World War Photos

B-24H serial 42-95020 “Lonesome Lois” code MK-X+ of the 701st BS 445th BG 13 July 1944

The 445th Bomb Group (Heavy):

Overview and Command Assignments

• Assigned to Eighth Air Force: November 1943 – May 1945
• Wing & Command Assignments:
  • VIII Bomber Command (BC), 2nd Bombardment Division (BD), 2nd Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): 4 November 1943
  • 2nd BD, 2nd CBW: 8 January 1944
  • 2nd Air Division (AD), 2nd CBW: 1 January 1945

Component Squadrons

• 700th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IS
• 701st Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code MK
• 702nd Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code WV
• 703rd Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code RN

Combat Aircraft

• B-24H, B-24J, B-24L, and B-24M Liberators

Station

• Tibenham, England: 4 November 1943 – 28 May 1945
  • (Air echelon in Tibenham from 17 November to 21 December 1943)

Group Commanding Officers (COs)

• Col. Robert H. Terrill: 1 April 1943 – 24 July 1944
• Col. William W. Jones: 25 July 1944 – 12 September 1945

Mission Details

• First Mission: 13 December 1943
• Last Mission: 25 April 1945
• Total Missions: 282
• Total Credit Sorties: 7,145
• Total Bomb Tonnage: 16,732 tons
• Aircraft MIA: 108
• Other Operational Losses: 25
• Enemy Aircraft Claims: 89 destroyed, 31 probably destroyed, 37 damaged

Major Awards

• Distinguished Unit Citation:
  • 24 February 1944: Gotha raid

Claims to Fame

• Highest Group Loss on a Single Mission: 27 September 1944, with 30 aircraft lost.
• Above 2nd Bombardment Division Average in bombing accuracy for the last six months of the war.

Early History

• Activated: 1 April 1943 at Gowen Field, Idaho, where initial training was conducted.
• Training Locations:
  • Wendover Army Air Base (AAB), Utah: Established from 8 June 1943.
  • Sioux City Army Base (AB), Iowa: Moved from 5-7 July 1943 to complete training.
• Deployment:
  • On 20 October 1943, the ground echelon moved to Camp Shanks, New York, and embarked on the Queen Mary on 26 October 1943, arriving in Clyde on 2 November 1943.
  • The air echelon departed Sioux City in late October 1943 and flew to the UK via the southern route (Florida, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and West Africa).

Subsequent History

• Redeployment to the USA: May/June 1945
  • The first aircraft left Tibenham on 17 May 1945 and departed the UK on 20 May 1945.
  • The ground echelon left Tibenham on 28 May 1945. The 703rd Bomb Squadron sailed on the USAT Argentine from Southampton, while the other squadrons sailed on the USAT Cristobal from Bristol. Both ships arrived in New York on 8 June 1945.
  • Personnel were granted 30 days of Rest & Recuperation (R&R). The group reassembled at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and was inactivated there on 12 September 1945.

Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes

B-24H/J/L/M Liberators (November 1943 – May 1945)

• Original Paint Scheme: Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray.
• Group Marking:
  • Circle F: Painted on the vertical tail as a 69-inch diameter white disc with a 36-inch high Insignia Blue letter “F.” This marking also appeared on the upper surface of the right wing in a similar size.
  • Radio call-letters were 24 inches high and painted in yellow below the repositioned tail number.
• Squadron Codes and Call Letters:
  • The 700th Bomb Squadron used letters A to M with a plus sign after the letter.
  • The 701st Bomb Squadron used letters N to Z with a plus sign after the letter.
  • The 702nd Bomb Squadron used letters N to Z without an adjacent sign.
  • The 703rd Bomb Squadron used letters A to M without an adjacent plus sign.
  • Additional aircraft in all squadrons were distinguished by bar signs above or below the call-letter, with the bar and the plus arms being approximately 12 inches long.
• Marking Changes in March 1944:
  • Squadron letters were painted on the rear fuselage aft of the waist gun positions on both sides of the aircraft in 48-inch high bluish-grey. The squadron codes used were:
    • 700th Bomb Squadron: IS
    • 701st Bomb Squadron: MK
    • 702nd Bomb Squadron: WV
    • 703rd Bomb Squadron: RN
  • The call-letter was also painted on the fuselage in yellow, mostly 36 inches high, though smaller sizes (down to 24 inches) were also used. The positioning was beside and aft of the squadron letters on the left side and close to and forward of the squadron letters on the right side.
• Natural Metal-Finish B-24Js (from April 1944):
  • All lettering except the fuselage call-letter was painted in black. The fuselage call-letter was yellow but occasionally black.
  • Circle F markings remained of the same size but were white on black for these aircraft.
  • In May 1944, high-visibility tail markings were introduced, requiring an all-black fin and rudder with a centered white horizontal stripe, 36 inches wide. On later replacements, the stripe was left unpainted. The call-letter was painted 24 inches high on the white stripe.
• Revised Marking System:
  • The 700th Bomb Squadron used letters A to Z with a plus sign, with the N to Z range also having a bar sign above or below the call-letter.
  • The 701st Bomb Squadron also used A to Z with a plus sign, with the A to M range carrying a bar above or below the letter.
  • The 702nd Bomb Squadron used A to Z, with the A to M range having a bar below or above, and the N to Z range having no adjacent signs.
  • The 703rd Bomb Squadron used A to M without signs and N to Z with a bar above or below the letter.
  • The 700th and 701st Bomb Squadrons only used the signs on the tails of their aircraft, while the other two squadrons repeated the sign adjacent to the fuselage call-letter.
  • This system, implemented by the 445th Bomb Group, was one of the most complicated in the 8th Air Force.
  • Between 17 October and 29 December 1944, the Pathfinder B-24s in each squadron were allocated call-letters at the beginning of the alphabet, A to F, and other aircraft with letters in this range were given different letters.

The 445th Bombardment Group (H) played a critical role in the strategic bombing efforts of World War II, despite suffering significant losses. With their distinctive aircraft markings and contribution to major air campaigns, including the Distinguished Unit Citation for the Gotha raid, the group remains a notable part of U.S. Air Force history. Their high loss rate on 27 September 1944, and their above-average bombing accuracy in the later stages of the war, highlight both the challenges and successes faced by the group during the conflict.