World War Photos

B-24H 42-51120 “OL’ BUDDY” of the 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron

489th Bomb Group (Heavy)

Overview and Command Assignments

• Assigned to Eighth Air Force: April 1944 – 29 November 1944
• Wing & Command Assignments:
  • 2nd Bombardment Division (BD), 95th Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): c. 5 May 1944
  • 2nd BD, 20th Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): 14 August 1944

Component Squadrons

• 844th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 845th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 846th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 847th Bombardment Squadron (H)

Combat Aircraft

• B-24H Liberator: From block 15-FO
• B-24J Liberator

Station

• Halesworth, England: c. 1 May 1944 – c. 29 November 1944

Group Commanding Officer (CO)

• Col Ezekiel W. Napier: 20 October 1943 – c. 29 November 1944

Mission Details

• First Mission: 30 May 1944
• Last Mission: 10 November 1944
• Total Missions: 106
• Total Credit Sorties: 2,998
• Total Bomb Tonnage: 6,951 tons
• Aircraft Missing in Action (MIA): 29
• Other Operational Losses: 12
• Enemy Aircraft Claims: 1 destroyed, 0 probably destroyed, 0 damaged

Major Awards

• Medal of Honor: Awarded to Lt Col Leon R. Vance for action on 5 June 1944. This was the only Medal of Honor awarded to a B-24 crewman for an action flown from the United Kingdom.

Claims to Fame

• First Eighth Air Force Group Redeployed to the USA: The 489th was the first group to return to the U.S. after its service in Europe.

History

• Activated: 1 October 1943 at Wendover Field, Utah.
• Training:
  • The group completed its formation and training at Wendover Field, Utah, with some specialized detachments.
  • The group left Wendover on 3 April 1944. The air echelon flew to the UK via the southern ferry route, while the ground echelon sailed from Boston on the USS Wakefield on 13 April 1944.

• Redeployment:
  • Selected for redeployment to the Pacific Theater, the group became non-operational on 14 November 1944.
  • The 489th was relieved of its assignment on 29 November 1944 and returned to the USA.
  • Aircraft and a significant proportion of personnel were reassigned to depots or other units in the UK.
  • The group was reestablished at Bradley Field, Connecticut, on 12 December 1944, and shortly thereafter transferred to Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, to train as a B-29 unit.
  • The group was equipped with B-29 Superfortresses at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas, from March 1945.
  • The group was alerted for movement to the Eighth Air Force in the Pacific in the late summer of 1945. However, with the termination of hostilities, the group remained in the USA and was inactivated on 17 October 1945 at March Field, California.

Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes

B-24 Liberators (April – November 1944)

• Original Paint Scheme:

  • Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish.
  • Circle W Group Marking:
    • Initially applied to the vertical tail, but this was discontinued in late April 1944 as new tail markings were issued.
    • Upper Surface of Right Wing: The Circle W was applied, consisting of a 78-84 inch white disc with a 48-inch black “W” in the center.

• New Tail Markings:

  • Issued at the beginning of May 1944.
  • Outward-Facing Sides of the Fin and Rudder: Painted overall light grass green with a 30-inch wide vertical white stripe placed centrally.
  • Individual Aircraft Call-Letter: 24 inches high, painted in black on the white stripe, together with an identifying squadron symbol:
    • 844th Bomb Squadron: No symbol used.
    • 845th Bomb Squadron: A bar below the letter.
    • 846th Bomb Squadron: A plus sign before the letter.
    • 847th Bomb Squadron: A bar sign after the letter.
    • The letter “I” was not used as a call-letter, and only one example of “E” is known (in the 846th Bomb Squadron).

• Squadron Codes:

  • Painted on the rear fuselage aft of the waist gun positions in light grey:
    • 844th Bomb Squadron: 4R
    • 845th Bomb Squadron: T4
    • 846th Bomb Squadron: 8R
    • 847th Bomb Squadron: S4
  • B-24s in natural metal finish were received as replacements, and on these, the squadron codes and call-letters were in black. The Circle W wing device was white on black.

• Changes in August 1944:

  • With the disbanding of the 95th Combat Bomb Wing and the transfer of the 489th Bomb Group to the 20th Combat Bomb Wing, the green tail markings were replaced by all-yellow fins and rudders.
  • The call-letter was reinstated in black in approximately the same position on the fin as it had previously occupied.