489th
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The Scrapbook Archives - Halesworth, Suffolk
489th Bomb Group
The focus of this scrapbook is the 489th Bombbardment Group, stationed at Halesworth, Suffolk
The 489th Bomb Group was activated on October 1, 1943 at Wendover Field in Utah. The group was formed and trained at Wendover Field, except for some specialized training for certain detachments of the group.
The 489th left Utah on April 3, 1944 for England, with the air crews flying their 70 B24 Liberators via the southern ferry route through South America and Africa, and the ground crews travelling from New York City via the USS Wakefield on April 13, 1944. They arrived at Halesworth, the closest 2nd Air Division airfield to the English Channel.
The first mission was against Oldenburg, Germany on May 30, 1944. From this time, until their last mission on November 10, 1944, the group flew 106 missions for 2,998 sorties. They lost 26 aircraft in combat.
A 489th Bomb Group airman was awarded the Medal of Honor. This went to Lieutenant Colonel Leon R. Vance for his bravery and sacrifice on June 5, 1944 during a mission against French coast defenses in preparation for D-Day.
The 489th was the first bomb group from the 8th Air Force to be redeployed to the United States. The group was relieved of their assignment on November 29, 1944. While officially, the 489th was returned to the United States for redeployment to the Pacific, many of the aircraft and personnel were reassigned to other bomb groups in England.
Officers and aircraft crew chief of Crew #5, 844th/847th BS. Included are R.W. Kirby, A.J. Gaczi, ? Lipe, C.L. Harkins, C.H. Taylor, and J.T. Pace. From the collection of C.L. Harkins (MC 371/599 721x6), Norfolk Record Office.
Machine shop of the 489th. From the collection of Leland J. Smith (MC 371/603 721x6), Norfolk Record Office.
A history of the 489th Bomb Group is available for use in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library, in addition to the standard histories of the 2nd Air Division and the 8th Air Force.
Freudenthal, Charles H: A History of the 489th Bomb Group.
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Created 13 July 2007
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