Skip to main content
Edit entry 

489th Bomb Group

Group

  • Personnel of the 489th Bomb Group inside a Nissen hut. Image via William Duffy.

    Personnel of the 489th Bomb Group inside a Nissen hut. Image via William Duffy.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • Three 844th Bomb Squadron, 489th Bomb Group B-24 Liberators fly in formation above the photographer's aircraft. The aircraft are: top-centre,

    Three 844th Bomb Squadron, 489th Bomb Group B-24 Liberators fly in formation above the photographer's aircraft. The aircraft are: top-centre, "Ford's Folly" (4R-P); forward-right, "Plucky Lady" (4R-B); and back-left, "Bombers Moon" (4R-H). Handwritten caption on reverse: 'A/C: Ford's Folly, P; Plucky Lady, B; Bombers Moon, H.'

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • Model of 489th Bomb Group assembly ship, in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library, Norwich, England.

    Model of 489th Bomb Group assembly ship, in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library, Norwich, England.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • Leaflet for Halesworth Airfield Memorial Museum.

    Leaflet for Halesworth Airfield Memorial Museum.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • Insignia for 489th Bomb Group

    Insignia for 489th Bomb Group

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • Memorials at Halesworth Airfield Museum. L- R: 5th Emegency Rescue Squadron Memorial, 56th Fighter Group Memorial and 489th Bomb Group Memorial.

    Memorials at Halesworth Airfield Museum. L- R: 5th Emegency Rescue Squadron Memorial, 56th Fighter Group Memorial and 489th Bomb Group Memorial.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • 489th Bomb Group Memorial at Halesworth Airfield Museum.

    489th Bomb Group Memorial at Halesworth Airfield Museum.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • Sign at Halesworth Airfield Memorial Museum.

    Sign at Halesworth Airfield Memorial Museum.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • Crew #503 Joseph L. Booth Crew 466th BG - 785th BS Standing Left to Right: Charles Herbst (FE), Joseph Campbell (WG), George Corrar (BTG), Pate E. Given (R/O), Clarence W. Duvall (TG), Waddie W. Doolittle (WG) Kneeling Left to Right: Joseph L. Booth (P), Ross Burke (CP), Peter B. Bishop (N), Cleo Beggs (B) This crew flew 18 missions with the 466th BG before being transferred to the 389th BG for six missions, the 489th BG for three missions and then finishing up with the 492nd BG for the final three missions.

    Crew #503 Joseph L. Booth Crew 466th BG - 785th BS Standing Left to Right: Charles Herbst (FE), Joseph Campbell (WG), George Corrar (BTG), Pate E. Given (R/O), Clarence W. Duvall (TG), Waddie W. Doolittle (WG) Kneeling Left to Right: Joseph L. Booth (P), Ross Burke (CP), Peter B. Bishop (N), Cleo Beggs (B) This crew flew 18 missions with the 466th BG before being transferred to the 389th BG for six missions, the 489th BG for three missions and then finishing up with the 492nd BG for the final three missions.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  • St Peter, Holton, Norfolk

    St Peter, Holton, Norfolk

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 88
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

The 489th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators out of Halesworth, Suffolk, for several months from May 1944 until later in the year. The Group flew tactical missions in support of ground forces in northern France. It was in this tactical role that the crews carried out saturation bombing before the final Allied breakthrough at St. Lo in July 1944 and dropped food and ammunition into France and Holland.

See unit history website: http://489th-bomb-group-museum.org/489th-group-history/

Browse 489th Bomb Group photographs and other documents in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library digital archive here: www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive/Dashboard/Index/47

Structure

Part of
Encompassing
Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Missions

  • 410

    13 June 1944

  • 412

    14 June 1944
    Mission #10. Bombed an airfield south of Brussels. Bob Martin flew in place of Hussong.

  • 416

    16 June 1944

  • 425

    20 June 1944
    Bombed an airfield. We were hit by flak; a piece hit Palmer's armor plate and another hit a gas tank. Probriefed in the evening for a big secret mission.

  • 426

    20 June 1944

  • 455

    6 July 1944

  • 8th Air Force 554

    15 August 1944
    Airfields in NW Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are the primary targets for this mission. 8th Air Force despatches a total of 932 aircraft. The raid is coordinated with 1,000 Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bombers and Mosquitos attacking 9 airfields...

  • 8th Air Force 556

    16 August 1944
    Aircraft factories and oil refineries are the primary targets for this mission. A total of 1090 heavy bombers are despatched. See Mission Details for particulars. ...

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Halesworth 1 May 1944 – 29 November 1944

Connections

People

  • Harry Aaron

    Military | Sergeant | 489th Bomb Group
    Harry C Aaron was an American soldier in World War II. He was a part of the 489th Bomb Group and the 846th Bomb Squadron. He was born in 1917, in Maryland. He also lived in Maryland. His highest level of education was 4 years of high school. He...

  • Sidney Abelson

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 489th Bomb Group
    B-24H #42-94888 'Special Delivery II' collided with another B-24 on return from a mission to Kassel. KOM

  • Edward Abercrombie

    Military | Staff Sergeant | 489th Bomb Group

  • Jw Abernathy

    Military | Corporal | 489th Bomb Group

  • Lloyd Abernathy

    Military | Corporal | 489th Bomb Group

  • William Abernathy

    Military | Private First Class | 489th Bomb Group

  • Willis Abrams

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    35 missions. AM w/ 4 Oak Leaf Cluster

  • Clair Acker

    Military | Private First Class | 489th Bomb Group

  • Francis Adams

    Military | Private | 489th Bomb Group

  • Hunter Adams

    Military | Private | 369th Air Service Group

Show more

Aircraft

  • 41-28818

    B-24 Liberator

  • 41-28832

    B-24 Liberator
    B-24 Heaven Can Wait #4128832 shot down by flak and crashed at Ursen on 6/29/44, 10 POWs.

  • 41-29515

    B-24 Liberator

  • 41-29533

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-50897

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-51283

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-94776 'Lethal Linda'

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-94785

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-94786

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-94826

    B-24 Liberator
    Assigned to 844BS, 489BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to St Cyr airfield, France. A/C sustained severe damage from flak whilst attacking the target. The only operable controls were one rudder and elevator. The pilots and crew managed to...

Show more

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
09 March 2018 15:33:28 2nd Air Division Memorial Library Changes to description
Sources

2nd Air Division Memorial Library
Date Contributor Update
13 March 2015 15:25:08 rossingtonj Changes to type and mission associations
Sources

Type added.
Date Contributor Update
12 December 2014 10:33:25 Lucy May Changes to description, mission associations and stations
Sources

See unit history website: http://489th-bomb-group-museum.org/489th-group-history/
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:46 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)

Share