B-24 of the 448th Bomb Group 712th Squadron

The 448th Bomb Group (Heavy):

Overview and Command Assignments

Assigned to Eighth Air Force: November 1943 – July 1945
Wing & Command Assignments:
- VIII Bomber Command (BC), 2nd Bombardment Division (BD), 20th Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): 30 November 1943
- 2nd BD, 20th CBW: 8 January 1944
- 2nd Air Division (AD), 20th CBW: 1 January 1945

Component Squadrons

712th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code CT
713th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IG
714th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code EI
715th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IO

Combat Aircraft

B-24 Liberator Variants:
- B-24H: (from blocks 5-CF, 10-FO)
- B-24J
- B-24L
- B-24M

Station

Seething, England: 30 November 1943 – 6 July 1945
- (Air echelon arrived between 7 December and 22 December 1943)

Group Commanding Officers (COs)

Col. James M. Thompson: 1 May 1943 – 1 April 1944 (Missing in Action)
Col. Gerry L. Mason: 3 April 1944 – 13 November 1944
Col. Charles B. Westover: 14 November 1944 – c. 27 May 1945
Lt. Col. Lester F. Miller: 27 May 1945 – July 1945

Mission Details

First Mission: 22 December 1943
Last Mission: 25 April 1945
Total Missions: 262
Total Credit Sorties: 6,774
Total Bomb Tonnage: 15,272 tons
Aircraft Missing in Action (MIA): 101
Other Operational Losses: 34
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 44 destroyed, 19 probably destroyed, 30 damaged

Major Awards

None

Claims to Fame

Joe McConnell: Top air ace of the Korean War, served as a navigator with the group from January 1945.

History

Activated: 1 May 1943 at Gowen Field, Idaho.
Training Locations:
- Initial training at Gowen Field, Idaho.
- Moved to Wendover Field, Utah, on 4 July 1943 for second phase training.
- Final training at Sioux City Army Air Base (AAB), Iowa, from 16 September 1943 to early November 1943.
Deployment:
- The ground echelon moved to Camp Shanks, New York, later sailing on the Queen Elizabeth on 23 November 1943, arriving in Clyde on 29 November 1943.
- The air echelon left Sioux City on 3 November 1943 for Herrington Field, Kansas. After final processing, the unit left for the UK via the southern ferry route, passing through Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Belém, Dakar, and Marrakesh. Unfortunately, three aircraft were lost en route.

Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes

B-24 Liberators (November 1943 – July 1945)

Original Paint Scheme: Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish.
- Squadron Assignment Markings: Each aircraft had a 12-inch high white numeral on the lower fin indicating squadron assignment:
  - 2 for 712th BS
  - 3 for 713th BS
  - 4 for 714th BS
  - 5 for 715th BS
Group Marking: Circle I
- Applied in early December 1943 to the outward-facing sides of the vertical tail and the upper surface of the right wing.
- Tail Marking: A 69-inch diameter white disc with a 36-inch high letter “I” in Insignia Blue.
- Wing Marking: A 78-inch diameter disc with a 48-inch high letter “I” in Insignia Blue.
Squadron Markings:
- The existing squadron markings and tail numbers were initially painted out and repositioned below the Circle I in yellow.
- Individual Aircraft Call-Letters: Painted below the tail number in a geometric symbol identifying squadron assignment:
  - 712th Bomb Squadron: Triangle
  - 713th Bomb Squadron: Circle
  - 714th Bomb Squadron: Square
  - 715th Bomb Squadron: Diamond
- Each geometric shape was from 24 to 28 inches overall, formed with a 2-inch wide yellow outline. The letter within the device was also yellow and approximately 20 inches high.
- In March 1944, squadron code letters (48 inches high) were painted on the rear fuselage aft of the waist gun positions in bluish-grey.
Natural Metal-Finished B-24s: Arriving in April 1944, these aircraft received black squadron and call letters and a white “I” on a black disc.
High-Visibility Markings (May 1944):
- The existing tail markings were deleted, and the entire outer facing surfaces of the fins and rudders were painted Identification Yellow with a 36-inch wide diagonally inclined black stripe.
  - The forward end of the black stripe was high on the fin leading edge, with the rear end low on the rudder.
- An outline squadron symbol with the call-letter was painted in the center of the black band in yellow. The size of the letter was reduced to 12-18 inches, and the geometric device to 24-34 inches overall.
- The call-letter was also painted on the inner facing sides of the fins below the transferred tail number. This was 36 inches high on many aircraft, but 24 inches on others, and placed within an outline squadron device. The color was yellow on olive drab and black on natural metal.
- The outline geometric symbol surrounding the call-letter on the inward-facing side of the fin was discontinued on replacement aircraft during the summer of 1944.
Final Markings:
- By late summer 1944, squadron code letters were discontinued on most replacement aircraft, and where they were applied, the size was reduced to 36 inches. Squadron letters could still be seen on some 448th Bomb Group Liberators at the end of 1944, but eventually, all were removed.