453rd Bomber Group

8th Air Force 453rd BG

Squadrons of the 453rd BG

732th Bombardment Squadron - Heavy
733rd Bombardment Squadron - Heavy
734th Bombardment Squadron -Heavy
735th Bombardment Squadron - Heavy

Assigned 8th AAF: December 1943

Wing/Command Assignment

VIII BC, 2 BD, 20 CBW 23 Dec 1943
2 BD, 2 CBW 8 Jan 1944
2 AD, 2 CBW 1 Jan 1945

Combat Aircraft:

B-24H
B-24J
B-24L
B-24M

Stations

OLD BUCKENHAM 23 December 1943 to 9 May 1945

Group COs

Col Joseph A. Miller: 29 Jun. 1943 - 18 Mar. 1944, MIA
Col Ramsey D. Potts Jr: 19 Mar. 1944 - 6 Jul. 1944
Col Lawrence M. Thomas 7 Jul. 1944 - 25 Jan. 1945
Lt Col Edward F. Hubbard 25 Jan. 1945 - May 1945

First Mission: 5 Feb 1944
Last Mission: 12 Apr 1945
Missions: 259
Total Sorties: 6,655
Total Bomb Tonnage: 15,804 Tons
Aircraft MIA: 58

Major Awards:

None

Claims to Fame

733rd BS completed 82 consecutive missions without loss a record.
James Stewart, of film fame, was Group Executive Officer from Mar. 44.

Early History:

Activated on the first of June. 1943 at Wendover Field, Utah. Established at Pocatello AAFd, Idaho, on 29th of July 1943 and trained there for two months. Moved to March Field, California on the 30th September 1943 to complete training. The ground echelon left March for port of embarkation on the 2nd December 1943.

Subsequent History:

Removed from operations on the 12 of April 1945 to prepare for return to US and possible deployment to the Pacific theater. Aircraft apparently remained in UK. Group personnel left Old Buckenham on the 9th of May 1945. Established at New Castle AAFd, Del. 25 May 1943 as very heavy bomb group but the project was cancelled. From 18 June 1945 to 12 September 1945 the Group was located at Fort Dix AAB, NJ., and was Inactivated on the 12 Sep. 1945.