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1st Bomb Division

Division

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The groups under the command of the 1st Bomb Wing came under the command of the 1st Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.

US Air Force Combat Units of World War II Description

Constituted as 1st Bombardment Division on 30 Aug 1943. Activated in England on 13 Sep 1943. Assigned to Eighth AF. Redesignated 1st Air Division in Dec 1944.

Commanding officers

  • Howard Turner

    Military | Major General | Commanding General
    SS w/ Oak Leaf Cluster/ DFC/ AM w/ Oak Leaf Cluster

  • Robert Williams

    Military | Major General | Aerial Observer, Commander | 303rd Bomb Group
    Born: Albany, Texas, 9 November 1901. Bachelor of Science, Texas A&M University, 1923. Commissioned: ROTC 6 June 1923 Commander, 1st Bomb Division July 1943 to 22 October 1944. Retired 30 June 1946.

Structure

Part of
  • 8th Air Force

    8th Air Force


    Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. ...

  • VIII Bomber Command

    VIII Bomber Command

    Command
    VIII Bomber Command was constituted and activated in 1942. It oversaw heavy bombardment operations until February 1944, when it was redesginated as the 8th Air Force.

Encompassing
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Previously was
  • 1st Bomb Wing

    1st Bomb Wing

    Wing
    The First Bomb Wing arrived in the UK in July 1942. The wing command became the 1st Bomb Division in August 1943, while the wing was retitled the 1st Combat Bomb Wing.

Became
  • 1st Air Division

    1st Air Division

    Division
    In December 1944, the 1st Bomb Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.

Missions

  • 8th Air Force 228 BIG WEEK - DAY 2

    21 February 1944
    Day 2 of BIG WEEK is another maximum effort by 8th Air Force to bomb 6 airfields in Germany as primary targets: Diepholz, Gütersloh, Lippstadt, Werl, Achmer and Handorf. In addition the industrial areas of Brunswick city are included as a primary...

  • 8th Air Force 232 LEAFLET DROP

    23 February 1944
    5 B-17s from 305BG/422BS are despatched on a night operation to drop 250 bundles (1,250,000?) leaflets on the French cities of REnnes, Le Mans, Chartres, Lille, and Orleans. There are no losses or claims.

  • 8th Air Force 291

    8 April 1944

  • 8th Air Force 293

    9 April 1944

  • 8th Air Force 295

    10 April 1944

  • 8th Air Force 298

    11 April 1944

  • 8th Air Force 300

    12 April 1944

  • 301

    13 April 1944

  • 306A

    18 April 1944
    The handwritten log of my father, Horace O. "Hank" Turner, states this.. "Started to raid Berlin, bad weather and we bombed Brandenberg. formation bad and flak terrific." He had marked it with an "x", which he noted meant that "Our plane was hit by...

  • 308A

    19 April 1944

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Stations

Station Location Date
Constituted Brampton Grange 30 August 1943
Activated Brampton Grange 13 September 1943 – 20 September 1943
Based Alconbury 20 September 1943 – December 1944
Redesignated December 1944

Connections

People

  • Frank Armstrong

    Military | Lieutenant General | Commanding Officer; Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
    Commanded 97th BG from 31 July 1942 to 27 September 1942. ...

  • Bartlett Beaman

    Military | Brigadier General | Chief of Staff
    LOM/ BS/ DUC

  • Manvel Davis

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Staff Judge Advocate
    Received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and French War Cross for WW I

  • Woodrow Dunlop

    Military | Commander | 381st Bomb Group

  • Victor Ellard

    Military | Private First Class | Clerk; Key Punch Machine Operator | 384th Bomb Group
    Was in an experiment to prevent colds. We put vaporisers in all of the barracks at an air base near Kettering, England. Maintained them and kept records for about 2 months, but it was not a success. The colds continued. GC/ WW II VM/ DSC/ ETO/ EAME

  • Howard Engstrom

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ground Crew; Trfo to Apm
    Recon flight over Germany on VE Day, May 1945. 3 Battle Stars On V-E day I flew on a B-17 as an observer, over Germany for 8 hours photographing destroyed bridges and factories 1 silver star; 2 bronze stars

  • William Godburn

    Military | Private
    I entered the service on February 6, 1943 and had my basic training in Atlantic City, NJ. After basic, I went to an Army Air Corp school at the University of Southern MS. Service followed at an air base in Dyersburg, TN and Brooklyn Field, Mobile, AL. ...

  • Robert Kleifgen

    Military | Captain | Photographer/Assigned Intel photo Operations Echelon 1st Air DivisionHeadquarters | 351st Bomb Group
    Loaded cameras on bombers for bombing analysis . Put cameras on the planes for the 351st BG.

  • Charles Marion

    Military | Colonel | Assistant Chief of Staff; Director of Operations; CO | 303rd Bomb Group
    303 Bomb Group records indicate that he was assigned as a Pilot with the 303BG/360BS on 1-May-42 at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho with the rank of Major. Records are not clear as to when he arrived at Molesworth, UK or on what aircraft. ...

  • Leon Musselwhite

    Military | Major | Navigator/base engineer | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
    Leon S. Musselwhite was born and raised in Mississippi. He was an engineering student at Mississippi State University when the war in Europe started. He enlisted in the Mississippi National Guard in 1938 and became active duty 11 May 1939 thru 24 Nov...

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Citations

None

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Bombardment
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
04 September 2019 11:33:02 Emily Changes to us air force combat units of world war ii description, unit encompassing associations, commanding officers associations and stations
Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II
Date Contributor Update
02 October 2014 00:21:28 Paul Bellamy Changes to type, commanding officers associations, mission associations and stations
Sources

1st Air Division records (1AD HQ Historical Society)
Date Contributor Update
02 October 2014 00:09:37 Paul Bellamy Changes to unit became association, mission associations and stations
Sources

1st Air Division records (1AD HQ Historical Society)
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:44 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)

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