World War Photos

B-24J 42-100411 NB-E of the 506th BS, 44th BG

The 44th Bomb Group (Heavy), nicknamed “The Flying Eightballs,” was one of the most distinguished B-24 Liberator units in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.

Assignment to the 8th Air Force:

• Assigned Date: September 1942
• Wing & Command Assignments:
  • VIII Bomber Command, 2nd Bomb Wing: September 1942
  • VIII Bomber Command, 2nd Bomb Wing, 201st Provisional Combat Bomb Wing: March 25, 1943
  • VIII Bomber Command, 2nd Bomb Wing, 202nd Provisional Combat Bomb Wing: September 2, 1943
  • VIII Bomber Command, 2nd Bomb Division, 14th Combat Bomb Wing: September 13, 1943
  • 2nd Bomb Division, 14th Combat Bomb Wing: January 8, 1944
  • 2nd Air Division, 14th Combat Bomb Wing: January 1, 1945

Component Squadrons:

• 66th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 67th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 68th Bombardment Squadron (H)
• 506th Bombardment Squadron (H): Assigned in March 1943

Stations:

• Cheddington: September 11, 1942 – October 9, 1942
• Shipdham: October 10, 1942 – June 15, 1945
  • Temporary Stations in North Africa:
    • Benina Main, Libya: June 28, 1943 – August 25, 1943
    • Ounda No. 1, Tunis: September 19, 1943 – October 4, 1943

Group Commanding Officers:

• Col. Frank H. Robinson: April 1, 1942 – January 4, 1943
• Col. Leon W. Johnson: January 4, 1943 – September 2, 1943
• Lt. Col. James T. Posey: September 3, 1943 – December 3, 1943
• Col. Frederick R. Dent: December 4, 1943 – March 29, 1944
• Col. John H. Gibson: March 29, 1944 – August 15, 1944
• Col. Eugene H. Snavely: August 15, 1944 – April 13, 1945
• Col. Vernon C. Smith: April 13, 1945 – June 1, 1945

Operational History:

• First Mission: November 7, 1942
• Last Mission: April 25, 1945
• Total Missions: 343 (18 flown from North Africa)
• Total Credit Sorties: 8,009
• Total Bomb Tonnage: 18,980 tons
• Aircraft Missing in Action (MIA): 153
• Other Operational Losses: 39
• Enemy Aircraft Claims: 330 destroyed, 74 probable, 69 damaged

Major Awards:

• Two Distinguished Unit Citations:
  • Kiel: May 14, 1943 (66th, 67th & 506th Bomb Squadrons)
  • Ploesti: August 1, 1943
• Medal of Honor: Col. Leon W. Johnson for the mission over Ploesti on August 1, 1943.

Claims to Fame:

• The 44th Bomb Group was the first USAAF group to be equipped with B-24 Liberators.
• It operated from England for a longer period than any other B-24 group.
• It sustained the highest MIA loss of all Eighth Air Force B-24 groups.
• The group claimed more enemy fighters than any other Eighth Air Force B-24 group.
• It was the first group in the Eighth Air Force to be awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (for May 14, 1943).

Early History:

• Activation: January 15, 1941, at MacDill Field, Florida.
• Initial Equipment: Received its first B-24s later in 1941.
• Training Unit: Acted as a training unit for the 98th, 93rd, and 90th Bomb Groups.
• Anti-Submarine Patrols: Conducted over the Gulf of Mexico, credited with destroying a U-boat.
• Overseas Deployment Preparation: Moved to Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, on July 26, 1942, and prepared for overseas movement.

Subsequent History:

• Redeployment to the USA: May/June 1945. The first aircraft left the UK on May 22, 1945, and the ground echelon sailed on the Queen Mary on June 15, 1945.
• Post-War Plans: The group was selected for reforming as a B-29 unit and established at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas, in July 1945 for training. The group was inactivated on July 12, 1946.

Aircraft Markings:

• B-24 Liberators (October 1942 – June 1945):
  • Early Paint Scheme: Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray, with some aircraft featuring Medium Green blotching along the flight surfaces’ edges.
  • ‘Eightball’ Motif: Several aircraft carried an unofficial group motif on the left side of the nose, consisting of a winged bomb cartoon with an 8-ball as the eyes and the bomb’s nose painted in the squadron color (red for the 66th, yellow for the 67th, and white for the 68th).
  • Radio Call Letters: Painted on the tail fins below the tail number in November 1942, with 36-inch high letters in yellow.
  • Squadron Lettering: Group aircraft were lettered from A to Z across the squadrons, with letters reassigned as new aircraft arrived.
  • Group Marking: Issued in June 1943 but not applied until the group returned from North Africa in late August 1943. The Circle A marking was a 69 or 72-inch diameter white disc with a 48-inch high Insignia Blue “A” painted on the fin.
  • Squadron Colors: Applied to propeller bosses (red for the 66th, yellow for the 67th, white for the 68th, and green for the 506th).
  • High-Visibility Markings: Introduced in May 1944, with outer surfaces of fins and rudders stripped of paint and a vertical black band 30 inches wide centered on the fin.