World War Photos

B-26C 41-34683 PN-V of the 322nd BG, 449th Bomb Squadron Mission St. Omer fort Rouge, 9 August 1943

The 322nd Bomb Group before its reassignment to the 9th Air Force.

Overview and Assignments

• Assigned to Eighth Air Force: 12 December 1942 – 16 October 1943.
• Wing & Command Assignments:
  • VIII Bomber Command (BC), 3rd Bomb Wing (BW): December 1942.
  • VIII Air Support Command (ASC), 3rd Bomb Wing: 12 June 1943.

Component Squadrons

• 449th Bombardment Squadron (Medium): Squadron code PN.
• 450th Bombardment Squadron (Medium): Squadron code ER.
• 451st Bombardment Squadron (Medium): Squadron code SS.
• 452nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium): Squadron code DR.

Combat Aircraft

• B-26B Marauder: Operated by the 450th and 452nd Bombardment Squadrons, initially from blocks 4, and later from blocks 10 and 15.
• B-26C Marauder: Operated by the 449th and 451st Bombardment Squadrons, primarily from block 5.

Stations

• Bury St Edmunds: 1 December 1942 – 12 June 1943 (Air echelon arrived from 7 March 1943).
• Rattlesden: December 1942 – April 1943 (451st and 452nd Bombardment Squadrons’ ground echelon only).
• Andrews Field: 12 June 1943 – 19 September 1944.

Group Commanding Officers

• Lt Col Robert M. Stillman: 17 March 1943 – 17 May 1943 (Wounded in Action, Prisoner of War).
• Lt Col Glenn C. Nye: 19 May 1943 – 31 July 1944.
  • Lt Col Nye also served as acting CO around March 1943 – 20 April 1943, prior to Stillman’s arrival.
  • Lt Col Cecil C. McFarland was acting CO from 17 May 1943 – 19 May 1943.

Combat Operations

• First Mission: 14 May 1943.
• Last Mission: 8 October 1943.
• Total Missions: 34.
• Aircraft Missing in Action (MIA): 12.
• Enemy Aircraft Claims: 6 destroyed.

Major Awards

• Distinguished Unit Citation: Awarded for operations from 14 May 1943 – 24 July 1944.

Claims to Fame

• The 322nd Bombardment Group flew the first B-26 mission from the UK on 14 May 1943.
• The group also flew the disastrous low-level mission on 17 May 1943, a significant and costly operation in its history.

Early History

• Activation: The group was activated on 19 June 1942 at MacDill Field, Florida, where it trained with B-26 aircraft.
• Relocation: Moved to Drane Field, Florida, in late September 1942.
• Deployment: The ground echelon sailed on the Queen Elizabeth on 24 November 1942, arriving in Greenock, Scotland, on 30 November 1942. The air echelon moved to the UK via the southern ferry route as new aircraft became available. The first squadron, the 450th Bombardment Squadron, departed from Morrison Field on 6 February 1943, arriving at Bury St. Edmunds between 7-9 March 1943. The remaining squadrons arrived in March and April 1943, with the last aircraft arriving at Bury St. Edmunds on 29 May 1943.

Leadership: Col Robert R. Selway served as CO from 21 October 1942 – 22 February 1943, followed by Lt Col John F. Batjer until 17 March 1943, although both remained with the air echelon in the US.

Subsequent History

• Reassignment: The group was reassigned to the Ninth Air Force, IX Bomber Command (BC) on 16 October 1943. It later moved to France in September 1944 and then to Germany after the cessation of hostilities. The group returned to the USA in December 1945 and was inactivated.

Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes

• B-26B or C Marauders (March 1943 – October 1943):
  • The aircraft were finished in Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray with blue-grey squadron codes painted in 40-inch high letters forward of the cocarde (national insignia) on both sides of the fuselage. The individual aircraft letter was placed aft.
  • B-26B-4 and C-5 models: Due to the positioning of the fuselage cocarde far to the rear, the call-letter had to be painted under the tailplane.
  • B-26B-10 and C-10 models: With rear gun hatches further back, the cocarde was centered under the tailplane leading edge, pushing the call-letter even further back under the tailplane.
  • National Insignia Change: In late June 1943, the white rectangles of the new national insignia were painted on the call-letter. The new insignia did not intrude on the squadron codes, as the gun hatch was between the cocarde and the codes. On replacement aircraft, the call-letter was positioned around the rearward bar of the national insignia when there was no room further aft.
  • Squadron Call-Letters:
    • 450th and 452nd Bombardment Squadrons: Used letters from A in alphabetical order and from Z in reverse alphabetical order, respectively.
    • 449th and 451st Bombardment Squadrons: Used letters from Z in reverse alphabetical order and from A onward, respectively, excluding the letters C and I.