The 38th Bombardment Group is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. It was most recently assigned as the operational (flying) component of the 38th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Laon-Couvron Air Base, France, where it was inactivated on 8 December 1957.
During World War II the 38th Bomb Group was a medium bombardment group operating in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) as a B-25 Mitchell unit assigned to Fifth Air Force. It was one of the first combat organizations of the United States Army Air Forces to be deployed to the Pacific Theater when elements took part in the June 1942, Battle of Midway using the Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber. Operating in separated echelons until February 1943, the group was re-organized in April 1943 into a standardized B-25 unit. At the conclusion of World War II, the group converted to the A-26 (later B-26) Invader medium bomber.
The 38th Bomb Group was awarded four Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat service in Papua (Buna and Gona, 23 July 1942 to 23 January 1943); New Britain (Cape Gloucester, 24–26 December 43); New Guinea (Jefman-Samate-Sorong, 16–17 June 1944); and Leyte (Ormoc Bay, 10 November 1944). It also received recognition from the government of the Philippines with an award of the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
During the early years of the Cold War, the unit operated in France as a NATO tactical bombardment group flying Martin B-57B Canberras. The group formed the "Black Knights" aerial demonstration team that performed at several air shows in Western Europe, including the 1957 Paris Air Show. The Black Knights were the only tactical bomber show team in the world.
History For additional history and lineage, see 38th Combat Support Wing
Lineage Constituted as 38th Bombardment Group (Medium) on 20 November 1940 Activated on 15 January 1941 Redesignated 38th Bombardment Group, Light on 6 May 1946 Inactivated in the Far East on 1 April 1949. Activated in France on 1 January 1953 Redesignated 38th Bombardment Group, Tactical on 1 October 1955 Inactivated on 8 December 1957 Redesignated 38th Tactical Missile Group on 31 July 1985 (remained inactive)
Assignments 3 Bomber (later, III Bomber) Command, 15 January 1941 – 18 January 1942 V Bomber Command Air Echelon remained attached to III Bomber Command, 18 January-1 May 1942 Ground Echelon assigned to United States Army Forces in Australia, 18 January-25 February 1942 Ground Echelon assigned to Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area, 1 April 1942 Two squadrons attached to VII Fighter Command, 1 May-1 August 1942 V Fighter Command (Combined unit), 1 August 1942 Fifth Air Force 22 November 1945 38th Bombardment Wing 18 August 1948 – 1 April 1949; 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957
Components 69th Bombardment Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 26 February 1943 70th Bombardment Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 26 February 1943 71st Bombardment Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 1 April 1949; 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957 89th Bombardment Squadron: 6 May 1946 – 1 April 1949 15th Reconnaissance (later 405th Bombardment) Squadron: 25 February 1942 – 1 April 1949; 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957 822d Bombardment Squadron: 20 April 1943 – 12 April 1946; 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957 823d Bombardment Squadron: 20 April 1943 – 12 April 1946
Stations
Langley Field, Virginia, 15 January 1941* Jackson AAB, Mississippi, c. 5 June 1941 – 18 January 1942 Two squadrons operated from Hickam Field, Hawaii Territory until mid June 1942, then from Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, New Caledonia, and Nandi Airfield, Fiji Doomben Field (Eagle Farm Airport), Australia, 25 February 1942* Ballarat Airport, Australia, 8 March 1942* RAAF Base Amberley, Australia, 30 April 1942* Doomben Field (Eagle Farm Airport), Australia, c. 10 June 1942* Breddan Airfield, Australia, 7 August 1942 RAAF Base Townsville, Australia, 30 September 1942 *Group ground echelons only, no aircraft or crews
Durand Airfield, Port Moresby, New Guinea, 26 November 1942 Nadzab Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 4 March 1944 Borokoe Airfield, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, 1 October 1944 Pitoe Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 15 October 1944 Lingayen Airfield, Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, 30 January 1945 Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, 25 July 1945 Itazuke Airfield, Japan, 27 November 1945 Itami Airfield, Japan, 26 October 1946 – 1 April 1949 Laon-Couvron Air Base, France 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957
Aircraft Douglas B-18 Bolo (1941) Martin B-26 Marauder (1941–1942) North American B-25 Mitchell (1942–1945, 1947–1949) Douglas B-26 Invader (1945–1949, 1953–1955) Martin B-57 Canberra (1955–1957)
Operations World War II
Creation, training, and overseas movement The 38th Bombardment Group (Medium) was constituted on 20 November 1940 by War Department General Order AG 320.2, and activated on 15 January 1941 at Langley Army Air Base, Virginia, by the 2nd Wing, GHQ Air Force. Its original cadre consisted of seven officers and 112 enlisted men transferred from the 22d Bombardment Group to administratively organize the group. Its original assigned flying squadrons were the 69th, 70th and 71st Bomb Squadrons, with the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron activated at the same time and attached. Part 001 download.
In the first week of June 1941, the group transferred to Jackson Army Air Base, Mississippi to receive an influx of personnel just graduated from technical schools and to train a large levy of drafted enlisted men, mostly from Pennsylvania, fresh out of basic training. The first combat crews joined the group on 2 September, consisting of 30 newly commissioned pilots of Randolph Field Pilot Training Class 41-F, who began group training in seven B-18s and two PT-13 Kaydets. The next month the group began receiving new Martin B-26 Marauders, and by 1 December 1941 each bomb squadron had 13 assigned. The first loss of an aircraft was 69th BS B-26 40-1472 in a landing accident at Jackson AAB, with all six crewmen killed, on 21 December 1941.
The German U-boat threat to Allied shipping earmarked the group for assignment to anti-submarine warfare patrols from a base in South America. Orders to transfer the group to Savannah AAB, Georgia, as the first step in the process, were rescinded when the United States was drawn into the war on 7 December 1941. Instead the group remained at Jackson until 18 January when its ground echelon entrained for movement to a port of embarkation at San Francisco, California, where it was quartered in the Cow Palace.
On 29 January the ground echelon boarded the Army transport USAT Tasker H. Bliss, formerly the Dollar Liner SS President Cleveland. The Bliss left in convoy from San Francisco on the 31st and arrived at Brisbane, Australia on 25 February 1942. On that date the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron was assigned as the group's fourth squadron, and re-designated the 405th Bomb Squadron on 22 April 1942.
The ground personnel of the group were employed as service and construction troops, working at various bases until assignment to Charters Towers on 2 August. The advance party, however, found that the 3rd Bomb Group and its A-20 Havocs occupied all the desirable space and established a camp at Breddan on 7 August. The ground element of the 71st BS moved to Batchelor Field, Darwin, on 1 May to act as a service squadron for the 19th Bomb Group, which had been compelled to evacuate its B-17s from the Philippines by Japanese advances. On 12 August it rejoined the group at Breddan. Part 002 download.
The air echelon did not accompany the sea movement and was quartered at Fort McDowell, California, until 6 April, when it moved by train to Patterson Field, Ohio, to continue B-26 training. On 8–7 May, the 69th and 70th BS flew new B-26Bs to California for movement to Hawaii, while the 71st and 405th began receiving B-25 Mitchell bombers for training. The 71st moved to MacDill AAB where it exchanged its experienced B-26 crews for those of the 21st Bomb Group (a unit converting to B-26s), which were entirely newly graduated pilots from Shafter Field Pilot Training Class 42-E. The 405th flew to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, to exchange crews with the 17th Bomb Group, which was converting to B-26s because a large portion of its B-25s had been lost on the Doolittle Raid. These novice pilots and crews became the core of the group's combat crews for the next 15 months.At least one anecdotal narrative by a 38th combat veteran recalled that, in addition to the inter-group crew swaps described in the 38th's official history, the B-26 crews of the 69th/70th were "swapped" internally with the B-26 crews of the 71st/405th just prior to the 7 May detachment of those squadrons from the group. The designated commander of the 38th's air echelon, 405th BS commander Lt. Col. Millard Lewis, was detached at Barksdale to command the 335th Bombardment Group, a new B-26 training group.
69th and 70th Bomb Squadrons
On 19 May the first flight of three B-26 Marauders left Hamilton Field, for Hawaii. From 22 May to 10 June the 69th and 70th Bomb Squadrons ferried 26 Marauders to Hickam Field without a single mishap.
Two aircraft of the 69th BS in Hawaii took part in the Battle of Midway as part of Seventh Air Force. Together with two Marauders from the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron of the 22nd Bomb Group, they were modified to each carry a Mark 13 torpedo and practised torpedo runs for ten days before being deployed to Midway Island. All four took off on the morning of 4 June 1942, in an attempt to attack Japanese aircraft carriers. The bombers began their long torpedo runs at 800 feet altitude, and two were lost before they could release. The remaining B-26s then dropped down to only ten feet above the water under heavy attack from Japanese fighters and antiaircraft fire. Neither hit the carriers. The two Marauders shot down included one with a 69th BS crew, while the two survivors were heavily damaged.Capt. James F. Collins, Jr. of the 69th BS led the attack. 2nd Lt. William S. Watson and his entire crew were shot down and killed on their way into the target at low level. The 28 members of all four crews were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
On 13 June the 69th received orders to proceed to New Caledonia. Equipped with only ten B-26s and based at Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, New Caledonia, it became the first medium bombardment squadron in the South Pacific Area. The 70th Bombardment Squadron arrived at Nandi Airfield on Fiji one week later.
Both squadrons conducted search and bombing missions in the Solomon Islands from McDonald Field on Efate during the Guadalcanal campaign, and the 69th staged twice with torpedoes for strikes against the Japanese fleet that never materialized. The 70th was briefly based on Guadalcanal in mid-November. The 69th arrived at Guadalcanal on 31 December and immediately bombed the Japanese airfield under construction at Munda. It remained at Henderson Field until 12 January, flying eleven missions against Munda and the Japanese seaplane base at Rekata Bay, where it lost two Marauders to antiaircraft fire on 7 January 1943.
The 69th was advised at the end of September that it would be converting to B-25s, but it was November before the first five were received. It turned over its surviving B-26s to the 70th BS in March 1943 when it received 10 new Mitchells and began three months of conversion training. On 26 February 1943, the 69th and 70th squadrons were reassigned from the 38th Bomb Group. In March they were assigned to the 42nd Bombardment Group based on Fiji and the 70th also began conversion to B-25s.
71st and 405th Bomb Squadrons