World War Photos

B-17G 44-8578 NV-G of 92nd BG, 325th BS raid on Wittenburg 22 February 1945

The 92nd Bomb Group (H), nicknamed “Fame’s Favored Few,” was a distinguished unit in the Eighth Air Force during World War II.

Assignments

• Eighth Air Force: Joined in August 1942.
• Wing & Command Assignments:
  • VIII Bomber Command (BC), 1st Bombardment Wing (BW): Aug 1942.
  • VIII BC, 102nd Provisional Combat Bomb Wing (PCBW): May 1943.
  • VIII BC, 1st Bomber Division (BD), 40th Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): 13 Sep 1943.
  • 1st BD, 40th CBW: 8 Jan 1944.
  • 1st Air Division (AD), 40th CBW: 1 Jan 1945.

Component Squadrons

• 325th, 326th, 327th, and 407th Bombardment Squadrons (H).

Combat Aircraft

• B-17F (block 1 BO): Aug 1942.
• B-17E: Aug 1942 – Apr 1943.
• B-17F (blocks 55-BO, 15-DL, 25-VE)
• YB-40: May 1943 – Jul 1943.
• B-17G.

Stations

• Bovingdon: 18/28 Aug 1942 – 4/11 Jan 1943.
• Alconbury: 4/11 Jan 1943 – 11/15 Sep 1943.
• Podington: 11/15 Sep 1943 – 20 May/9 Jul 1945.

Group Commanders

• Lt Col James S. Sutton: 27 Mar 1942 – 1 May 1943.
• Lt Col Baskin R. Lawrence: 2 May 1943 – 23 May 1943.
• Lt Col William M. Reid: 23 May 1943 – 27 Sep 1944 (WIA 26 Aug 1944).
• Lt Col James W. Wilson: 27 Sep 1944 – 4 Aug 1945.

Combat Operations

• First Mission: 6 Sep 1943 (The group conducted 4 missions in 1942 and did not resume operations until 14 May 1943).
• Last Mission: 25 Apr 1945.
• Total Missions: 308.
• Total Credit Sorties: 8,633.
• Total Bomb Tonnage: 20,829.4 tons.
• Aircraft Missing in Action (MIA): 154.
• Enemy Aircraft Claims: 207-42-89.

Major Awards

• Distinguished Unit Citation: 11 Jan 1944 (All 1st BD groups).
• Medal of Honor: F/O John C. Morgan, 26 Jul 1943; Hanover.

Claims to Fame

• Oldest Group in the 8th Air Force.
• First bomb group to make a non-stop Atlantic flight to the UK: Aug 1942.
• 327th Bomb Squadron was the only unit in the USAAF to be equipped with YB-40s for combat.
• Flew the secret Disney rocket-bomb experimental missions early in 1945.
• Acted as VIII BC Combat Crew Replacement Centre: Aug 1942 – May 1943.
• Led the 8th Air Force on the last mission of the war.

Early History

• Activated on 1 Mar 1942 at Barksdale Field, Louisiana.
• Assembled at McDill Field, Florida from 16 Mar 1942 to 18 May 1942.
• Trained at Sarasota Army Air Base, Florida from May to July 1942.
• The air echelon left for Westover Army Air Base, Massachusetts on 19 Jun 1942, and moved to Dow Army Air Base, Maine on 29 Jun 1942.
• Between 12/15 Aug 1942, squadrons took off for Newfoundland, then flew directly to Prestwick.
• The ground echelon left for the staging area on 18 Jul 1942, arriving at Fort Dix on 20 Jul 1942. They sailed on the USS West Point on 6 Aug 1942, docking in Liverpool on 18 Aug 1942.
• The first aircraft (326th Bomb Squadron) arrived at Bovingdon on the same day, with the last (407th Bomb Squadron) arriving on 28 Aug 1942.

Subsequent History

• Assigned to the Green Project (movement of US troops from the Marseilles staging area to Casablanca).
• Moved to Istres, France between May and early July 1945, with the first personnel arriving on 3 Jun 1945.
• The 327th Bomb Squadron was detached to Port Lyautey, French Morocco.
• Between 15 Jun 1945 and 9 Sep 1945, they moved 19,935 troops, while 5,672 Frenchmen returned to France. Displaced Greeks were moved from Munich to Athens.
• The group was run down during the winter of 1945/46 and was absorbed into the 306th Bomb Group on 28 Feb 1946.

Aircraft Markings

• B-17E/F/G Fortresses (Aug 1942 – Jul 1945):
  • B-17Fs flown to the UK in Aug 1942 were in Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray with no unit markings prior to their transfer to the 92nd Bomb Group.
  • B-17Es received in exchange, used as operational trainers under the 11th Combat Crew Replacement Center (CCRC), were in Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray with Dark Earth patterning and Sky undersurfaces.
  • In December 1942, SO110 codes were applied, with two squadron letters painted in pale grey, 36 inches high, aft of the waist gun window on both sides of the fuselage, and the individual letter painted forward of the cocarde:
    • 325th Bomb Squadron: NV.
    • 326th Bomb Squadron: JW.
    • 327th Bomb Squadron: UX.
    • 407th Bomb Squadron: PY.
  • In late April 1943, newly received B-17Fs and YB-40s had 48-inch high code letters painted on their fuselages ahead of the cocarde, with the call-letter aft on both sides. The 327th Bomb Squadron, initially equipped with YB-40s, had staggered waist gun windows, with cocardes and codes placed differently on the left and right sides.
  • Late June 1943: The Triangle B Group marking was introduced, applied to the fin and right wing upper surface. The white equilateral triangle on the fin had 60-inch sides, with a 48-inch letter B thereon. Initially, some aircraft had the B painted in Identification Yellow, which was later changed to Insignia Blue.
  • B-17Gs in metal finish had squadron and call-letters in black, with the Group device being a white B on a black triangle.
  • By April 1944, the Triangle B was also carried under the left wing.
  • In Aug 1944, a 48-inch wide horizontal red band was painted across the vertical tail, with the base in line with the bottom of the triangle.