445th Bombardment Group - RAF Tibenham

The 445th Bombardment Group (H) was a B-24 Liberator unit of the 8th Air Force, assigned to the 2nd Air Division during World War II. The group conducted strategic bombing operations against Germany and German-occupied Europe from December 1943 until April 1945, operating from eastern England. The group adopted the nickname of the "Vagabonds", which reflected both their unit insignia and their identity within the 8th Air Force.

The group arrived in England in October - December 1943 and flew its first combat mission on 13 December 1943 by attacking U-boat installations at Kiel. Hollywood actor James Stewart served in the 703rd Bomb Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group until March 1944, first as operations officer and then as squadron commander, before transferring to the 453rd Bomb Group to continue combat operations. The group primarily conducted daylight strategic bombing missions against Germany's industrial infrastructure such as aircraft factories, synthetic oil plants, chemical plants, marshaling yards and rail networks, airfields and ammunition plants. Major targets included Osnabrück, Ludwigshafen, Münster, Hamm, Munich, and Kiel. During Big Week, the group attacked German aircraft production facilities. On 24 February 1944, the 445th bombed a Messerschmitt Bf-110 aircraft assembly plant at Gotha, an action for which the unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC). The mission was extremely costly in that 13 of 25 attacking B-24s were shot down and 122 airmen were lost. The group also flew tactical missions including bombing coastal defenses for Normandy landings, attacks supporting the breakout at Saint-Lô, and strikes on German communications during the Battle of the Bulge.

The most tragic event in the group's history occurred during the Kassel Mission on 27 September 1944. Due to a navigational error, 35 B-24s of the 445th flew away from the main bomber formation, leaving them unprotected. They were intercepted by approximately 150 German fighters. This resulted in 31 aircraft lost, 118 airmen killed, and 121 captured as POWs. Only 4 of the 35 aircraft returned to base, making it one of the worst single-mission losses suffered by a US bomber group in WWII.

The group participated in other missions including dropping food and medical supplies in March 1945, and ammunition to troops that landed near Wesel during the airborne assault across the Rhine. There were also missions to drop propaganda leaflets and transporting gasoline to France. The group was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm by the French government for operations in the theater from December 1943 to February 1945. The final combat mission was flown on 25 April 1945 with the target of the rail yards at Salzburg, Austria.

By the end of the war the group had flown a total of 280 combat missions and destroyed approximately 90 - 100 enemy aircraft. The group lost 138 aircraft in combat and non-combat operations.

Campaigns
The 445th Bombardment Group participated in the following campaigns: Air Offensive - Europe, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe.

Decorations
Distinguished Unit Citations (DUC): Gotha, Germany 24 February 1944

Oversea Burials   445th Bomb Group Oversea Burials

Group Web Site   http://445bg.org