492nd Bomb Group
Group
IWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Object Number - FRE 2136 - A Swedish Soldier guards a B-24 Liberator (serial number 44-40159) nicknamed "Boulder Buff" of the 492nd Bomb Group that has landed in Sweden.
The 492nd Bomb Group were assigned to the 8th Air Force in April 1944. They flew 60 missions over occupied Europe from 11 May 1944 until 7 August 1944.
The group sustained heavier losses than any other B-24 group over a three month period. On 5 August 1944, they became the only Bomb Group in the European Theatre of operations to be disbanded because of high casualties, and were withdrawn from combat. The men and machines of the 492nd Bomb Group were transferred to the 367th Bomb Group while the unit was reassigned to take over the role of the 801st Bomb Group, who had been undertaking 'Carpetbagger' operations.
Commanding Officers
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 492nd Bomb Group 66th Bomb Squadron Headquarters (14th Combat Bomb Wing) Headquarters (Eighth Air Force)
- Service Numbers: O-22364
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Commanding Officer
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Unit stations
| Station | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
|
Based |
North Pickenham | 14 April 1944 - 12 August 1944 |
Encompassing
People
Aircraft
Mission
Related media
- Media Type: Video
- Collection Name: Rob Edwards collection
- Object Number: UPL 29177
- Description: Video and photographs of the memorials to the 492nd and 491st Bombardment Groups (Heavy) who served at North Pickenham Station 143.
- Media Type: Document
- Collection Name: William L Beigel Collection
- Object Number: Document 15739
- Description: Extract from Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) for 2nd Lieutenant Lloyd L Anderson of the 492nd Bomb Group researched by historian Bill Beigel...
- Media Type: Document
- Collection Name: Unit histories
- Object Number: Document 39798
- Description: 14th Combat Bomb Wing Unit History, complete copy Resembling a college yearbook, unit histories were an unofficial – and often tongue-in-cheek –...
- Media Type: Document
- Object Number: UPL 65441
- Description: "Brunswick, Germany - Ernie Gavitt's Story" By Ernest Gavitt, Navigator, Arnett Crew 717, 857th BS, 492nd BG
- Media Type: Document
- Object Number: UPL 65455
- Description: "Is This Trip Really Necessary?" by Lt Col Charles Arnett, USAF (ret). 492nd BG, 857th BS, 44-40171, Mission No. 358
- Media Type: Document
- Object Number: UPL 65468
- Description: Remembering Uriel F. Robertson, Waist Gunner, Arnett Crew, 857th BS, 492nd BG, KIA 19 May 1944, 44-40171, Mission No. 358
- Media Type: Document
- Object Number: UPL 65568
- Description: On the evening of June 4, 1944, a B-24 Liberator bomber of the 856th Bomber Squadron, 492nd Bomber Group, piloted by Second Lieutenant Raymond J...
Revisions
Removed associations to people and aircraft whose record mentions 'carpetbagger' due to likelihood of serving with 492nd Bomb Group Carpetbaggers
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)