
- Col James S. Sutton: 23 September 1944 – 16 April 1945.
- Col Hudson H. Upham: 16 April 1945 – May 1946.
Combat Record
- First Mission: 9 October 1942.
- Last Mission: 19 April 1945.
- Total Missions: 342.
- Total Credit Sorties: 9,614.
- Total Bomb Tonnage: 22,574.6 tons (including 248.9 tons of leaflets).
- Aircraft MIA: 171.
- Enemy Aircraft Claims: 332 destroyed, 97 probable, 185 damaged.
Major Awards
- Two Distinguished Unit Citations:
- 11 January 1944 (All 1 BD groups).
- 22 February 1944: Bernburg.
- Medal of Honor: Sgt. Maynard H. Smith on 1 May 1943.
Claims to Fame
- Oldest operational bomb group in the Eighth Air Force.
- Stationed in England and at one base (Thurleigh) longer than any other group.
- First man in VIII Bomber Command to complete a tour: T/Sgt. M. Roscovich on 5 April 1943.
- 367th Bomb Squadron suffered the heaviest losses in VIII Bomber Command between October 1942 and August 1943.
- 369th Bomb Squadron flew for over six months in 1943 without loss.
- Princess Elizabeth “named” a B-17 “Rose of York” at Thurleigh.
Early History
- Activated: 1 March 1942 at Salt Lake City Army Base, Utah.
- Training: Personnel moved to Wendover Army Base, Utah, on 6 April 1942 to begin flying training. Ground echelon moved to Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, on 1 August 1942, then to Fort Dix, NJ, on 13 August 1942. Sailed on the Queen Elizabeth on 30 August 1942, arriving at Greenock, Scotland, on 5 September 1942. Air echelon flew from Wendover to Westover Field, Massachusetts, on 2 August 1942, and departed for the UK on 1 September 1942 via the Gander-Prestwick ferry route.
Subsequent History
- Selected for duty with occupational air forces in Germany.
- Engaged in the “Casey Jones” mapping photography project.
- Moved to Giebelstadt, Germany, on 1 December 1945, and on 28 February 1946 to Istres, France, where it absorbed remnants of the 92nd and 384th Bomb Groups.
- Re-established in Germany at Furstenfeldbruck in August 1946, and in September 1946 located at Lechfeld.
- Inactivated: 25 December 1946, although the group had virtually ceased to exist as a flying unit by late summer of that year.
Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes
- B-17F/G Fortresses (September 1942 – December 1945):
- Original aircraft were in Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish with Medium Green blotching along the edges of flying surfaces.
- Squadron code letters were painted in a light blue-grey, 48 inches high, with the squadron combination forward of the cocarde and the individual aircraft letter aft.
- The Triangle H insignia was painted on the fin and upper surface of the right wing in late June 1943.
- By March 1944, natural metal-finish B-17Gs arrived, with the Triangle H in white on black, and no code letters.
- In August 1944, a 48-inch-wide yellow band was painted horizontally across the fin and rudder, approximately 20 inches below the fin tip, with the area above painted in the squadron color.
- Squadron colors: yellow (367th), white (368th), blue (369th), and green (423rd).