B-17G 42-31090 “Nasty Habit” of the 401st Bomb Group
The 401st Bomb Group (Heavy):
Overview and Command Assignments
- Assigned to Eighth Air Force: November 1943 – June 1945
- Wing & Command Assignments:
- VIII Bomber Command (BC), 1st Bombardment Division (BD), 92nd Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): 1 November 1943
- VIII BC, 1st BD, 94th CBW: 15 December 1943
- 1st BD, 94th CBW: 8 January 1944
- 1st Air Division (AD), 94th CBW: 1 January 1945
Component Squadrons
- 612th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code SC
- 613th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IN
- 614th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IW
- 615th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IY
Combat Aircraft
- B-17G Flying Fortress: From block 1 onwards
Station
- Deenethorpe: 3 November 1943 – 20 June 1945
- (Air echelon at Polebrook and Bassingbourn from late October 1943 before moving to Deenethorpe on 19 November 1943)
Group Commanding Officers (COs)
- Col. Harold W. Bowman: June 1943 – 5 December 1944
- Col. William T. Seawell: 5 December 1944 – June 1945
Mission Details
- First Mission: 26 November 1943
- Last Mission: April 1945
- Total Missions: 255
- Total Credit Sorties: 7,430
- Total Bomb Tonnage: 17,778.1 tons (including 17.7 tons of leaflets)
- Aircraft MIA: 95
- Enemy Aircraft Claims: 75 destroyed, 28 probably destroyed, 92 damaged
Major Awards
- Two Distinguished Unit Citations:
- 11 January 1944: (All 1st BD Groups)
- 20 February 1944: Leipzig
Claims to Fame
- Second Best Rating in Bombing Accuracy for the Eighth Air Force
Early History
- Activated: 1 April 1943 at Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington.
- Training Locations:
- Moved to Geiger Field, Washington on 28 May 1943.
- Transferred to Great Falls Army Air Base, Montana in July 1943, where final training was completed.
- The ground echelon began overseas movement on 19 October 1943, staging at Camp Shanks, New York, and embarked on the Queen Mary, sailing on 27 October. The ship arrived at Greenock on 2 November 1943.
- The air echelon left Great Falls on 18 October 1943, underwent final inspections at Scott Field, then proceeded via Goose Bay and Meeks Field in Iceland to Prestwick.
Subsequent History
- Redeployment to the USA: June 1945.
- The air echelon flew back via the North Atlantic ferry route, with aircraft departing Deenethorpe between 30 May and 4 June 1945.
- The ground echelon traveled by train to Gourock on 20 June 1945, sailing on the Queen Elizabeth on 25 June, and arriving in New York on 30 June 1945.
- Personnel were granted 30 days of Rest & Recuperation (R&R), with some reassembling at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, where the group was inactivated on 28 August 1945.
Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes
B-17G Fortresses (November 1943 – June 1945)
Original Paint Scheme: Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish.
Group Marking:
- Triangle S: An equilateral white triangle with 72-inch sides and a 36-inch high Insignia Blue “S” on the fin. The wing marking was of similar dimensions.
- A 24-inch high yellow call-letter was painted below the tail number.
- Squadron code letters were in alphabetical order, initially excluding “E” and “I”, although “E” was used for replacement aircraft from the spring of 1944.
Squadron Codes:
- 612th Bomb Squadron: SC
- 613th Bomb Squadron: IN
- 614th Bomb Squadron: IW
- 615th Bomb Squadron: IY
- These codes were painted in yellow, with most letters being 48 inches high, except the 614th which used 36-inch high letters.
- Squadron and call letters were grouped aft of the waist gun position on the left side of the fuselage, with the squadron code forward of the national insignia and the call letter aft of the waist gun position on the right side.
- The 613th and 614th Bomb Squadrons typically placed the squadron letters forward of the national insignia with the call letter aft of the waist gun positions on both sides of the fuselage.
Bare Metal-Finish B-17Gs (from March 1944):
- The Triangle S was changed to a black triangle with a white or bare metal “S”, which became the standard form on replacement aircraft.
- Code letters were painted black on bare metal finish.
- In August 1944, a 48-inch wide diagonal yellow band was painted across both sides of the fin, with the lower end toward the front. The Triangle S, tail number, and call letter were not obscured, and the call letter was either left on a bare metal or olive drab stripe depending on the aircraft’s finish.
- The yellow stripe was bordered on both sides by a 4-inch wide black line.
- Squadron codes and call letters were painted under the left wing in black during the third week of May 1945.
The 401st Bombardment Group (H) distinguished itself as one of the most accurate bombing units in the Eighth Air Force. With a substantial number of missions and high bomb tonnage delivered, the group played a crucial role in the strategic bombing campaign over Europe. Despite the challenges of war, including the loss of aircraft and personnel, the 401st’s achievements were significant, earning it commendations and a place in the annals of World War II history.