330th Bombardment Group, USAAF

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History

The 330th Bombardment Group, USAAF, had two incarnations during the Second World War, first as a training unit and then as a B-29 unit that took part in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan.

The group was activated on 6 July 1942 and became an Operational Training Unit using the B-24 to prepare units for combat. It later became a replacement training unit, before being inactivated on 1 April 1944.

The unit was reactivated on the same day, this time as the 330th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), using the B-29. In January-April 1945 the group moved to Guam to join the Twentieth Air Force.

The group's first combat operation came on 12 April 1945 and was an attack on the Hodogaya chemical plant at Koriyama. In April and May the group attacked the airfields being used by kamikaze aircraft that were attacking the invasion fleet off Okinawa.

After that the group carried out low-level night-time incendiary attacks against Japanese cities. It received two Distinguished Unit Citations - the first for attacks in July 1945 on industrial areas of Tokushima and Gifu and a hydro-electric plant at Kofu and the second for an August 1945 attack on Nakajima-Musashino near Tokyo.

After the end of the war the group was used to drop supplies to POWs and for show of force flights over Japan. It returned to the US in November-December 1945 and was inactivated on 3 January 1946.

Books

To Follow

Aircraft

July 1942-April 1944: Consolidated B-24 Liberator
April 1944-January 1946: Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Timeline

1 July 1942 Constituted as 330th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
6 July 1942 Activated and assigned to Second Air Force
1 April 1944 Inactivated
1 April 1944 Activated as 330th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy)
Jan-April 1945 To Guam and Twentieth Air Force
12 April 1945 Combat debut
Nov-Dec 1945 To United States
3 January 1946 Inactivated

Commanders (with date of appointment)

Ma j Leroy A Rainey: 1 Aug 1942
Lt Col John R Sutherland: 15 Sep 1942
Lt Col John A Way: 1 Dec 1942
Lt Col Samuel C Mitchell: 6 Mar 1943
Lt Col Frank P Bostrom: 15 May 1943
Lt Col Troy W Crawford: 27 Jul 1943
Col Frank P Bostrum: 11 Nov 1943
Lt Col Troy W Crawford: 27 Nov 1943-1 Apr 1944
1st Lt James J Shaffner: 29 Apr 1944
Maj John G Reiber: 3 May 1944
Lt Col Estleg R Farley: 26 May 1944
Col Elbert D Reynolds: 23 Jun 1944
Col Douglas C Polhamus: 12 Aug 1944-unkn

Main Bases

Salt Lake City AAB, Utah: 6 Jul 1942
Alamogordo, NM: 1 Aug 1942
Biggs Field, Tex: 5 Apr 1943-1 Apr 1944
Walker AAFM, Kan: 1 Apr 1944-7 Jan 1945
North Field, Guam: 18 Feb-15 Nov 1945

Component Units

457th Bombardment Squadron: 1942-1944; 1944-1945; 1949-1951; 1952
458th Bombardment Squadron: 1942-1944; 1944-1945; 1952
459th Bombardment Squadron: 1942-1944; 1944-1945; 1952
460th Bombardment Squadron: 1942-1944; 1944

Assigned To

July 1942-April 1944: Second Air Force (training unit)
April-December 1944: 314th Bombardment Wing; XXI Bomber Command; Second Air Force (Training in US)
December 1944-1946: 314th Bombardment Wing; XXI Bomber Command; Twentieth Air Force

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (7 October 2013), 330th Bombardment Group, USAAF , http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/330th_Bombardment_Group.html

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