389th Bomb Group

Group
The insignia of the 389th Bomb Group. media-395090.jpg FRE 5147 The insignia of the 389th Bomb Group. Roger Freeman Collection

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection

Object Number - FRE 5147 - The insignia of the 389th Bomb Group.

The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943 and 25 August 1943 and at Massicault, Tunisia, between 19 September 1943 and 3 October 1943. During this period, the detachment carried out bombing raids over Crete, Sicily, Italy, Austria and Romania. The Group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for the Ploesti oil fields mission on 1 August 1943.



Earl Zimmerman, a radio operator during the Ploesti mission, has this to say about the origin of the insignia: "I first learned of the name Sky Scorpions during the early 1960s when the book Ploesti was published. Up to that time I had never heard of the name although I went over with the original Group and came back with the Group two years later. No one has confirmed it, but I assume the name came from Capt. Kenneth Caldwell's plane 'Scorpion'. Now about the formation ship, the Green Dragon. M/Sgt. Pashal Quackenbush is the original artist of the Dragon painted on the officers club wall. That dragon was green. His original painting of the dragon was blue and during the reunion at Colorado Springs, Pashal donated it to Al Kopp then VP of the 389th. The original now rests in the Library in Norwich. When I had the 389th patches made they were copied from the original, therefore the blue dragon."



Browse 389th Bomb Group photographs and other documents in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library digital archive here: www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive/Dashboard/Index/14

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Unit stations

Station Location Date

Based

Biggs Field 1 February 1943 - 18 April 1943

Based

Hethel 11 June 1943 - 30 May 1945

Other

Temporary Duty

Berca 3 July 1943 - 25 August 1943

Other

Temporary Duty

Massicault 19 September 1943 - 3 October 1943

Other

Commemorated at

389th Bomb Group Memorial Exhibition, Hethel

Encompassing

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 567th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 566th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16085970
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 35309153
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Assistant Crew Chief

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 566th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron

Mission

  • Date: 11 March 1945
  • Date: 30 August 1944
  • Date: 25 August 1944

Revisions

Date
ContributorEmily
Changes
Sources

Associated North African bases for 389th Bomb Group's detachments in the Summer of 1943. Details provided in US Air Force Combat Units of World War II and Unit history highlights added by AAM website users to this record.

Date
ContributorDieterle
Changes
Sources

Richard Dieterle, adding stationing information from Biggs Field page.

Date
ContributorDieterle
Changes
Sources

Richard Dieterle, adding citation already referenced under "Unit History Highlights".

Date
ContributorDieterle
Changes
Sources

Richard Dieterle — from "HETHEL HIGHLIGHTS," by Earl L. Zimmerman (389th), Second Air Division Association Journal and published in the September, 1981.

Date
ContributorDieterle
Changes
Sources

Martin Bowman, 2nd Air Division Air Force USAAF 1942-45: Liberator Squadrons in Norfolk and Suffolk (Yorkshire: Pen and Sword, 2007) 141, caption with photograph.

Date
ContributorEmily
Changes
Sources

AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II

Date
Changes
Sources

2nd Air Division Memorial Library

Date
Changes
Sources

2nd Air Division Memorial Library

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Added 'Commemorated' event so that the museum at Hethel is associated to the 389th Bomb Group.

Date
ContributorEMBLEMHUNTER
Changes
Sources

my photo

Date
Contributorjkeeffe389
Changes
Sources

Lt. James H Keeffe Jr documents.

Date
Contributorjkeeffe389
Changes
Sources

Lt. James H Keeffe Jr documents
Paul Wilson author The Sky Scorpions

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / The Mighty Eighth. A History of the Units, Men and Machines of the US 8th Air Force.' by Roger A. Freeman (1989). 'Air Force Combat Units of World War II' compiled by the Department of the US Air Force, edited by Maurice Maurer (1983). / 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)

389th Bomb Group: Gallery (484 items)