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3rd Bomb Division

Division

  • Three B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 94th Bomb Group are attacked by a Nazi Fighter aircraft during a mission. Printed caption on reverse of print: 'A-62641 USAF: Nazi fighter plane attacking Boeing B-17

    Three B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 94th Bomb Group are attacked by a Nazi Fighter aircraft during a mission. Printed caption on reverse of print: 'A-62641 USAF: Nazi fighter plane attacking Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" during a bomb run over enemy installations somewhere in Europe, 10 September 1944. 100th[sic] Bomb Group, 3rd Bomb Division. U.S. Air Force Photo.'

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  • Letters from the parents of JAMES NICHOLAS HENTGES marked as “Return to Sender” after he was taken POW. (10 JAN 1945)

    Letters from the parents of JAMES NICHOLAS HENTGES marked as “Return to Sender” after he was taken POW. (10 JAN 1945)

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  • Western Union telegram received by the parents of JAMES NICHOLAS HENTGES informing them he was MIA. (27 DEC 1944)

    Western Union telegram received by the parents of JAMES NICHOLAS HENTGES informing them he was MIA. (27 DEC 1944)

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  • Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (2/10)

    Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (2/10)

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  • Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (3/10)

    Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (3/10)

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  • Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (4/10)

    Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (4/10)

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  • Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (5/10)

    Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (5/10)

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  • Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (6/10)

    Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (6/10)

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 30
  • Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (7/10)

    Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (7/10)

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 30
  • Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (8/10)

    Mission: 738 (Berlin, Germany) 8th AF, 96th BG (H), 339th BS, 3rd Div, 45th CBW - #138 - Snetterton MACR 11343 (05/12/44) #43-38644 “Green Weenie” B-17G-90-BO (8/10)

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The 3rd Bomb Division was Constituted in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.

US Air Force Combat Units of World War II Description

Constituted as 3d Bombardment Division on 30 Aug 1943. Activated in England on 13 Sep 1943. Assigned to Eighth AF. Redesignated 3d Air Division in Dec 1944.

Commanding officers

  • Curtis LeMay

    Military | General | Commanding General | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    306th Temporary Deputy Commander at Wendover, then transferred as Group Commander of 305th BG 4-Jun-42 to 15-May-43. ...

  • Earle Partridge

    Military | General | Commanding General
    Formerly command pilot. CG 3rd AD 21 June 1944 to May 1945. Retired 31 July 1959. DSCSSLMDFC w/ 2 Oak Leaf ClustersAM w/ 9 Oak Leaf Clusters

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
Not yet known
Became
  • 3rd Air Division

    3rd Air Division

    Division
    In December 1944, the 3rd Bomb Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.

Missions

  • 8th Air Force 287

    1 April 1944
    The industrial areas of Ludwigshafen was the traget for this mission, but the mission was frustrated by heavy cloud cover and navigational errors that resulted in the mission going haywire. 3rd Air Division and 2nd Air Division despatch heavy bombers....

  • 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

  • 309

    20 April 1944

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Stations

Station Location Date
Based Elveden Hall 13 September 1943 – October 1943
Based Honington October 1943 – December 1944
Redesignated December 1944

Connections

People

  • Gilbert Borba

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 100th Bomb Group
    Sgt Gilbert A. Borba, only survivor, all other crew were Killed in Action (KIA) 08-08-1944 Shot down by flak and crashed near St Sylvain, France in B-17 "Varga Venus" #4337865

  • Marshall Button

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 390th Bomb Group

  • Alfred D'Alessandris

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner/Engineer | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 #4297129. His B-17 was shot down at Stutebuell, 3 kms north west of Kappeln, near Schleswig, near the German/Denmark border at 2.15pm. ...

  • Monroe David

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
    Prisoner of War (POW) crashed ner Parchim in B-17 'Green Weenie' #43-38644 on 5 Dec 44

  • James Dickenson

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    POW crashed near Parchim on 5 Dec 44 in B-17 'Green Weenie' #4338644

  • Edgar Eggen

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    POW crashed near Parchim in B-17 'Green Weenie' #4338644 on 5 Dec 44

  • Walter Green

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 452nd Bomb Group
    Prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Walter Randall Green had enlisted as part of the TN National Guard 1st Air Squadron also known as the “Old Hickory Squadron” which was one of the 3 NG Air Service units in the US prior to WWII. It had been a...

  • James Hentges

    Military | Flight Officer | Bombardier | 96th Bomb Group
    F/O James (Jim) N. Hentges (USAAF) WWII Veteran and POW. ...

  • Geraldine Hill

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Aircraft Plotter
    Geraldine Hill, or Gerry as she was called, achieved the rank of Sergeant in the Women's Army Corps as an enlisted woman pioneer who was stationed in England during World War II. She plotted the courses of Allied planes in flight over England and...

  • Richard Maxwell

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 96th Bomb Group

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Aircraft

  • 42-29780 Silver Queen

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Denver 17/2/43; Gore Fd 8/3/43; Gulfport 31/3/43; Assigned 334BS/95BG [BG-P] Alconbury 5/4/43; 335BS [OE-P]; 6m, transferred 92BG Alconbury 12/6/43 but switched to 3BD HQ as hack for Curtis Le May; Returned to the USA Grenier 26/12/44;...

  • 44-8148 Seamans' Demons

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Dallas 22/6/44; Langley 27/7/44; Grenier 11/8/44; Assigned PFF as 369BS/306BG [WW-K] Thurleigh 13/8/44; transferred 95BG Horham 14/8/44; 3m, transferred 100BG Thorpe Abbotts 30/10/44; battle damaged Hamm 26/11/44 with ?; force landed St Trond...

Citations

None

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Combat organisation
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
N/A
Insignia
N/A

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
04 September 2019 14:15:42 Emily Changes to type, us air force combat units of world war ii description, aircraft types, unit became association, commanding officers associations and stations
Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II
Date Contributor Update
10 March 2016 02:03:24 Jameswbrice Changes to mission associations and media associations
Sources

James W Brice
Date Contributor Update
09 December 2014 21:24:57 Lee8thbuff Changes to unit encompassing associations and mission associations
Sources

Lee Cunningham 9-Dec-2014 Corrected association from VIII Fighter Command to VIII Bomber Command.
Date Contributor Update
09 December 2014 21:21:42 Lee8thbuff Changes to type, aircraft types and mission associations
Sources

Lee Cunningham 9-Dec-2014. Added info to Basic Details per my own research. Primary sources: Roger A. Freeman and Stan Bishop.
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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