World War Photos

B-17G 43-38853 N8-L of the 398th BG, 600th Bomb Squadron

The 398th Bomb Group:

Overview and Command Assignments

• Assigned to Eighth Air Force: April 1944 – June 1945
• Wing & Command Assignments:
  • 1st Bomb Division (BD), 1st Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): 22 April 1944.
  • 1st Air Division (AD), 1st CBW: 1 January 1945.

Component Squadrons

• 600th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code N8
• 601st Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code 3O
• 602nd Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code K8
• 603rd Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code N7

Combat Aircraft

• B-17G Flying Fortress: Aircraft from blocks 45 BO

Station

• Nuthampstead: 22 April 1944 – 22 June 1945

Group Commanding Officers (COs)

• Col. Frank P. Hunter: 1 March 1943 – 23 January 1945 (MIA)
• Lt. Col. Lewis P. Ensign: 29 January 1945 – 18 April 1945
• Lt. Col. Arthur F. Briggs: 18 April 1945 – June 1945

Mission Details

• First Mission: 6 May 1944
• Last Mission: 25 April 1945
• Total Missions: 195
• Total Credit Sorties: 6,419
• Total Bomb Tonnage: 15,781.2 tons (no leaflets)
• Aircraft MIA: 58
• Enemy Aircraft Claims: 5 destroyed, 2 probably destroyed, 11 damaged

Early History

• Activated: 1 March 1943 at Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington.
• Training Locations:
  • Group assembled at Blythe Army Air Field, California, and then moved to Geiger Field, Washington, on 20 April 1943 to complete training.
  • Moved to Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, on 20 June 1943 for Replacement Training Unit duties.
  • Trained 326 B-17 crews from August to December 1943, then reverted to combat training at the beginning of 1944.
• Deployment:
  • Ground echelon began movement overseas on 4 April 1944, arriving at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, from 7-12 April 1944.
  • Personnel embarked on the USS Wakefield, sailing from Boston on 13 April and arriving in Liverpool on 21 April 1944.

Subsequent History

• Redeployment to the USA: May/June 1945.
  • Aircraft left between 21-27 May 1945.
  • Ground echelon sailed from Greenock on 22 June 1945 aboard the Queen Elizabeth, arriving in New York on 29 June 1945.
  • After 30 days of Rest & Recuperation (R&R), some personnel assembled at Drew Field, Florida, where the group was inactivated on 1 September 1945.

Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes

B-17G Fortresses (April 1944 – June 1945)

• Original Paint Scheme: Natural metal finish with Group and squadron markings applied soon after arrival at Nuthampstead.

• Group Marking:

  • Triangle W: A black equilateral triangle with 60-inch sides, with a white “W” within. The shape and size of the “W” varied between 24 to 30 inches. In some cases, the letter “W” was formed on bare metal by masking the letter before spraying the triangle.
  • The Triangle W on the upper surface of the right wing also had 60-inch sides.

• Squadron Codes:

  • 600th Bomb Squadron: N8
  • 601st Bomb Squadron: 3O
  • 602nd Bomb Squadron: K8
  • 603rd Bomb Squadron: N7
  • Codes were painted in black, 48 inches high, with some variation in positioning on the aircraft.
  • On the left side of the fuselage, the usual location was aft of the waist gun window, with all three letters grouped together.
  • The 602nd Bomb Squadron often separated the squadron code from the individual letter with a hyphen.
  • The 601st Bomb Squadron frequently placed all three characters forward of the national insignia and used an oversize letter “O” (54 inches high) for their 3O code on replacement aircraft.
  • The call letter on the fin below the tail number was 48 inches high and in black.

• Combat Markings:

  • Red 1st Combat Bomb Wing markings: Applied in late June 1944.
  • Both upper and lower surfaces of wing tips and horizontal tail, except the elevators, were painted red.
  • An approximately 80-inch wide red band was painted down the fin, bordering the leading edge of the rudder. In most cases, the Triangle W was not painted over, although there were instances of a white triangle with a black letter.
  • The tail number was reinstated in the same location in yellow, with the call letter also in yellow.
  • The call letter’s height varied, with some replacements having 24 inches, others 36 inches, but 48 inches remained the common size.