History of the 490th Bomber Group

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Squadrons of the 490th BG

849th Bombardment Squadron - Heavy                              850th Bombardment Squadron -Heavy

851st Bombardment Squadron - Heavy

Assigned 8th AAF: April 1944.

Wing/Command Assignment

3 BD, 93 CBW: 7 April 1944. 3 AD, 93 CBW: 1 January 1945

Combat Aircraft:

B-24H    B-24J    B-17G

Stations

Station 134 Brome Drome

EYE, England 26 April 44 - 24 August 1945

Group COs

.Col Gene H. Tibbets: 10 Jun. 1945 - 9 Jun 1945  

First Mission: 31 May 44 Last Mission: 20 Apr 45Missions: 158 Total Sorties: 5,060Total Bomb Tonnage: 12,407 Tons    Aircraft MIA: 22

Major Awards:

  Claims to Fame Lowest MIA losses of any OAF bomb group in combat for extended period of time.

Early History:

Activated 1 October 1943 at Salt Lake City AAB, Utah. Transferred Mountain Home AAFd, Idaho, where Group formed and trained from December - April 1944. Ground unit left for Camp Shanks, NY. 11 April 1944 and sailed on Nieu Amsterdam, 15 April 1944 arriving Clyde 25 April 1944. Aircraft started overseas movement on 12 April 1944 taking the southern ferry route, via Florida, Trinidad, Brazil, Dakar and Marrakecl to UK.

Subsequent History:

Redeployed US July 1945. Aircraft left Eye on the 6th of July 1945. The ground unit sailed from Southampton on the Queen Elizabeth on the 26 August 1945 arriving New York 1 September 1945. The group was established at Drew Fd, Fla. 3 September 1945 and inactivated there 7 Nov. 45.

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