World War Photos

B-24M 44-50753 DC-Q+ “SHORT ROUND II” of the 577th BS, 392nd Bomb Group

392nd Bomb Group:

Overview:

• Assigned to Eighth Air Force (8th AF): July 1943
• Primary Aircraft: B-24H, B-24J, B-24L, and B-24M
• Component Squadrons: 576th, 577th, 578th, and 579th Bombardment Squadrons (H)

Wing & Command Assignments:

• VIII Bomber Command (BC), 2nd Bombardment Wing (BW): July 1943
• VIII BC, 2nd BW, 202nd Combat Bombardment Wing (CBW): September 2, 1943
• VIII BC, 2nd Bombardment Division (BD), 14th Combat Bombardment Wing (CBW): September 13, 1943
• 2nd BD, 14th CBW: January 8, 1944
• 2nd Air Division (AD), 14th CBW: January 1, 1945

Stations:

• Wendling: August 1, 1943 – June 15, 1945 (Air echelon in from August 15, 1943)

Group Commanding Officers:

• Col. Irvine A. Rendle: January 26, 1943 – June 21, 1944
• Col. Lorin L. Johnson: June 21, 1944 – May 27, 1945
• Lt. Col. Lawrence G. Gilbert: May 27, 1945 – June 1945

Combat Record:

• First Mission: September 9, 1943
• Last Mission: April 25, 1945
• Total Missions: 285
• Total Credit Sorties: 7,060
• Total Bomb Tonnage: 17,452 tons
• Aircraft MIA (Missing in Action): 127
• Other Operational Losses: 57
• Enemy Aircraft Claims: 144 destroyed, 45 probable, 49 damaged

Major Awards:

• Distinguished Unit Citation: February 24, 1944, for the mission to Gotha.

Claims to Fame:

• Despite heavy losses, the group’s bombing efficiency was better than average for 2nd Bomb Division groups during the first nine months of operations.
• The first B-24H group in the 8th AF.

Early History:

• Activated: January 26, 1943, at Davis-Monthan Army Air Field (AAF), Arizona. Trained there until the end of February 1943.
  • Moved: To Biggs Field, Texas, on March 1, 1943, and to Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, on April 18, 1943.
  • Ground Echelon: Left for the port of embarkation on July 18, 1943. Sailed from New York on July 25, 1943, and arrived in the UK on July 30, 1943.

Subsequent History:

• Redeployed to the USA: May-June 1945
  • The first aircraft left the UK on May 29, 1945.
  • The ground echelon sailed on the Queen Mary on June 15, 1945, and arrived in New York on June 20, 1945.
  • Personnel received 30 days of R&R. The group was re-established at Charleston Army Air Field, South Carolina, in late June 1945 for air transport duties, but it was apparently not fully manned. The group was inactivated at Charleston on September 13, 1945.

Aircraft Markings and Identification:

• B-24H/J/M/L Liberators (August 1943 – June 1945):
  • Original B-24Hs: Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish. The Circle D Group marking was applied to the tail and wing in late August 1943.
    • Vertical Tail: A 69-72 inch diameter white disc with an Insignia Blue letter “D” on it.
    • Upper Surface of Right Wing: A 96-inch diameter white disc.
    • Tail Number: Where obscured, it was repainted below the Circle O in yellow, with a 24-inch high yellow call-letter below it.
    • Squadron Letter Assignments:
      • 576th Bomb Squadron: Letters A to M (except I)
      • 577th Bomb Squadron: Letters N to Z
      • 578th Bomb Squadron: Letters N to Z with a bar below the letter
      • 579th Bomb Squadron: Letters A to M (except I) with a bar below the letter
      • Additional Aircraft: Distinguished by a bar above the call-letter.
    • March 1944 Markings: Squadron code letters painted 48 inches high in light grey on the fuselage aft of the waist gun positions.
      • 576th Bomb Squadron: CI
      • 577th Bomb Squadron: DC
      • 578th Bomb Squadron: EC
      • 579th Bomb Squadron: GC
  • Natural Metal-Finished Aircraft (from April 1944):
    • Circle D Marking: White on black with all letters black.
    • May 1944 Tail Markings: Required by the 2nd Bomb Division, a 36-inch wide black band was painted horizontally across the middle of the fin and rudder, while the remainder of the outer surfaces were bare metal or silver finish.
      • Call-Letters: Placed on the black band in white, 24 inches high, with the same run of letters for each squadron.
      • Squadron Symbol Assignments:
        • 577th Bomb Squadron: Plus sign after the call-letter.
        • 578th Bomb Squadron: Bar below the call-letter.
        • 579th Bomb Squadron: Bar above the call-letter.
        • 576th Bomb Squadron: No symbol with the call-letter.
    • June 1944 Markings: The last three digits of the aircraft’s serial number were painted on both sides of the nose, usually about 3 feet above the nosewheel door. The figures were in black on bare metal and yellow on olive drab and varied in size from 15 to 18 inches high.