325th, 326th, 327th & 407th Bomb Squadrons | 92nd Bomb Group | 8th AAF

[walika]

325th, 326th, 327th & 407th Bomb Squadrons | 92nd Bomb Group | 8th AAF

 

 

92nd Bombardment Group

 

Constituted as 92d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Trained with B-17’s and performed antisubmarine duty.

Moved to England, Jul-Aug 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF. Flew a few combat missions in Sep and Oct 1942, then trained replacement crews. Began bombardment of strategic objectives in May 1943 and engaged primarily in such operations throughout the war. Targets from May 1943 to Feb 1944 included shipyards at Kiel, ball-bearing plants at Schweinfurt, submarine installations at Wilhelmshaven, a tire plant at Hannover, airfields near Paris, an aircraft factory at Nantes, and a magnesium mine and reducing plant in Norway. Flight Officer John C Morgan, co-pilot, received the Medal of Honor for action aboard a B-17 during a mission over Europe, 26 Jul 1943: when the aircraft was attacked by enemy fighters, the pilot suffered a brain injury which left him in a crazed condition; for two hours Morgan flew in formation with one hand at the controls and the other holding off the struggling pilot who was attempting to fly the plane; finally another crew member was able to relieve the situation and the B-17 made a safe landing at its base. Although handicapped by weather conditions, enemy fire, and insufficient fighter protection, the group bombed aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 Jan 1944 and received a DUC for the mission. Took part in the intensive campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during Big Week, 20-25 Feb 1944. After that, attacked V-weapon sites in France; airfields in France, Germany, and the Low Countries; and industrial targets in France, Germany, and Belgium, making concentrated strikes on oil and transportation facilities after Oct 1944. In addition to strategic missions, performed some interdictory and support operations. Assisted the Normandy invasion in Jun 1944 by hitting gun emplacements, junctions, and marshalling yards in the beachhead area. Supported ground forces at St Lo during the breakthrough in Jul 1944.

Bombed gun positions and bridges to aid the airborne assault on Holland in Sep 1944. Participated in the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 194-Jan 1945, by attacking bridges and marshalling yards in and near the battle area. Bombed airfields near the landing zone to cover the airborne assault across the Rhine in Mar 1945. Moved to France in Jun 1945 and transported troops from Marseilles to Casablanca for return to the US. Inactivated in France on 28 Feb 1946.

SQUADRONS. 325th: 1942-1946. 326th: 1942-1946. 327th: 1942-1946. 407th: 1942-1946.

STATIONS. Barksdale Field, La, 1 Mar 1942; MacDill Field, Fla, c. 26 Mar 1942; Sarasota, Fla, May-Jul 1942; Bovingdon, England, Aug 1942; Alconbury, England, Jan 1943; Podington, England, Sep 1943; Istres, France, Jun 1945-28 Feb 1946. Ft Worth AAFld, Tex, 4 Aug 1946; Smoky Hill AAFld, Kan, Oct 1946; Spokane AAFld, Wash, Jun 1947-16 Jun 1952.

CAMPAIGNS. Antisubmarine, American Theater; Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe.

 

325th Bombardment Squadron

EMBLEM. Over and through a white disc, thin border black, the comic strip character, ALLEY OOP, proper, riding on the back of a leaping saber tooth tiger proper, and holding aloft a stone club in sinister hand in striking position. (Approved 3 Jun 1943.)

 

Embroidered on wool.

326th Bombardment Squadron

EMBLEM. Over and through a white disc, thin border black, the comic strip caracter, ALLEY OOP, proper, with stone club grasped in left hand in striking position, all proper, astride the back of a blue-green dinosaur, trimmed dark blue, tail entwined about large yellow aerial bomb. (Approved 3 Jun 1943.)

 

Incised Leather. Hand-painted.

 

Painted leather.

 

327th Bombardment Squadron

EMBLEM. Approved 3 Jun 1943.

 

Embroidered on wool.

 

407th Bombardment Squadron

EMBLEM. Over and through a white disc, thin border black, the comic strip character, ALLEY OOP, proper, grasping a large green aerial bomb in left hand, and riding on the back of a purple pterodactyl, having two large orange aerial bombs suspended by ropes from the tail. (Approved 3 Jun 1943.)

 

Hand-painted on leather.

 

Alley Oop is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of characters, and his story lines entertained with a combination of adventure, fantasy, and humor. Alley Oop, the strip's title character, was a sturdy citizen in the prehistoric kingdom of Moo. He rode his pet dinosaur Dinny, carried a stone war hammer, and wore only a fur loincloth. He would rather fight dinosaurs in the jungle than deal with his fellow countrymen in Moo's capital and sole cave-town. Despite these exotic settings, the stories were often satires of American suburban life.

 

 

 

Maurer. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II.

Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II.

 

325bs92bg8aaf

326bs92bg8aaf

327bs92bg8aaf

407bs92bg8aaf

 

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That incised leather patch made my jaw drop.

[walika]

Theater-made. Hand-painted on leather.