| 491st Bombardment Group | |
|---|---|
 491stB-24 Liberator at bombs away[note 1] | |
| Active | 1943–1945 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Bomber |
| Part of | Eighth Air Force |
| Nickname | Ringmasters |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 491st Bombardment Squadron emblem[1] |  |
The491st Bombardment Group is a formerUnited States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in October 1943 as aheavy bomber unit, drawing itscadre from the former17th Antisubmarine Squadron. After training in the United States, thegroup deployed to theEuropean Theater of Operations, where it participated in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany, earning aDistinguished Unit Citation in an attack against Misburg. The group flew 187 combat missions. FollowingV-E Day, the group returned to the United States and was inactivated atMcChord Field, Washington in September 1945.
The491st Bombardment Group was activated 1 October 1943 atDavis–Monthan Field, Arizona, along with three of its componentsquadrons, the852d,853d and854th Bombardment Squadrons.[2][3][4][5] Its cadre was formed from the17th Antisubmarine Squadron atAlamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, which was redesignated the 855th Bombardment Squadron and became thegroup's fourth squadron.[5][note 2] In late October, the group commander and key personnel went toPinecastle Army Air Field, Florida for special training with theArmy Air Forces School of Applied Tactics, operating under simulated combat conditions. One crew was lost during this specialized training. The following month, the group and its squadrons moved toEl Paso Army Air Field, Texas and began training withConsolidated B-24 Liberatorheavy bombers.[2] Most of the ground echelon of the group was withdrawn and reassigned toBoeing B-29 Superfortress units being organized bySecond Air Force, with the largest portion moving toPratt Army Air Field, Kansas. Many of the unit's remaining personnel were transferred to other B-24 groups as well, and by the end of December, the 491st had no assigned aircraft and only four crews in addition to the group staff.[6]
In January, the air echelon moved toPueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, where it was joined by new crews soon after arrival and continued training, reaching full strength in early February.[7] Meanwhile,Eighth Air Force began organizing a new ground echelon for the group in England, directing each of the four groups assigned to its2d Bombardment Division to form a squadron ground echelon.[8][note 3] The group's air echelon moved toPueblo Army Air Base, Colorado to complete its training with the471st Bombardment Group.[6] Key personnel of the unit departed the United States on 11 April, while the crews began ferrying the squadron's B-24s via the southern ferry route on 21 April.[8]
The 491st's air and ground echelons were assembled atRAF Metfield with the arrival of the air echelon by 15 May 1944, although the last plane of the 491st did not arrive until the 30th.[9] It began operations starting on 2 June, with an attack onBretigny Airfield.[10] It initially attackedairfields,coastal defenses andlines of communication to supportOperation Overlord, the invasion of France. After theD-Day landings,[note 4] the squadron concentrated on thestrategic bombing missions. Its targets includedcommunications centers,oil refineries,shipyards, depots and other industrial targets. While targets includedBerlin,Bielefeld,Cologne,Gelsenkirchen,Hamburg,Hanover,Kassel andMagdeburg. On one occasion, the squadron was tasked with attackingGerman General Staff headquarters atZossen, south of Berlin.[2][8]
In August 1944, the492d Bombardment Group was taken off normal operations and moved on paper to replace the801st Bombardment Group (Provisional) onOperation Carpetbagger operations. As a result, the 491st Group moved to the 492d's base atRAF North Pickenham.[11] On 26 November 1944, the group raided an oil refinery at Misburg. It was attacked by large numbers of enemyinterceptors, which shot down approximately half of the aircraft in the 491st Group formation. The remaining aircraft fought off the enemy planes and successfully bombed the target, earning the unit aDistinguished Unit Citation.[2]
The group was occasionally diverted from the strategic bombing campaign. it supported ground forces duringOperation Cobra the breakout atSaint Lo; dropped supplies to beleaguered paratroopers duringOperation Market Garden, the attempt to seize a bridgehead across theRhine River; and attacked supply lines and fortifications during theBattle of the Bulge. It supportedOperation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine andAllied forces driving across Germany.[2] The squadron's final combat mission was flown on 25 April 1945.[8]
During its combat tour, the 491st flew 187 missions, comprising over 5,000 sorties, the highest operational rate for Liberator units in Eighth Air Force. It lost 47 aircraft,[note 5] while claiming 9 German planes destroyed. FollowingV-E Day, the group began flying its aircraft back to the United States on 17 June 1945. The ground echelon sailed on theRMS Queen Mary on 6 July, arriving inNew York City five days later.[8] The 491st reassembled atMcChord Field, Washington later that month and was inactivated there on 8 September.[2]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 26 November 1944 | Misburg, 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 25 April 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
| Air Combat, EAME Theater | 25 April 1944 – 11 May 1945 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 491st Bombardment Group[2] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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