44th Bomb Group Wo Txt Pins and Buttons

The 44th Bomb Group was assigned to 8th Air Force at Cheddington from 11-Sep-1942 to 28-Jun-1943. The Group was known as the 'Flying Eight-Balls' and each B-24 Liberator it flew was decorated with a winged bomb cartoon of an 8-Ball (pool ball) over which were superimposed eyes and the nose of a bomb in the squadron colour.

The 314th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 21st Bombardment Group, based at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 10 October 1943.

The squadron was first activated as the 774th Bombardment Squadron during World War II. After training in the United States with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, it deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations before inactivating in Italy.

The squadron was first activated as the 775th Bombardment Squadron during World War II. After training in the United States with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, it deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations before inactivating in Italy.

The squadron was first activated as the 773rd Bombardment Squadron during World War II. After training in the United States with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, it deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations before inactivating in Italy.

The squadron was first activated as the 772nd Bombardment Squadron during World War II. After training in the United States with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, it deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations before inactivating in Italy.

The 827th Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to the 484th Bombardment Group at Casablanca Airport, French Morocco, where it was inactivated on 25 July 1945. The squadron was first activated as the 41st Bombardment Squadron as the United States expanded its military following the outbreak of World War II. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron performed antisubmarine warfare missions off the Atlantic coast of the United States, and was redesignated as the 5th Antisubmarine Squadron.

The 824th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 484th Bombardment Wing at Turner Air Force Base, Georgia, where it was inactivated on 25 March 1967.

The 782d Troop Carrier Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The squadron was first activated in 1943 as the 782d Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it served in combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator unit in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions. After V-E Day, the squadron served in Air Transport Command, ferrying men from the combat theater back to the United States before inactivating. two Distinguished Unit Citations before inactivating in Italy.

The 873rd Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 498th Tactical Missile Group at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The squadron was first activated in 1943 for service during World War II as the 873rd Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States with Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, the squadron moved to the Mariana Islands, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations before the end of hostilities in August 1945. The squadron returned to the United States in December 1945 and was inactivated in March 1946, and its personnel and equipment were transferred to another organization.

The 869th Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was assigned to the 497th Bombardment Group, and was last stationed at MacDill Field, Florida where it was inactivated on 31 March 1946. The squadron was activated in late 1943. After training in the United States, it moved to Saipan in the Central Pacific Area, where it served in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan with Twentieth Air Force, flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress aircraft, where it earned two Distinguished Unit Citations. Following V-J Day, the squadron returned to the United States and briefly became part of Strategic Air Command before inactivating.

The 379th Bomb Group was activated November 26, 1942, at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. It consisted of four squadrons of B-17s, the 524th, 525th, 526th and 527th. Overseas movement began in April, and in May the 379th arrived at Kimbolton, England, AAF Station 117. Its first combat mission was the bombing of German U-boat pens at St Nazaire, France, on May 29, 1943. Colonel Maurice A. Preston was the original commanding officer until October 10, 1944, when he became the commander of the 41st Combat Wing headquartered at Molesworth. Colonel Lewis E. Lyle then assumed command of the 379th Bomb Group until May 5, 1945, when he became commander of the 41st Combat Wing. Lt. Col. Lloyd C. Mason was then named commander of the 379th Bomb Group, and w

The 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 1 December 1942, at Gowen Field, Idaho. It was placed under the command of Col. Budd J. Peaslee, a veteran pilot with extensive experience flying many different aircraft types, including the B-17. Col. Peaslee, born in 1902, was older than the average group commander, yet he would lead the group into combat from the front just as the younger leaders did. Training commenced at Wendover, Utah, on 2 January 1943, and continued there through 1 April 1943. The unit then moved to Sioux City, Iowa, for final training. The ground unit left for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on 9 May 1943, sailing on the Queen Elizabeth on 27 May 1943, and arrived in Greenock, Scotland on 2 June 1943. The aircrews left S

Constituted as 550th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 25 November 1942 Activated on 1 December 1942 Inactivated on 28 August 1945 Re-designated 550th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 25 August 1947 Activated in the reserve on 15 September 1947 Inactivated on 27 June 1949 Re-designated 550th Strategic Missile Squadron, and activated, on 2 July 1960 Organized on 1 April 1961 Inactivated on 25 June 1965

Established as a B-17 Flying Fortress Operational Training Unit (OTU) for replacement personnel under Second Air Force. Trained pilots and aircrews from July 1942 to April 1944. Realigned as an operational B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomb group in July 1944. Trained under Second Air Force until June 1945, being deployed to Okinawa as part of the new Eighth Air Force in the Pacific Theater. Arrived in Okinawa but Japanese Capitulation led to drawdown of Eighth Air Force and the group never was engaged in combat. Flew show-of-force missions over Occupied Japan and aircraft helped evacuate prisoners of war from Japan and China to airfields in the Philippines. Personnel demobilized and aircraft flown to storage in the United States...

The 358th Bombardment Squadron was established in February 1942 as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber squadron at Pendleton Field, Oregon and assigned to the 303d Bombardment Group. It moved to Gowen Field, Idaho, where it trained under Second Air Force. The squadron deployed to Southern California to fly antisubmarine patrols over the Pacific. The 358th completed training in southwest by August 1942. The ground echelon departed Biggs Field, Texas in August 1942, arriving at Fort Dix on 24 August. It sailed aboard the RMS Queen Mary and arrived in Great Britain on 10 September. The air echelon flew through Kellogg Field, Michigan and Dow Field, Maine before ferrying its planes across the Atlantic. Due to the haste to move heavy bomb

The 427th Bombardment Squadron was originally the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron. They were sailing to Hawaii to join its parent, the 19th Bomb Group, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December 1941. The ship carrying the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron returned to the mainland and the personnel were assigned to the 427th Bomb Squadron. The 427th BS became famous with its parent, the 303rd Bombardment Group (H). Because of its initial move in the Pacific, 427th Squadron members are entitled to we ar the Asia-Pacific Campaign ribbon.