417th Bombardment Group | |
|---|---|
 Douglas A-20s of the 417th Bombardment Group showing markings adopted in theSouthwest Pacific Theater | |
| Active | 1943–1945 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Nickname | Sky Lancers |
| Engagements | South West Pacific Theater of World War II |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 417th Bombardment Group Insigne (unofficial) |  |
The417th Bombardment Group is an inactiveUnited States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was withV Bomber Command atItami Airfield, Japan, where it was inactivated on 5 November 1945.
DuringWorld War II, the group operated in theSouthwest Pacific Theater as a lightbombardment unit during the New Guinea and Philippines campaigns. It was awarded both theDistinguished Unit Citation and thePhilippine Presidential Unit Citation for its combat service.
Media related to417th Bombardment Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons
The417th Bombardment Group was activated in the spring of 1943 atWill Rogers Field, Oklahoma with the672d,[1]673d,[2]674th,[3] and675th Bombardment Squadrons[4] assigned.[5] Thegroup drew its initialcadre from the46th and416th Bombardment Groups. Once assigned, the 417th's key personnel travelled toOrlando Army Air Base in mid-April where they received combat training from theArmy Air Forces School of Applied Tactics.[6]
The firstDouglas A-20 Havocs arrived to equip the group in mid-May along with some DB-7 export models of the Havoc. Initial training of the group was conducted by the 46th Bombardment Group, the Operational Training Unit at Will Rogers Field.[6] The group then moved toDeRidder Army Air Base, Louisiana[5] for advanced training. From August to September the 417th operated with theII Tactical Air Division givinglow level support to ground units onmaneuvers.[7] Once training was completed The 417th departed the San Francisco Port of Embarkation by ship on New Year's Day 1944.[8]
The group arrived in New Guinea in late January 1944, where it became part ofFifth Air Force. It began combat in March, operating in support of ground forces on New Guinea and strikingairfields, bridges, personnel concentrations, installations, and shipping in the area.[5] The group participated with other Fifth Air Force units in attacks on shipping and enemy airstrips nearHollandia on 16 April that resulted in the destruction of 298 enemy planes.[9]
Most sorties were flown at low level, since Japaneseflak was not very intense. During these low level bombing operations, it was found that there was little need for abombardier. Consequently, the bombardier was often replaced by additional forward-firing machine guns mounted in a faired-over nose. The A-20's heavy firepower, maneuverability, speed and bombload made it an appropriate weapon for pinpoint strikes against aircraft, hangars, and supply dumps. In formation, their heavy forward firepower could defeat shipboard anti-aircraft defenses and at low level the A-20s could skip their bombs into the sides of transports anddestroyers with deadly effect. Some A-20s had their heavy forward-firing armament supplemented by clusters of three Bazooka-type rocket tubes underneath each wing. These tubes each held an M8, T-30 4.5-inch (110 mm) spin-stabilized rocket. These rocket launcher tubes turned out to be heavy and complicated, and were generally more trouble than they were worth and were not often used.[citation needed]
The unit operated fromNoemfoor from September to December 1944, attacking airfields and installations onCeram,Halmahera, and western New Guinea.[5] Noemfoor operations included attacks onoil installations.[9] The 417th moved to the Philippines in December 1944 at the end of the New Guinea campaign. The group'sground crews left Noemfoor by ship while the aircrew flew to the Philippines once the advance party had preparedMcGuire Field for use in late December.[10] While en route, the convoy transporting the ground echelon endured two Japanese air attacks.[11]
The group received aDistinguished Unit Citation for attacking Japanese convoys atLingayen between 30 December 1944 and 2 January 1945, an action that not only impaired enemy shipping and supply strength, but also helped to clear the way for the American invasion of Luzon.[5] During the 2 January attack, the groupcommander, Lt. Col. Howard S. Ellmore, was lost to enemy fire.[11] During these attacks the group sank 36,000 tons of shipping including a freighter, adestroyer escort and several transports.[12]
Until June 1945 the 417th supported ground forces and continued to attack enemy airfields, transportation, and installations onLuzon,Cebu,Negros, andMindanao. The group flew its last missions in July, dropping propaganda leaflets to Japanese troops on Luzon.[5] After the Philippines were secured, the group turned its attention to Japanese targets onFormosa in early 1945.[citation needed] It moved to Okinawa in August 1945 and toItami Air Base, Japan in November, where it was inactivated on 15 November 1945.[5]
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| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 30 December 1944-2 January 1945 | Philippine Islands[5] |
_Streamer.png) | Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation | 17 October 1944-4 July 1945 | [5] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | New Guinea | 28 January 1944 – 31 December 1944 | [5] |
| Leyte | 17 October 1944 – 1 July 1945 | [5] |
| Luzon | 15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945 | [5] |
| Southern Philippines | 27 February 1945 – 4 July 1945 | [5] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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