Harold Bowman
Military | Brigadier General | Commanding Officer | 401st Bomb Group
Commanding Officer of 401st BG from June 1943 to 5 December 1944.
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Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following summer. The Group won two Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, awarded to the whole of the 1st Bomb Division, was for an unescorted raid on aircraft factories at Oschersleben on 11 January 1944. The second was awarded to the Group for a raid on Leipzig on 20 February 1944.
For more information about the group, visit http://www.remember-our-heroes.nl/
Military | Brigadier General | Commanding Officer | 401st Bomb Group
Commanding Officer of 401st BG from June 1943 to 5 December 1944.
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Military | Brigadier General | Commanding Officer | 401st Bomb Group
Commanding Officer of 401st BG from 5 December 1944 to 30 May 1945. Flew 30 missions. He later served as Commandant of the cadets at USAF Academy in Colorado and then as President and Chairman of Pan Amercian World Airways.
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Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Headquarters
26 November 1943
The industrial areas of Bremen, Germany are the target for this massive mission (largest to date) of 505 B-17s which included 14 B-17 Pathfinders from 482BG spread among the B-17 formations - 13 of these completed the mission and 7 were damaged.
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30 November 1943
This mission is directed at a single target - the industrial areas of Solingen, Germany. The mission consists of three elements. The first element is a force of 221 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (24); 92BG (20); 303BG (20); 305BG (16...
1 December 1943
This mission was directed at the industrial areas of Leverkusen and Solingen, Germany. The mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a combined force of 221 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (27); 92BG (18); 303BG (17);...
5 December 1943
This mission is composed of three elements. The first element is a combined force of 216 B-17 from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (10); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (20); 306BG (21); 351BG (35); 379BG (21); 381BG (30); 384BG (20); and 301BG (20)...
11 December 1943
This mission is a massive raid of 583 heavy bombers on the industrial areas of Emden, Germany. The first element is a combined force of 242 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (24); 92BG (18); 303BG (20); 305BG (21); 306BG (20); 351BG (40)...
13 December 1943
The port areas at Bremen and Kiel, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. This is the first mission where more than 600 aircraft are despatched. This mission is comprised of 8 elements. The first element consists 182 B-17s from: 91BG (31);...
16 December 1943
This is a massive mission of 631 heavy bombers directed at the port area of Bremen, Germany. The force of 631 included 1 PFF-equipped B-17s from 482BG dispersed among the attacking formations. The mission is composed of three elements. The first...
20 December 1943
The port area of Bremen is the target for 546 heavy bombers. The total includes 12 PFF-equipped B-17s from 482BG. All 12 of these are effective on the target and 11 are damaged. The bomber gunners of this element claim 1-1-0 (this total included with...
22 December 1943
This mission is composed of two forces directed at two separate targets, the communication centers at Osnabruck and Munster, Germany. The force attacking at Osnabruck is composed of two elements. The first element is composed of 227 B-17s (2 are PFF...
24 December 1943
This mission is directed at V-Weapon sites in the Pas-de-Calaise area of France. The attacks are made between 1330-1510hrs. The mission is composed of three elements. The first element is a force of 277 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG ...
Station | Location | Date |
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Established | 1 April 1943 | |
Based | 1 April 1943 – 27 May 1943 | |
Based | Great Falls AAF | 1 July 1943 – 18 October 1943 |
Based | Deenethorpe | 3 November 1943 – 20 June 1945 |
Military | Staff Sergeant | Airplane Mechanic | 401st Bomb Group
'I was a Airplane Mechanic on the B-17 "Hells Angels Out of Chute 13" with the 401st Bomb Group + 612th Squadron. We were really proud of it because I finished 118 missions without an abort. It was shot up on the last mission of the war in Europe, but...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42-30855 'Ol' Massa', Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
Had the pleasure of personally delivering his bomb to Germany. He is a navigator but when the "Oshkosh Bomb" was dropped he operated the toggle. He was later KIA.
Military | Technical Sergeant | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Shot down 11 September 1944 in B-17 #42-31091 'Maggie'. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Captain | Group Physical Training Officer | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Master Sergeant | 401st Bomb Group
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F-27-BO 41-24606 "Werewolf" was assigned 358BG/303BG [VK-H] Kellog Field, Battle Creek, Michigan on 14-Sep-42; Arrived at Molesworth, UK 16-Oct-42.
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B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 27/2/44; Hunter 22/3/44; Grenier 2/4/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-R] Deenethorpe 16/4/44; 111m, Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 12/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 27/2/44; Kearney 15/3/44; Dow Fd 4/4/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-C] Deenethorpe 16/4/44; Missing in Action Merseburg 24/8/44 with Parker Finney, Co-pilot: Virgil Price, Navigator: Dale Scott, tog-Brown Bralley, Waist gunner: Burton...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 5/3/44; Hunter 7/4/44; Dow Fd 29/4/44; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-C] Deenethorpe 3/5/44; 614BS [IW-S]; 106m, Returned to the USA Bradley 7/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 14/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 16/3/44; Gr Island 1/4/44; Dow Fd 8/4/44; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-Q] Deenethorpe 3/5/45; Missing in Action Dessau 28/5/44 with Bill Protz, Ball turret gunner: Frank Bartak, Waist gunner: Alby Reinhardt, Waist gunner: Glenn Cliff,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 16/3/44; Kearney 1/4/44; Grenier 14/4/44; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-L] Deenethorpe 29/4/44; Missing in Action Dessau 28/5/44 with Paul Scharff, Co-pilot: Chas Eckert, Bombardier: Bob Hoover, Waist gunner: Roscoe Tomlinson (4 Killed in...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/3/44; Hunter 9//4/44; Dow Fd 29/4/44; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-G] Deenethorpe 24/5/44; Missing in Action Dessau 28/5/44 with Fred Windham, Navigator: Carl Floto, Bombardier: Angelo Melito, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bob...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 17/4/44; Kearney 5/2/44; Grenier 21/5/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-E] Deenethorpe 30/5/44; Missing in Action Dessau 20/7/44 with Jack Frederick, John Kirkbride, John Szungyi, Ray Nagle, Ken Fritts, Emerson Roberts, Walt Jenkins,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 19/1/44; Dalhart 4/2/44; Presque 23/3/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-D] Deenethorpe 16/4/44; force landed continent 19/4/45; Sal; Returned to the USA Bradley 11/7/45; 4185 BU Independence 12/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 25/1/44; Kearney 16/2/44; Grenier 10/3/44; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-F] Deenethorpe; on return from mission 12 May 1944 with Lt J.C. Sharp, Waist gunner: Alfred A. Tomkinson (KIA- flak hit - died in in base hospital).
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Distinguished Unit Citation (Division)
Distinguished Unit Citation (Group)
European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon
Air Offensive, Europe
Normandy
Northern France
Rhineland
Ardennes
Central Europe
Date | Contributor | Update |
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25 July 2017 22:07:19 | Win Bryson | Changes to motto |
Sources | ||
Unit History: Pictorial Record of the 401st Bomb Group [BlueBook] Edited and compiled under supervision of Capt. Gordon R. Closeway, 401BG Public Relations Officer. pub. (orig.) 1946, Newsfoto Publishing Co., San Angelo, Texas. 300+pp; ill., 7-1/2"w x 10-1/2"h x 1-1/2"t, oversize hard cover, upholstered, History of the 401BG - formation through operations, from 8th USAAF Station 128, Deenethorpe, U.K., and return to U.S. in 1945. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
01 October 2014 23:24:43 | Paul Bellamy | Changes to mission associations and stations |
Sources | ||
401BG History (401BG Association) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
01 October 2014 23:08:47 | Paul Bellamy | Changes to nicknames and mission associations |
Sources | ||
401BG records (401BG Association) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
01 October 2014 23:07:42 | Paul Bellamy | Changes to type, citations, aircraft types, unit encompassing associations, commanding officers associations, mission associations and stations |
Sources | ||
401BG History (401BG Association) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:42:45 | AAM | AAM ingest |
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) |