B-26B Marauder over Amsterdam Holland 1943 386th Bomb Group 552nd Bomb Squadron
386th Bomb Group
Overview:
- Assigned to Eighth Air Force (8th AF): June 4, 1943 – October 15, 1943
- Primary Aircraft: B-26B and B-26C Marauders.
- Component Squadrons: 552nd, 553rd, 554th, and 555th Bombardment Squadrons (M).
Wing & Command Assignments:
- VIII Bomber Command (BC), 3rd Bombardment Wing (BW): June 4, 1943
- VIII Air Support Command (ASC), 3rd BW: June 15, 1943
Stations:
- Snetterton Heath: June 3, 1943 – June 10, 1943
- Boxted: June 10, 1943 – September 24, 1943
- Great Dunmow: September 24, 1943 – October 2, 1944
Group Commanding Officer:
- Col. Lester J. Maitland: December 1, 1942 – November 18, 1943
Combat Record:
- First Mission: July 30, 1943
- Last Mission: October 8, 1943
- Total Missions: 30
- Aircraft MIA (Missing in Action): 6
- Enemy Aircraft Claims: 9 destroyed, 11 probable
Major Awards:
- Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC): For operations from July 30, 1943 – July 30, 1944.
Claims to Fame:
- Developed the formation release procedure for B-26 Marauders.
Early History:
- Activated: December 1, 1942, at MacDill Field, Florida, and trained there under the 3rd Air Force.
- Additional training at Lake Charles Army Air Base, Louisiana (February 9, 1943 – May 8, 1943).
- Ground Echelon: Sailed on the Queen Elizabeth on May 27, 1943, and disembarked at Gourock, Scotland, on June 2, 1943.
- Air Echelon: Flew via southern and northern ferry routes.
Subsequent History:
- Transfer to 9th Air Force (9AF): October 16, 1943.
- Later Deployments: Moved to Beaumont-Sur-Oise, France, in October 1944, and to St. Trond, Belgium, in April 1945.
- Return to the USA: July 1945, and inactivated on November 7, 1945.
- The group converted to A-26 Invaders shortly before the end of hostilities.
Aircraft Markings and Identification:
- B-26B/C Marauders (June-October 1943):
- The aircraft were originally delivered in Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finishes.
- Squadron Codes:
- 552nd Bomb Squadron: “RG”
- 553rd Bomb Squadron: “AN”
- 554th Bomb Squadron: “RU”
- 555th Bomb Squadron: “YA”
- Insignia and Markings:
- The old cocarde (roundel) was painted out, and the new AN-I-9a national insignia was painted on approximately 40 inches further forward to allow the aircraft call letter to be positioned nearly clear of the tailplane.
- The letters were 40 inches high and painted in a light blue-grey color.
- On the original combat aircraft:
- The 552nd and 554th Bomb Squadrons used letters “A” to “S,” excluding “E” and “I”
- The 553rd and 555th Bomb Squadrons used letters from “Z” to “K” in reverse alphabetical order.