Elbert Helton
Military | Colonel | Group Commanding Officer | 493rd Bomb Group
He led the 493rd BG to the target at Coblenz on 11 Nov. 44 493rd Group known as "The Fighting 493rd"
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Group
The 493rd Bomb Group was the last Eighth Air Force Group to become operational, flying their first combat mission from Debach, Suffolk, on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The Group was known as "the Fighting 493rd", named by their Commanding Officer Colonel Elbert Helton, who held the post for over a year. The Group flew 157 bombing missions, their targets a range of strategic ones in Germany and tactical ones in northern France, Holland and along the Rhine. In additional the crews flew six food missions in May 1945, dropping over 400 tonnes of food into newly-liberated parts of Europe.
Military | Colonel | Group Commanding Officer | 493rd Bomb Group
He led the 493rd BG to the target at Coblenz on 11 Nov. 44 493rd Group known as "The Fighting 493rd"
Military | Major General | Fighter Pilot 1055 single engine/Group Commander | 493rd Bomb Group
CO 56th FG )ct 1943 - Jan 1944 CO 493rd BG
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Military | Colonel | Air Executive | 493rd Bomb Group
AM
Wing
Although equipped with B-24 aircraft, I believe that association with 2nd BD/AD is in error. Moreover, the Group had converted to B-17 before the designation of the 2nd Air Division. The Group carried 3rd Bomb Division markings throughout its combat...
Squadron
Browse 18th Weather Squadron photographs and other documents in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library digital archive here: www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive/Dashboard/Index/60
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Headquarters
14 June 1944
Mission #10. Bombed an airfield south of Brussels. Bob Martin flew in place of Hussong.
20 June 1944
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...
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.
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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.
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12 September 1944
24 December 1944
1. Decision.
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Station | Location | Date |
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Based | Debach | April 1944 – 6 August 1945 |
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Corporal | Clerk-Typist | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Captain | Pilot | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant | Navigator | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant | Duty Non-Commissioned Officer | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Assistant Top Secret control Officer | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Captain | Pilot | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant | Squadron Engineering Officer | 493rd Bomb Group
B-24 Liberator
Originally assigned to 490th Bomb Group, 851st Bomb Sqdn
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/1/44; Gr Island 17/2/44; Presque Is 12/3/44; Assigned 728BS/452BG [9Z-M] Deopham Green 13/3/44; Missing in Action Gdynia 6/8/44 with Louis Graber, Co-pilot: Morris Freed, Navigator: Fran Maloney, Bombardier: Nick Milcic, Flight...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 18/9/43; Scott 27/10/43; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-M] Deenethorpe 3/11/43; transferred 487BG Lavenham 15/7/44; then to 860BS/493BG Debach, on local flight 16/8/44 with Capt Wesley Love, Co-pilot: Charles Boyce, Navigator: Fred...
B-24 Liberator
Crashed on Mission 554 of 15 August 1944. Target : Florennes / Jusaine airfield, Belgium
B-24 Liberator
Shot down by Flak on the 14 June 1944 mission to Laon, France. Crashed near Steene (Nord Department), France. Pilot : Orville H. Brewer Jr; Co-Pilot Lothrop Caldwell; Navigator Wilfred N. Hansen; Bombardier Coleman C. Duncan; Radio Operator/Gunner...
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 850BS, 490BG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 862BS, 493BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Fallersleben; flak hit holed fuel tanks/lines causing conflagration, flames from cockpit to rear of bomb bay. Crew Lt's J.H. Hansen, S.A...
B-24 Liberator
None
Date | Contributor | Update |
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04 February 2020 01:01:55 | phil marchese | Changes to description |
Sources | ||
Typo, |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
05 April 2019 10:03:12 | Darren Jelley | Changes to description |
Sources | ||
493rd BG Archives |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
15 April 2018 11:58:35 | Darren Jelley | Changes to nicknames, aircraft types and commanding officers associations |
Sources | ||
493rd BG Museum archives |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
31 July 2016 22:45:45 | Darren Jelley | Changes to description |
Sources | ||
The 493rd BG was never called Helton's Hellcats. the Official name was "the Fighting 493rd" the Group flew 161 combat missions, and not 152 as listed. D Jelley |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
29 May 2015 06:54:23 | Robin | Changes to mission associations and media associations |
Sources | ||
Robin Deutsch |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
13 March 2015 15:28:14 | rossingtonj | Changes to type and mission associations |
Sources | ||
Type added. |
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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) |